Merry Christmas one and all!
Ive had a good ol' year don't you know. 2009 has been one of those years I shall have to make a mental note of. Ive moved into my first home with Tom, gotten myself engaged and got a family together (namely, two cats). So, it won't go down the same route as 2008, which has since been lost in my memory file. Nor will it be sentenced to a lifetime of forgottenness, like 2007. Or was it 2006 I tried to forget about? Oh I don't know, I've forgotten.
Anyway, all there is to say is 2009 has been a good year. And there is still 4 days left, who knows what could happen!? OK, in all probability, nothing. But, there is one other thing that happened this year that I won't forget in a hurry. And that is my sister Victoria doing, possibly, the nicest thing she has ever done for me... and that includes being a generally fab big sis at the best of times. Shes only gone and restored my faith in human nature. Not only that, Ive had my faith restored that, yes, my wedding day might not be all doves and 4 tier cakes, but it will be done MY way.
But, dear blog-reader, you may be thinking "hang on, just last week in the last blog article you were complaining that your day was being ruined by interfering people? What about the Agadoo DJ you hate the idea of, and the hordes of VIPs you've never met being guests of honour?!"
Well, all I can say to that is "not anymore". You see, getting married is like starting a business. You need financial backing, and that backer will have a say in what happens. These backers are commonly known as "Dragons". I for one was not happy that my particular financial backer... or "dragon"... was dictating every last detail of my wedding. So what did my sister do?
In the words of Rage Against The Machine, as this is a festive time of year, she decided to "Take The Power Back". For Christmas, as a present to Tom and I, she has given us £1000 to spend on the wedding, so that we can do it "our way". Thats right, One Thousand English Pounds Sterling! Ive never even dreamt that I could have that kind of money for one day! But shes gone and done it! I knew I made her my Maid of Honour for a reason!
So, the wedding will go ahead. Not only have I got the funds to do things beyond my wildest dreams, but ive also got someone to talk wedding planning with! Now that she is my Dragon, she can help me! We can dress shop, look for cake toppers and search out DJs together! I am SO excited about what 2010 will bring now. Ive got 5 months EXACTLY (because the wedding is 5 months tomorrow!) to get some serious wedding planning done!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Woody!
Oh, and Merry Christmas Blog-Fans... and a happy new year! See you in May!
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Saturday, 12 December 2009
I has another problemette...
20 seats. 29 relatives. Do the maths.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that its Tom's day off (therefore = lie in day) and the nosy woman across the road has sent her son to cut down my hedge at 8am, but im feeling a little bit stressed. I wouldn't mind, but I was purposefully growing that hedge to be bigger and bushier, so that it covered my entire window and therefore I could open my blinds once every now and again without fear of her climbing down her path and staring at me!
But stress brings it out of you. I was up until the very early hours thinking about my little problemette. And no, not the one in yesterdays blog article. I have a new one now. Ive just found out that certain family members are not aware that their children are not invited. I was told "oh its fine, send your invite for them - and their partners that you have never met - to my house, and I'll pass them on".
Wait, what?!
So Ive done the maths. Ive juggled and re-juggled the seating plan and its no use. You cannot get 29 people into just 20 seats. And thats not including the fact that I did kinda want some friends there too, not just a big Walton clan reunion.
Oh lordy lordy! We're forgetting, are we not, about my "VIP" guests! Where ever shall they sit?! Im sure nobody (least of all me) would mind if they just sat next to me and Tom at the front, I mean, they ARE very, very special guests. Well, Ive never met them, nor has Tom, but they come highly recommended as THE wedding guest to have on your special day. A wedding without Woody & friends.... well, it just aint a wedding, is it?
Its 9am. I should not be up this early. But I am through no fault of my own, which is why I will rant, rant and rant again about this. Until Thomas puts his foot down with a firm hand, I doubt there will even be a wedding, blog-fans. I don't see why I should suffer this nonsense. Up with this I will not put. We are having the cheapest, easiest wedding because we want to do it OUR way. Yet, I have been told "this, this and this person" are not allowed to come, however "this, this and especially this person" are first in the line for a slice of cake and a volauvent! And "this bloke" is doing your Djing.... hes a big fan of Agadoo no doubt..... and what?! Cars? Who ever heard of using a car on your wedding day?! Get the bus you work-shy fop! And you want a wedding reception in a nice place?! No, darling, just no. My bestest friend in the whole world - who IS coming to your wedding, by the way - had her reception in a cheap little sports hall. You should do that. In fact, why not copy HER day completly?! Well, you wouldn't know what happened at her wedding, seeing as though you wasn't invited.... that said, she thinks the world of you two - ok, not enough to invite you to hers - but never-the-less.....
One of these days I'll be sent mad. Maybe by the interfering, maybe by the 8am alarm call of somone cutting my hedge down. But one thing is for sure.... when I do go mad, I'll do it MY way and thats my final word!
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that its Tom's day off (therefore = lie in day) and the nosy woman across the road has sent her son to cut down my hedge at 8am, but im feeling a little bit stressed. I wouldn't mind, but I was purposefully growing that hedge to be bigger and bushier, so that it covered my entire window and therefore I could open my blinds once every now and again without fear of her climbing down her path and staring at me!
But stress brings it out of you. I was up until the very early hours thinking about my little problemette. And no, not the one in yesterdays blog article. I have a new one now. Ive just found out that certain family members are not aware that their children are not invited. I was told "oh its fine, send your invite for them - and their partners that you have never met - to my house, and I'll pass them on".
Wait, what?!
So Ive done the maths. Ive juggled and re-juggled the seating plan and its no use. You cannot get 29 people into just 20 seats. And thats not including the fact that I did kinda want some friends there too, not just a big Walton clan reunion.
Oh lordy lordy! We're forgetting, are we not, about my "VIP" guests! Where ever shall they sit?! Im sure nobody (least of all me) would mind if they just sat next to me and Tom at the front, I mean, they ARE very, very special guests. Well, Ive never met them, nor has Tom, but they come highly recommended as THE wedding guest to have on your special day. A wedding without Woody & friends.... well, it just aint a wedding, is it?
Its 9am. I should not be up this early. But I am through no fault of my own, which is why I will rant, rant and rant again about this. Until Thomas puts his foot down with a firm hand, I doubt there will even be a wedding, blog-fans. I don't see why I should suffer this nonsense. Up with this I will not put. We are having the cheapest, easiest wedding because we want to do it OUR way. Yet, I have been told "this, this and this person" are not allowed to come, however "this, this and especially this person" are first in the line for a slice of cake and a volauvent! And "this bloke" is doing your Djing.... hes a big fan of Agadoo no doubt..... and what?! Cars? Who ever heard of using a car on your wedding day?! Get the bus you work-shy fop! And you want a wedding reception in a nice place?! No, darling, just no. My bestest friend in the whole world - who IS coming to your wedding, by the way - had her reception in a cheap little sports hall. You should do that. In fact, why not copy HER day completly?! Well, you wouldn't know what happened at her wedding, seeing as though you wasn't invited.... that said, she thinks the world of you two - ok, not enough to invite you to hers - but never-the-less.....
One of these days I'll be sent mad. Maybe by the interfering, maybe by the 8am alarm call of somone cutting my hedge down. But one thing is for sure.... when I do go mad, I'll do it MY way and thats my final word!
Friday, 11 December 2009
Giftage problemette....
As its almost Christmas, I am in the mood for talking about gifts. Its the same every year isn't it? You don't want to ask outright for stuff, but if you don't somehow mention it in a hint of some sort, you get another knitted jumper straight from a Wham video. And lets be honest, its more of a hinderence, especially when its 2 bus rides to the nearest charity shop. Anyway, I digress...
Its another touchy subject in the world of weddings. How do you ask for gifts? Ive researched it, of course I have. And as far as I can work out here are the dos and don'ts...
DO sit down with your partner and discuss what you actually want. Its no good him thinking they "need" an Xbox, when she wants dinnerware.
DONT mention it on the invite. Its rude. Apparently.
And thats all I can work out to be honest. So how DO you ask? Obviously, Ive said to my very nearest and dearest what Tom and I have in mind. But what about family you don't actually see all that often? And what about family you've never met, but you're inviting out of politeness? And what about people who you can't even be certain actually exist, because neither you nor your partner have ever heard of them, but they have been invited behind your back by future in-laws because "they work with them"? A silly notion I agree, but trust me, it can happen...
Anyway, its another one of those issues that make weddings stressful. Its the touchy subjects, like "how do you tell people that its an adult only ceremony"? and "is it ok to invite that uncle but not that auntie because we don't see each other"? How do you say to people you very rarely talk to that you would like a certain something to help you on your way to married life?
Traditionally, people just buy toasters, kettles and towels. Now Ive been living with Tom for over a year. We have more towels than a bath showroom, and my kettle and toaster are practically brand new. If I don't say anything, this is what we'll get.
Not that its the guests fault, no no. Its very difficult to buy things for people you hardly know. Usually, when the invite comes, you automatically think "towels or toaster? toaster or towels?"
Anyway, heres what we think. Tom and I have everything we need in our house, except there is one thing we would like to change. And that is that we need to redecorate a bit. So, we have decided that - should anyone want to get us a gift, not that they have to because like I said we have everything we need - we would like vouchers from B&Q, Homebase and IKEA. Obviously, we know not everyone will agree with this gift idea and want to go for the personal touch, but for those who are in a pickle as to what we need or want, this is an ideal solution. The guest doesn't have the stress of guessing what we want, and we will have many happy hours in the aisles of hardware stores. And thats not sarcasm. I LOVE going shopping to B&Q and Homebase. We even make a day of it when we go to IKEA. Who said romance was dead, eh?
OK, so we've established that vouchers for hardware stores would be the best gift from those who want to help us out on the road to married life. But just how do I ask for them? The invites are already printed and ready to send, so I can't just scrawl something on the back saying "btw, gift vouchers plz? Kthanxbye!". Plus, various wedding websites say that mentioning gifts in invites is very bad form indeed.
So what do I do? Its a quandrey thats for sure. I will be putting something on our wedding website, but Im not niave to think that everyone will actually make time to go to it. So I could phone them and ask them all individually? No, that would be awkward.
Got it. I'll ask someone who talks to everyone on my side of the family on a regular basis to pass it on. Good ol' Nanan. She'll sort it out!
But what about Tom's side? He can't exactly ask them personally, seeing as though he hasnt spoken to most of them since he was in primary school (why theyre even invited at all is beyond me...). I'll think of something.
And what about all the people that neither Tom or myself have even heard of? Well, I suspect that I will be expected to buy THEM something, seeing as I should be honoured that theyre even making the time and effort to come to my "farce" of a wedding. I didn't even know that "Woody" was a legitimate human name! Aparently so.
Oh, that reminds me. I must remember to get a red carpet. I don't want my extra special guests getting dirty shoes from our farcical wedding reception floor, would I?
I am spiteful, therefore I am. Don't like it, don't come.
Its another touchy subject in the world of weddings. How do you ask for gifts? Ive researched it, of course I have. And as far as I can work out here are the dos and don'ts...
DO sit down with your partner and discuss what you actually want. Its no good him thinking they "need" an Xbox, when she wants dinnerware.
DONT mention it on the invite. Its rude. Apparently.
And thats all I can work out to be honest. So how DO you ask? Obviously, Ive said to my very nearest and dearest what Tom and I have in mind. But what about family you don't actually see all that often? And what about family you've never met, but you're inviting out of politeness? And what about people who you can't even be certain actually exist, because neither you nor your partner have ever heard of them, but they have been invited behind your back by future in-laws because "they work with them"? A silly notion I agree, but trust me, it can happen...
Anyway, its another one of those issues that make weddings stressful. Its the touchy subjects, like "how do you tell people that its an adult only ceremony"? and "is it ok to invite that uncle but not that auntie because we don't see each other"? How do you say to people you very rarely talk to that you would like a certain something to help you on your way to married life?
Traditionally, people just buy toasters, kettles and towels. Now Ive been living with Tom for over a year. We have more towels than a bath showroom, and my kettle and toaster are practically brand new. If I don't say anything, this is what we'll get.
Not that its the guests fault, no no. Its very difficult to buy things for people you hardly know. Usually, when the invite comes, you automatically think "towels or toaster? toaster or towels?"
Anyway, heres what we think. Tom and I have everything we need in our house, except there is one thing we would like to change. And that is that we need to redecorate a bit. So, we have decided that - should anyone want to get us a gift, not that they have to because like I said we have everything we need - we would like vouchers from B&Q, Homebase and IKEA. Obviously, we know not everyone will agree with this gift idea and want to go for the personal touch, but for those who are in a pickle as to what we need or want, this is an ideal solution. The guest doesn't have the stress of guessing what we want, and we will have many happy hours in the aisles of hardware stores. And thats not sarcasm. I LOVE going shopping to B&Q and Homebase. We even make a day of it when we go to IKEA. Who said romance was dead, eh?
OK, so we've established that vouchers for hardware stores would be the best gift from those who want to help us out on the road to married life. But just how do I ask for them? The invites are already printed and ready to send, so I can't just scrawl something on the back saying "btw, gift vouchers plz? Kthanxbye!". Plus, various wedding websites say that mentioning gifts in invites is very bad form indeed.
So what do I do? Its a quandrey thats for sure. I will be putting something on our wedding website, but Im not niave to think that everyone will actually make time to go to it. So I could phone them and ask them all individually? No, that would be awkward.
Got it. I'll ask someone who talks to everyone on my side of the family on a regular basis to pass it on. Good ol' Nanan. She'll sort it out!
But what about Tom's side? He can't exactly ask them personally, seeing as though he hasnt spoken to most of them since he was in primary school (why theyre even invited at all is beyond me...). I'll think of something.
And what about all the people that neither Tom or myself have even heard of? Well, I suspect that I will be expected to buy THEM something, seeing as I should be honoured that theyre even making the time and effort to come to my "farce" of a wedding. I didn't even know that "Woody" was a legitimate human name! Aparently so.
Oh, that reminds me. I must remember to get a red carpet. I don't want my extra special guests getting dirty shoes from our farcical wedding reception floor, would I?
I am spiteful, therefore I am. Don't like it, don't come.
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