Missions

I have to doff my imaginary hat in respect to my mum, you set that woman a challenge and she rises to it admirably! Following a passing comment that I wanted to get a mixture of glass cake stands for the wedding, mum went forth and did a sterling job, 9 cakes stands and 3 cupcake stands later we (well mum) has made a fantastic start to the cake stand collection!

Now the hard work starts; we have to source cakes, scones, buns and all manner of baked goods for our dessert buffet. Sadly, being allergic to milk dessert can be a disappointing affair, but if I were a betting woman my money would be on Totnes as a good place to start in my hunt for a milk free cake...

Continuing on the theme of missions, Sam is on one. A brew mission. So far this year we have been stung, pricked and sunburnt in the persuit of elderflowers for champagne, blackberries for crumbles and jam, and now elderberries for elderberry wine. 5 kilos of elderberries later and a good hour of removing berries from stalks we have a very purple kitchen and a very confused cat.

The spare bedroom is soon to be a brew centre extraordinaire!

Wigs.

I have learnt yet another valuable wedding lesson. Do not tell your hairdresser you are going to get married. I knew things were taking a turn for the worst when I went for a normal cut and blow dry and my hairdresser suggested I get hair extensions for the big day, I am possibly the last person on earth who would ever consider getting hair extensions, as Sam said, it's like suggesting he wear a wig to our wedding!

I don't really understand the compulsion to look completely different on your wedding day, I'm not adverse to a bit of pampering and sprucing don't get me wrong, but if you don't have curly hair why would you go for mad ringlets on your wedding day? Similarly as I have curly hair, why would I straighten it for the wedding and look like someone entirely different? Perhaps I'm missing the point, that's something I'm quite good at doing. I made what I hoped were very non-committal noises to the idea of hair extensions and became immensely interested in Sainsbury's food magazine, marvelous summer salads, truly marvelous.

By the time my usually ace hairdresser had finished the blow dry I had gained several inches in height and could easily have passed for a 1970's television drama actress, I most certainly had a 'do'. My friend Charlotte for her wedding day did her own hair, she like me has curly hair and bought herself some curling tongs just in case her do wouldn't play ball on the day, she looked great, and relaxed and happy and wasn't worried a jot about it, and that to me is a fine example of how to have wedding hair.

He Knows my Name isn't Susan

Hooray! My engagement ring which has been custom made by a fantastic seller on etsy Cocoa and China is winging it's way over to me as we speak. Rose gold with a black diamond, bit unconventional I suppose but I've never been one for showy jewellery so understated is the go!

I have spent the last week trawling through etsy wedding blogs to poach ideas and to be inspired by others, I think Sam might be getting tired of hearing about the wedding already so I will have to keep a cap on discussions and save them all up for six monthly wedding talks.

At the weekend we went to our niece's 5th birthday party (butterflies and pirates), and the event was craft-a-go-go! David had made two long tables and butterfly and pirate chairs especially for the occasion, not only that but there was an impressive array of handmade treasure chests, pink cakes, dresses and hats on show, I'm entering into a very craft focused family which suits me just fine!

Whilst we were up there we popped in to visit Colette and David's allotment, instant veg envy ensued and on returning to the shire we instantly signed up for one of our own (at least a year to wait, alas). Amongst the veg there were an impressive collection of sunflowers and cornflowers growing together and they look fantastic, a renewed excitement for the bouquets has now flourished!

The Importance of Bunting

I don't think that it would be conceivable for either my aunt, my mum or myself to hold a celebration without bunting. We have Christmas bunting, 50's bunting, and 70's bunting produced, stored and ready to be whipped out at a moments notice. It is with this bunting heritage that I have started collecting fabric for the wedding bunting. The idea is to gather fabric with designs that have some relevance to Sam and I (hence the glasses) however I'm not sure what aspect of our personality is reflected by owls or flags both of which have featured in recent fabric purchases, apart from the fact that I simply had to have the fabric. Fabric worm has been featuring every day in my browse history, so far I have kept the purchases down to two parcels but when payday arrives I can feel another sale coming on. Of course to reflect my Devon roots I will have to succumb to a trip to Trago Mills for backing fabric, it would seem wrong on some level not to have included Trago in the preparations some how, perhaps a nice gargoyle or similar??

Flowers

http://www.blue-geranium.co.uk/

Flowers? Check. A reception in a barn doesn't seem to lend itself to posh flowers so we're going for sunflowers and wild blue flowers, perhaps cornflowers? But the best thing is because sunflowers will be too big for the bridesmaids (will be 6 and 4) the florist is going to source mini sunflowers especially for them, so cute.

Our garden next year is going to become a sunflower growing factory, every available space will be taken up with the production of sunflowers on mass, herbs and veg be damned we're on a mission!

Not only that but the bathroom has already become a wine and beer making factory. At Christmas when my brother and cousin came to stay we were in the middle of brewing a batch of elderflower wine, four demi-johns with amber coloured liquid were merrily bubbling away. Both took it as red that we had just stored vats of our urine, for what purpose they imagined I don't want to know. Needless to say there was much relief when I explained that no, we weren't conducting strange-o experiments with wee.

Casual and not stressful, no really.

'Casual, casual easy thing' that's the mantra for our wedding. Wishful thinking right? Over the years I have heard far too many horror stories of stressed out brides upset that the place settings don't match the bridesmaids hair or equally ridiculous things and the thought of it brings me out in a cold sweat of terror. Why generate such stress for one day in your life? I recognise that as far as days go it's an important one, but really? Perspective is a wonderful thing, it's a marriage you're creating here not a wedding!



For those who know us the idea of Sam stressing over the colour of napkins and whether they match the flowers is laughable, equally the idea of spending thousands of pounds on a wedding doesn't quite fit in with either our income or our belief in not wasting money on stuff, stuff that is disposable and essentially useless after the day. Friends have set great examples with their weddings, one pair went to Ikea bought up plates and cutlery to avoid renting them from the catering company and then donated it all to the Church they were married in. My soon to be sister-in-law made her own simple and yet stunning wedding dress, and recently we went to a wedding in Wales where the couple had made an impressive array of homebrew from delicious cider to coffee wine (like coffee cake in a glass).



For our part we will be encouraging a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere at all times, to start with we'll be holding our reception in a barn on a nearby farm, there won't be formal sit down meals and guests can dress how they wish, there is no obligation to fork out for new outfits and shoes chances are you'll be donning your wellies if the British summer is anything to go by!