Our Wedding February 12, 2011
Here is our amazing wedding highlight video created by the super awesome Jonathan Tamayo. It’s 5 minutes of happiness. 
I suggest choosing the 720d (HD) version and double clicking it to watch it full screen!!
An Aussie Boy and an American Girl September 16, 2010
Here we are. An American and an Aussie… all good and married.
Our wedding was simply amazing. It was small enough to feel intimate while being large enough to feel like we weren’t missing most of our friends and family. The location was absolutely breathtaking. I really worried about having our wedding at the residence of family friends but it worked out so well. The spacing was right on for the number of guests we had (what would we have done if every guest that we invited actually showed up? Eek!) and the setting was beautiful.
When you plan a wedding at a house, there are SO many more details to think about than you could ever imagine. When you host a wedding at a rented venue like a hotel or banquet hall you don’t have to remember to buy toilet paper for the bathrooms and lighters to light the candles. You don’t have to recruit family members to go to the location a few days early to move all the furniture out. All that stuff is just done for you. You don’t have to work hands-on with every single vendor to ensure the day runs smoothly- that is usually all taken care of through the venue. Since I had to do everything on my own (with some help from family and friends of course) I feel like I really experienced EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of planning an event. From picking out paper for the invites all the way to the last details which included ordering sparklers for the bride and groom send-off. Even with my amazing organizational skills working for me (and yes, I will pat myself on the back and say they are AMAZING), I still needed help from the professionals to bring it all together. So in honor of all the professional help we had on our big day, I’d like to dedicate this post to our stellar vendors. Without you guys, we wouldn’t have had the amazing wedding that we did.
Our DJ Allan was spectacular. He was the very first vendor I booked back in August once we had settled on our date. I’d seen his DJ/MC work at two previous weddings and knew instantly that he was the right guy for us! In fact I knew he was right for “us” before I even met Andrew!! Some guests even wanted to take photos with him! His cues were spot on and he was so full of personality and professionalism. I can’t recommend him highly enough!
The florist Jen K. did a beautiful job on the gazebo, don’t ya think? My bouquet was MASSIVE but it photographed so well!
The photographer Candace of Mark Brooke Photography took some beautiful shots as we have all now seen on their blog (see my last wedding blog post). I cannot wait to see the rest of the fantastic photos.
Our videographer, Jonathon was just wonderful. He is not even a regular wedding videographer but he was referred to us through a friend. I felt so bad that he was staying so late into the night when originally that was not the plan. I thought he was just so awesome when he told me he heard about the sparkler send-off and he thought it would be great to catch on film. Whenever there was a big moment that was about to occur, I’d turn around and he’d be there. He was completely on top of things without needing direction. I cannot thank him enough for his hard work on our big day and I am so excited to see how the video turns out!
Our caterers, Orange County Catering were superb. I probably worked with these guys the most over the last year to ensure the food, service and rental set-ups were all exactly what we wanted. Jeff and Lyn at OCC were incredibly helpful and I’d definitely use them again. The set-up went fairly smoothly, although I did hear that they showed up a bit later than planned (thankfully I wasn’t aware of that while I was getting ready). The food was delicious. We got SO many compliments from people on the quality of the appetizers and dinner and it made me really happy to hear that people enjoyed it all.
It really sounds so cliche to say that the day just goes by so quickly- but it really does!! It is all a big blur and although I remember how it all went, the little details that I spent a year perfecting seem to have quickly faded from my memory. There are so many things I wish I could have remembered to do on the day, but such is life. The wedding came and went and I can’t change a moment of it now. In the end, I married my love and that’s all that matters.
Oh… and a little note to all of you out there holding our wedding photos hostage… please share!! I don’t have many photos to post because not many people have posted photos online. If you have them, post them- or better yet, burn me a CD! THANKS
EDITED TO ADD:
I can’t believe I forgot some people. Actually I can, my brain is mush lately.
My fantastic hair stylist Regina from Medusa Salon did the hair for myself, all the bridesmaids and the flower girl. My hair was so different from traditional brides and I loved it. I didn’t love it so much in pictures from the end of the night when it sort of flattened out and I looked like I was wearing a helmet but that could also be because my face looked like a sweatball since I was oblivious to the fact that I should have reapplied makeup. It all looked beautiful at the start of the wedding and that’s what matters!!! And I LOVED the flower girl hair. I actually wish I would have done my hair like hers I think.
Makeup was done by the lovely Sumry, although I don’t have a page to link for her.
The photo booth was the hit of the wedding. Evidently the attendants were awesome (I think I said 2 words to them but all our guests said they were great). I’d highly recommend Rockstar Photobooth for any party! They were so reasonably priced and Chris from the company probably had the best customer service of any vendor I worked with.
Wedding Blogs September 13, 2010
In case anyone is interested, our wedding has been featured on a few blogs.
First we have our fabulous photographer’s blog- Mark Brook Photography. They did such a GREAT job with our photos. I’ve only seen the sneak peak of shots they’ve put up on their blog and I simply cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures! I know they will be wonderful.
Secondly we have the pleasure of being featured on Destination Inspirations, a great blog all about destination weddings. I was thrilled to see this via the Mark Brooke site today:
Thanks to our fantastic photographers for capturing “blog-worthy” photos.
Wedding Pre-Party September 12, 2010
When I traveled to Amanda and Stephen’s wedding back in February, they hosted a little pre-wedding get-together before the actual big day. After attending the little shindig, I decided it would be a great thing to do for our wedding. Seeing as how 95% of Andrew’s clan had never met ANY of my clan, we thought it would be appropriate to round up the two groups, throw them together with some beer, pizza and a pool and see what happens.
Well I do believe it was a great success. I think the Aussies loved drinking out of the famous red cups that they always see in movies and I think they appreciated the lessons in the fine art of flip cup (p.s. the girls RULE over the boys).
And what did the Americans gain?? Well… they got to see just how crazy all the Aussies are! They witnessed first hand the reason why my drinking of wine with dinner has gone up tremendously since I moved to this country. The good ol’ American s’mores were a fantastic finale to the night for everyone!
Even though I was a bit stressed (and even cried) at the party… (hey, I was getting married in 2 days, I was extremely emotional), I think the party was a perfect idea! A big purpose of getting the groups together was to create a more social environment for our actual wedding night. If all the groups mingled before the big day they were more likely to mingle a bit more on the wedding night, right? Well that’s exactly what happened. I think the pre-party helped to make the wedding an even better night for everyone.
**I’d like to dedicate this blog to Shannon and Dougie Henderson and to Shawn H. to thank them for their “sponsorship” of this party. Shannon’s Candy bar and the Henderson hospitality (even when people were puking on the side of their house) were amazing and greatly appreciated. Shannon’s vodka soaked gummy bears – which let’s be honest, really tasted like fruity vodka goo – were “enjoyed” by all. Shawn and Oggi’s pizza supplied us with lots of DELISH pizza (that I still pretty much think about on a daily basis) and some great kegs of beer. To you all, I am eternally grateful! **
I’m Back… and I’m Married! September 6, 2010
YAY! I am SO happy to inform you all that I am a married woman. I know my month long hiatus from blogging probably means no one will still be around to read this but now that I’m back to reality I plan to be blogging more. In the coming days/weeks I’ll be posting all about the bachelorette party, wedding pre-party and wedding as well as the post-wedding sadness. But for today – just to get my self acclimated back into the blogging world- I will post a quick little 101 in 1001 update of all the things that were fulfilled while I have been away. There’s lots to share!
#3 Have a spa day with the works. I got a massage, manicure and pedicure the day before the wedding at a proper day spa. While I didn’t get EVERY treatment imaginable, I got all the ones I wanted and it was damn expensive so that’s all that matters right? I also did it with my bridesmaids, sisters and flower girl. It was wonderful.
#36- Go on a girls weekend away. Well my amazing bachelorette weekend cruise definitely counts for this one. I will post all (well, not ALL) of the exciting details in a future blog.
#53 – Go on a cruise. See above.
#59- Go home to CA at least 6 times. The trip out for our wedding was trip #6. I might even top this one and go back 7 times by the end of the year. Time shall tell.
#64- Take photo booth pictures with Andrew. Here’s another one that was conveniently crossed out due to fun wedding festivities.
#78 – Be able to eat something cooked with beef. While in CA there was a delicious looking pizza placed in front of me. It was sausage and pepperoni and it looked delectable. I don’t know what got into me but I decided to willingly eat meat (albeit a combo of beef and pork, not just “beef” as the task calls for) for the first time since I was 15. Granted I did take one piece of pepperoni and one piece of sausage and break them into small pieces to sprinkle over the slice but the point is I ate it!! I willingly ate and enjoyed a piece of pepperoni and sausage pizza.
#89- Start a recipe book and write down all of my mom’s recipes that I like. I made sure to do this right when I arrived in CA since I have forgotten the last two times. My recipe book is is filling up quickly.
Over 50 tasks down, and many, many more to go. Better keep it up, I only have a few months before my time is up!
My Beautiful Shower August 12, 2010
I have some of the most amazing friends! Last weekend I was truly spoiled at my bridal shower. They did such an amazing job on the design… seriously- why can’t Jen and I go into a party planning business together? A few months ago I didn’t even want a shower. I was in a funk because I wasn’t going to be able travel home in May like I had planned. I thought a shower 3 weeks before a wedding was a bit silly, but everyone said “you HAVE to have a shower.” Then I realized Jen did hers that way as well and it was totally fun. I am SO glad I ended up having one. It was beautiful, fun and delicious. The amazing Alexis cooked up a fancy feast of yummy food and the crepe cake was fabulous. The cake ball or “love pop” favors were heavenly. The sangria?? Well, seeing as how they used my recipe, I HAD to think it was delicious, right? I’m so thankful that my friends and family were willing and able to come celebrate my upcoming wedding with me. I had such a nice day!
Thanks again to everyone who played a part in my AMAZING shower!! For more beautiful photos, CLICK HERE.
Busy Busy August 7, 2010
I know I’m a terrible blogger. I guess that’s what happens when life gets in the way. I could be writing about all the wedding stuff I’m doing at the moment, but time spent here means less time actually doing the wedding related tasks I so desperately need to do. So instead of daily blogging, you’ll just have to settle for this quick little update.
So a few weeks ago, our friends Kimbo and Stu moved back from South Africa (YAY) and Kimbo threw me a wonderful surprise “kitchen tea.” It was SO nice of her, especially considering she threw it one day after returning from S.A! Thanks again Kimbo and thanks to all the ladies who came out to help celebrate.
John and Kalee’s wedding was last weekend and we had a blast. I wasn’t going to drink too much since I had to fly the next day. Well not only did I do just that, I actually had a worse hangover than I’ve had in a long time. Not so good when you have to get on a plane for 14 hours with a head cold as well.
I spent Monday through Wednesday working all morning with a clogged nose and severe jetlag (aka nausea). Pretty sure that hangover and head cold didn’t set me off on the right foot. It was miserable. Even with that nasty funk I still managed to get A LOT done this week. Since I’ve been back in CA this week I’ve already met with the caterers at the reception site to finalize the seating arrangements for the wedding. I’ve had my first dress fitting and an appointment with the florist. I’ve been to the gym 3 times, went to dinner twice. I spent two days at my sister’s new condo, went to her pool, went to Wild Rivers, went to a concert in the park. I’ve shopped… a lot. Too bad it’s mostly for stuff I NEED and less for stuff I want. I spent a night playing Just Dance with Shannon. I saw Eclipse with Jen and Lisa. I caught up with a bunch of friends tonight at a UFC party and tomorrow is my bridal shower!! Oh, did I mention I worked all week as well?
It’s been brutal… but I’m surviving.
The Countdown July 19, 2010
12 days until I take off for California
19 days until my bridal shower
31 days until my bachelorette cruise to Ensendada
40 days until I marry the best guy ever!
Can someone please tell me how on earth I’m supposed to fill my free time after it’s all finished? What am I supposed to think about when I’m on the exercise bike? Wedding planning and thoughts fill my head 80% of the day. I do sense that I’ll be dealing with some serious post-wedding depression when it’s all over.
So many people say “You’ll be happy when it’s over because of all the last minute stress.” I’m kind of hoping that is true because otherwise I might be a miserable married mess… especially when I come back to Sydney and there is no more Masterchef on every night!
The Stress is Setting In July 12, 2010
With only 47 days until the wedding, I am starting feel the stress. The weird thing is- it’s not really WEDDING stress, I just have stress and anxiety about about everything else in life. Work, family hardships, taxes (which wouldn’t be a stress if my so-called Aussie accountant actually did something worthwhile over the last 3+ months) my 2nd stage visa application that is due 1 month after the wedding (only because I thankfully got an extension from the original due date of 2 days after the wedding). Ahh.. it’s all starting to get to me!
Not to mention, I haven’t even practiced my new signature. I spent YEARS of my life practicing the possible signature I would have if I married every boy I dated. I’m pretty sure that’s just what girls do. Well, maybe just the girls who are obsessed with names like I am (I’ve also maintained an ever-changing list of preferred baby names since I was probably 10). So now, 47 days before I actually WILL be changing my name, I still have no idea what my signature will look like. Most people say “Don’t worry, you don’t need to perfect it yet.” To that I say- “When you need to apply for a new drivers license, visa and passport right away, you kind of do!”
Then there’s the wedding-related stress of planning for all the visitors that will be in CA for the wedding. I know it’s not my job to organize plans for everyone, but I’m a control freak and part of me can’t rest and relax until I know everyone’s schedule.
Did I mention that I can’t seem to get into that mode that nearly all brides get into right before their wedding? You know, the one where they start eating right and working out to help them look great on their wedding day? I haven’t got there. Of course I do the normal exercise that I always do but I thought some magical motivation would set in by now where I’d feel the need to double my workouts. Yeah that motivation hasn’t really hit me yet.
I’m really trying to enjoy the wedding planning process… but life just seems to be getting in the way at the moment. I sure am looking forward to my bachelorette cruise and pre-wedding massage right about now.
Stache on a Stick July 4, 2010
Can someone please explain the stache on a stick phenomena? I don’t get it. Props and costumes I get… but why the paper mustaches on sticks? How did this become so popular? I’m mostly confused by the alarming number of wedding stache photos. When I am in my wedding dress looking beautiful, I don’t want to ruin it with a hideous piece of black paper or fur on my face. I feel like I’ve been left out of some worldwide inside joke. Can someone please explain?
Wedding Update June 24, 2010
I’ve been busy in the last few weeks! Let’s catch you up on all the things I’ve been doing, shall we?
- Tonight Andrew and I finalized our vows and reading for the ceremony
- Centerpiece candles have been purchased
- Main music choices have been made
- Wedding liability insurance was purchased
- First 2 dress fitting appointment are set… yup definitely pushing that close to the big day
- Aussie wedding invites have been sent… US ones will hopefully go out next week
- I’m 96% sure of the hairstyle I want (finally, it only took HOURS of googling to decide)
- We got a videographer!! YAY!
- I’ve NEARLY finalized the main wedding day schedule. Hopefully I’ll be able to send that off to the vendors in a few weeks
- Pre-wedding spa day with my bridal party is all booked
- Bachelorette cruise is booked and paid for- technically my sister did this, but I’ll still cross it off my list
I do think I would be an amazingly organized wedding coordinator
***
Now let’s have a look at some of the unsettled items looming over my head like a black cloud:
- Purchase Andrew’s ring… this is a lot harder than it may sound
- Book wedding night accommodation… why must we pay SO much to sleep in a place for less than 12 hours?
- Purchase the rest of the alcohol. I really can’t do this until we know the final guest count. This is probably the hardest task ever. How on earth do we predict how much our friends and family will drink? Those online calculators don’t seem to be accurate for Australian drinkers.
- Buy a gift for my nephew (the ring bearer). What do I get a 10 year old boy for being in our wedding? Everything online is to sappy, too young or too retarded. I’ll probably just end up getting him some cool toy that he’ll forget about in 6 months.
- Yes… there is more, but I’ll spare you from reading ALL the fine details
Damn that weddingwire website for sending me constant reminders of things I SHOULD be doing. I just don’t want to do it all yet… or ever! On the other hand, bless that site for keeping me in line and completely organized.
Even though there are still so many little things to be done, the good news is that my wedding nightmares seem to have subsided for the time being. With only 2 months to go, I’m sure they will be back shortly.
Coolest Proposal Ever June 22, 2010
Ok… so Andrew was sweet and romantic when he proposed- but this guy gets props for what I think is the absolute coolest proposal ever!!
Winning my Business April 24, 2010
Whatever happened to the days of bargaining, the days of businesses trying to win your business? I feel like people these days just don’t care- which is surprising since so many businesses in the US are struggling right now. Here’s what I’m talking about…
I’ve been calling and emailing around for quotes for transportation for our wedding. We need a bus to take guests from their hotels to the wedding. So I’ve probably contacted about 6 places. So far my range of quotes has been $700 to $1400 (including gratuity). Well, unfortunately the bus we REALLY want is about $1100. In fairness, his original quote was for $889, but that does not include a tip- which is why I did the math in my head to bring it up to a rough $1100. When I emailed the guy saying we had quotes of $700-800 (inclusive of gratuity) and could he work with us on the price, here was his response:
There is nothing I can about the cost, the prices are set by the owners.
Doing the math I see that we are only about $177.00 higher. Not $400.00.So you have to ask yourself if that is worth going with a professional company with a impeccable safety record or giving up the safety for price. I am pretty sure the people riding on the bus would not advise you to give up their safety at their cost.
There is NOTHING you can do? REALLY? you are in SALES! Isn’t that your job? Can’t you speak to the owners?
And WHAT THE FUDGE is up with him acting like I am putting my guests’ safety in jeopardy by going with ANY other company. Seriously dude, I’m not a moron. All the other companies I’ve talked to have good safety records as well, plus insurance, plus nice buses… etc.
One company gave me a quote of $1200 minimum. I wrote him back right away saying it was way over our budget and we got other quotes from $700-800.
No response.
I guess people really aren’t struggling that badly after all. I guess they all have enough business and they don’t need mine. I guess I’m going to keep searching for someone who cares enough to do a bit of bargaining. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
Disclaimer: There have been a few really nice people who have provided quotes and in the end, I will most likely go with one of them. I just need to feel like people are actually TRYING to win my business, not that they are trying to educate me on why going with other companies will put my guests’ safety at risk. Idiots.
Sick In Sydney February 25, 2010
Back in Sydney, feeling miserable.
My trip to the US was great. I got SO much accomplished for the wedding and now there’s not much more I can do until August. That’s exciting and sad at the same time. The lower stress levels are beneficial, but the fun of planning will be missed. I suppose there are still a few things I can do from Australia, but a majority of it will all come in the last few weeks. Only 6 months to go now!!
My trip to Georgia was awesome as well. I had so much fun spending the weekend in beautiful Roswell with all my friends. It’s rare that we all get together now that we live in 4 different places, so it seems that weddings are the only things that ever bring us all together.
Amanda’s wedding was beautiful! The Clermont lounge was not beautiful. Let me paint a picture for you. The Clermont lounge is where a group of 16 or so of us went on Thursday night. Try to visualize this…a small dive bar, horrible rock band, thick layers of smoke (seriously, get with the times Georgia, why can you still smoke indoors?) and to top it all off… 60 year old strippers! WHAT? Yes, you read that right. There was a complete assortment of strippers from a super skinny tatooed girl to significantly overweight middle-aged girls wearing heinous outfits to a cute little old lady wearing a little red riding hood costume. Weirdest place I’ve ever been. The rest of the weekend was far less weird. The rehearsal cocktail party and wedding were full of much more taste and class (and less smoke), thank GOD!
The only thing that really sucks is that there must have been some funk going around in Atlanta because Shannon, Jen, Alison and I all caught a nasty bug. I haven’t been this sick since well before I met Andrew. I never get sick anymore and I honestly feel like I don’t even know how to respond to this. I feel like the biggest wuss. Will someone please send an un-packing fairy to take care of my luggage that has made it’s home on our living room floor?
Can I Breathe Yet? February 12, 2010
I am always a bad blogger when I come back to California. My life in Sydney is pretty simple and straight forward- I am not a super busy person all of the time. But when I come back for visits I sometimes feel like I have no time to breathe! Why haven’t I blogged lately? Let’s see… in the last 1.5 weeks that I’ve been here, I’ve been busy doing the following:
- Meeting with the florist and deciding on flower budgets
- Creating our wedding website (it’s almost finished)
- Meeting with a baker
- Talking to places about tuxes
- Sending emails to Andrew with pictures of cakes and tuxes
- Ordering our cake
- Buying my wedding shoes
- Buying my wedding jewelry
- Finalizing invitations with my friend/designer
- Attempting to get said invitations printed but still haven’t because kinkos sucks
- Buying paper products for invitations
- Buying wedding bands
- Meeting with the caterer/rental guy to plan out our seating and other venue details
- Meeting with hotel sales managers to organize discounted rooms for our guests
- And lastly… picking up my dress!
Let’s not forget that I was also working, spending time with friends and family, doing dinners and going to gym as well. Yes, I do feel like I’m going to explode. Part of the benefit of having a year long engagement is that you don’t have to rush the planning. Yeah, that’s not really the case in our situation. When I head back to Sydney in a few weeks- that will be the last of my California-based wedding planning until I fly back out in August so I really have to do AS MUCH as possible while I’m here. Rushing around to get everything done in two weeks sort of takes the fun out of some of the planning. It’s not fair, I shouldn’t have to be rushing and feeling this pressure when our wedding is still 6 months away!! 
