recap: the boys get ready!

Saturday, 29th September, 2012

Ok! Getting stuck back into our wedding recaps! Here we go!

You will notice a major difference in the amount of photos of the girls getting ready....and the boys getting ready. That is because, every time the lovely Jo snuck off to take some photos, she would return with, "Well, they aren't doing anything yet". Haha. I'm pretty sure this:

...was what they were doing most of the time! Guys have it so easy! I have heard though that my SIL/bridesmaid had to go in there and iron some shirts before they got dressed...men!

Enjoy!

(Please note that I'm super nervous about sharing Sandra's work here but I don't want to watermark her gorgeousness. All the following photos are the work of Sandra Henri Photography and are not to be taken, copied, used or edited in any way without permission from Sandra. Steal them and claim them as your own and we will bust your butt evil copy-right violation people!)


The boys showing off their cufflink gifts :)

Ps. See that picture of our littlest niece/flowergirl getting her hair done by her Daddy? In LOVE with that photo. She stayed with the boys to get dressed, while Aiden and Emily stayed with us in the girls' room (since Aiden's Mummy was a bridesmaid and Tamzyn's Daddy was a groomsmen, we thought they would feel more comfortable that way! Apparently all Tammy did was eat all the boys' food...hehe). That picture captures the first time her Daddy did her hair...and the placement of the tattoo with her name on it is just perfectly unplanned! Her Mummy loves it :)

Next Up: Details - The Dress!...

Miss something?

1. recap: the girls get purty...nail day!
2. recap: the night before the big day
3. recap: bridal party gifts...the boys!
4. recap: bridal party gifts...the girls!
5. recap: the girls get ready...part one!
6. recap: the girls get ready...part two!

I'm baaaaack!

I know, I know, you've all been terribly anxious to know where I am...just kidding! Truth be told, the hubs and I haven't been home much since Christmas, and not being home = not having access to personal computer = no access to personal files/photos = no blog recaps! In fact, it meant I couldn't really blog, fullstop! But we are home and I hope to get stuck into these recaps soon so that I can move this blog into it's new realm of existence!

But where have I been? Well, nowhere terribly exciting, but at the same time, we had a lovely break. See, we've been house sitting! As mentioned about a year or so before the wedding, the hubs and I decided to move in with my parentals, to save up for our own place. The lovely Miss Laina's parents went on holidays recently, just after Christmas, and knowing we were doggy-loving newlyweds living at home, they asked us to watch their home and doggy-sit for them while they were gone. 2 whole weeks with 3 cute doggies, a 2 story house to ourselves and a pool. Not much more you could ask for over summer!

We had a lovely time watching the doggies and chilling out, only to return home and miss the freedom of our own place a little! However, a week later we were contacted by the family's friend and neighbour, Shell, who was ALSO going away, for 10 days this time, and asked if we would like to watch her place and doggies! Of course we were up for it. Her two little doggies were also cuties and we enjoyed our stay with them as well.

So most of our January was spent away from home and having some lovely husband and wife time. We're back home now so February should be the start of some more action here on the blog! I hope you guys aren't a) fed up waiting for recaps or b) fed up of wedding talk in general. But I promise to get a move on! I didn't originally intend for so many recaps (we aren't even up to the ceremony yet!) but we have so many amazing photos and memories I want to do them justice in remembrance. I hope you all don't mind holding on for a little longer! Then there will likely be a lot of exciting things happening as our life moves forward, into getting our own place and hopefully some crafts, recipes and general life talk!

I'm so glad to have you guys along for the ride that will be 2013!

Merry Christmas!!!

recap: the girls get ready...part two! (photographer photos!)

Saturday, 29th September, 2012

Ok, so here's where it all starts to get exciting! Our hairdressers left us, following wishes of good luck, and we continued pottering around getting ready. The girls were all getting dressed and doing their make up by this stage, and once they were all done, I headed into the bathroom to do my own make up - in the peace and quiet. A little alone time with my thoughts. It was actually really nice to take that bit of time to make myself pretty and not have to talk to anyone! Refreshing and gave me time to really take in everything so far, and what was about to happen.

While I was doing my makeup, I received a call from our photographers to say they were already in the area, they were just scouting out a few photo location spots and then they would be heading right over. As well as the lovely Sandra, we had sidekick Jo as our second photographer. Let me tell you though, Jo is just as marvelous as Sandra and just as lovely...and I honestly can't tell who took what photos, except for the ones we saw being taken!

I must go off an a tangent for a moment because I have to share just how wonderful these two women are. We booked a second photographer with Sandra, to cover the ceremony and the family photos after the ceremony. That was all. We received an email from Sandra about 2 1/2 weeks before our wedding (after she had already let us know who Jo was and that she was available as our second shooter...I checked out her work and LOVED it) letting me know that Jo was going to be traveling down the coast with Sandra the day of the wedding and staying in the area that night, so she had kindly offered TO SHOOT THE REST OF THE WEDDING. For free. Well, for a meal at the reception. We were blown away by her kindness and definitely got those two lovely ladies the same 3 course meal the rest of us were having! We didn't even think twice about it, yet it was mentioned to us by Sandra that it is a rare thing in photography land to get a 3 course meal.

Shout out to any future/planning brides: If you love your photographers - show it. They deserve it! Hell, those ladies were working off their feet from 11am (not to mention the scouting they were doing BEFORE coming to us, and the traveling!) until 9pm at night for us and they went out of their way continually. We felt it was the least thing we could do to provide them with a good feed! Photographers are very physical while working too (I don't know about any other brides out there, but some of the positions I saw Sandra get into for a photo-op, I swear she must need an ice-soak or a massage the next day!) so think about how you'd feel working that long a day, that physical a job and give them the meal you think you'd want :)

But back to the story! Sandra was really excited about some of the locations they had found and I couldn't wait to see them...but first was the business of getting married. When the ladies arrived to start snapping away, they were so unobtrusive we barely noticed them most of the time. And they got some fabulous shots!

So, to start off, here are some of my favourites of me, the ladies and 2 of the littlest bridal party members getting ready (Tamzyn was in the boys room getting ready with her Daddy, Emily and Aiden were with us girls).

(Please note that I'm super nervous about sharing Sandra's work here but I don't want to watermark her gorgeousness. All the following photos are the work of Sandra Henri Photography and are not to be taken, copied, used or edited in any way without permission from Sandra. Steal them and claim them as your own and we will bust your butt evil copy-right violation people!)

My little brother's girlfriend was so overwhelmed that she got to come up and see us all getting ready...she burst into tears before she even got in the door! It was so sweet and I love that it was captured on camera!

The girls' presents in action!

One unhappy little flower girl...she did not want to get dressed! So we tried fulling funny faces in the mirror...The Bride just ended up looking silly haha

A balloon helped...see, Photographers are magic!

And I'm going to be REALLY evil and stop right about there...leave you hanging with those last few pictures...because my dress? Well she can have a pretty post all of her own...

Next Up: The Boys Get Ready...

Miss something?

1. recap: the girls get purty...nail day!
2. recap: the night before the big day
3. recap: bridal party gifts...the boys!
4. recap: bridal party gifts...the girls!
5. recap: the girls get ready...part one!

recap: the girls get ready, part one (pre-photographers!)

Saturday: 29th of September, 2012

I woke bright and early the morning or our wedding at about 6:15am (our hairdressers was due to arrive around 7am and I had to shower, wash my hair and let it air dry...I was the last to get my hair done but I needed to give it time to dry, but also allow my Mum and SIL to shower before the hairdressers arrived).

I woke up, grinned, sat up and stretched. My Mum reached out from next to me in our King size bed in our hotel suite and squeezed my arm. The big day was here. My SIL gave a groan and rolled back over in her single bed in the corner...she wanted more sleep!

I jumped in the shower, trying to gauge whether I was nervous or not. I took my time, relaxing...but I didn't feel particularly nervous!

After my shower we woke up my SIL so she could jump in and the day began! I slipped into my "Bride" singlet and little cotton shorts, breakfast was had and we straightened up one side of the room for it to be ready when our photographers arrived for detail shots. At some point the 3 girls joined us, fresh and showered, from the other room. Our hairdressers arrived about 7:15 (they weren't due to start til 7:30 but had indicated they would probably arrive between 7 and 7:30 to set up) and my sister (who hadn't stayed over) and Bridesmaid Kylie both jumped in the hair dressing chairs first.

Our wonderful hairdressers, Mel and Emma, were so efficient and fast that they finished WAY before our photographers were due at 11:30, and even managed to blow out and style my Mum's hair for her. She hadn't booked in with them because she felt with such a large bridal party they wouldn't have time to do her as well, and had planned to just style her own hair. I'm so glad she got to be pampered as well!

At some point I know my MoH ducked out to the shops, rather early - possibly even before our hairdressers arrived, because she needed toothpaste or a toothbrush...I found that rather entertaining! The following photos are courtesy of her camera (with a few of my own thrown in for good measure) and I'm so glad she managed to capture this for us, before our official photographers arrived!

Only photo I have WITH my nephew...
He crashed out at the reception!

Hottest photo of the Bride ever...but the girls look fab!

The stages of my hair getting done: (some of them are SO attractive, I know!)

I remember when I was getting my hair done, everyone started asking me if I was getting nervous yet. The honest answer was no! When it was tine for my veil to be attached, Mel warned me that often that's when she has found that her Brides get nervous because suddenly they LOOK like a Bride...But no, I still wasn't nervous. I was excited, yes. Ready for the day, yes. But nervous? Nope!

After my hair was done and my veil attached, my dress was hung up and ready for our photographers to arrive!

Next Up: The Girls Get Ready...Part 2!

Miss something?

1. recap: the girls get purty...nail day!
2. recap: the night before the big day
3. recap: bridal party gifts...the boys!
4. recap: bridal party gifts...the girls!