Its getting real......

After my last post, FH (Future Hubby) and I decided the focus on the end of year rush and leave the wedding details to 2014. With a venue, photographer, rough idea on dress and a suit we thought we were in a good space.

Then 2014 hit and I realized we only had 9 months to the wedding, thinking we still had time but should start working through a wedding checklist I used the online one linked to my Knot profile (haven't found an SA wedding site that is as useful) and saw all the items apparently 'overdue'. Thinking this was a tad dramatic I went about booking make up, marriage office, dj and setting up an appointment with the venue to discuss food, drinks, decor and flowers. The feedback was we were just in time and needed to book soon!

Making me look happy and fresh instead of exhausted!


Wanting to look flawless but still myself on the day I went about looking for make up artists, I followed magazine, friends and preferred suppliers suggestions. I discovered now that a 'value add' of some artists is they actually air brush your make up on. I'm not sure about anyone else but the thought of being spray painted with make up is rather off putting.



Based on photographs and reviews I narrowed it down to Sam Scarbourough and Janna Stone (Made up by Janna) both have facebook pages and websites and the photos are gorgeous. I personally decided to go with Janna, but don't think you could go wrong with either!

Saying I do



Neither FH and I are religious so the task of finding a marriage officer was quite tricky. There are several ministers that offer non-denominational services but I wanted to remove any religious aspect for the service and so went about finding someone to do a civil service for us.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be alternative or different and still want the traditional till death do us part vows, with some ugly crying on my behalf and FH looking embarrassed hoping I'll hold it together, but I felt hypocritical involving God when we are unsure of our views and aren't fans of organised religion.

The recommendation from our venue and the one I scoped out on the internet is Larne Trevor Hugo. He has various ways of incorporating Celtic elements to the service and as a proud member of a clan with our own tartan, rock and even Rob Roy's grave this appealed to me. He can also do our ANC so it is a one stop shop for getting legally married.



We're having a meet and greet tonight to be sure that we all get along and then hopefully that's one more task down.

Getting pimped



On my trip to London late last year, I invested in an Italian wool suit for FH that was on special at one of the tailors on Jermyn street. With that organised we planned to hire suits for the groomsmen a couple of months before the wedding. Thank goodness fate intervened. FH was buying a shirt and bow tie for a work function last weekend and because it was on our way home from our boxing class (will give details of that next time) we decided to pop into Wedding Suit and Hire on the cnr of William Nicol and Republic. It was on our way home and I had seen their stand at the bridal expo last year.

The staff were incredibly helpful and after watching another groom picking his duds we briefly chatted to them about when we should start looking. The consensus was we should have been already. Despite our wedding being 8.5 months away they were already getting bookings for October and if we didn't hurry might not have any suits to hire!

That is on the agenda for 2 weeks time and I'll let you know what we decide on.

Now its just to pay deposits and book our honeymoon.

xxx

The Maczar bride

Extreme wedding weight loss - MacZar style

One of the first things you think about when you get engaged is how you are going to look on your wedding day. If you open a bridal magazine you are assaulted with the various nip and tuck procedures you should consider having in preparation.

If I believed everything I read, I would currently be in hospital recovering from breast augmentation surgery, with my liposuction scheduled for a few months time, botox now and in 6 months and of course some chemical peels to keep my skin looking 'youthful' (when did we start peeling layers off our face?????)

Instead I wanted what most brides do, a slightly slimmer physique and a beautiful smile, sounds easy, how wrong I was!

I haven't had any orthodontic work done. My teeth are okay, people aren't horrified at them but I'm certainly not going to be posing for dental magazines. Knowing that there are many new less obvious ways to straighten your teeth up a bit I consulted my dentist and then orthodontist for options. And boy did I open a can of worms.

False sense of security

The dentist was very nice and suggested a very quick method would be the use of crowns on my front 6 teeth which would not correct my overbite but would make my top teeth look straight. At about R30 000 for the 6 teeth this seemed like a feasible option.

Not to be. My fiance was horrified at the thought of me filing down my otherwise healthy teeth and getting false ones glued on. On to the orthodontist.

Reality bites

My orthodontist (Dr Steven Flax) strongly agreed and took all the necessary scans and x-rays and suggested I join him in a few weeks to discuss our options. What had started off as my own vanity, revealed issues that required treatment and fast...

My lower jaw is underdeveloped and is the reason my face is so round, this position of the jaw is causing migraines which are getting more frequent and severe and the longer it is left the longer the recovery is and the worse my migraines will get in the mean time.

This combined with the fact that I need my wisdom teeth out because they are in the exact position where the surgeon cuts through your jaw means I will be a frequent hospital visitor for the next 6 months and need braces!

The up side

After the op my face will be longer and look a bit thinner as a result. The braces will come off before the wedding and I will be getting my own exercise free weight loss program.

I start with the wisdoms on Monday and then braces towards the end of September, so I'm enjoying ribs and popcorn and other such food while I can.

Chat once I'm healed

A nervous MacZar bride

Crisis averted, until the next one

So we have done the seemingly impossible..... found and booked a wedding venue.

After much consideration we decided to go with a local venue, the stress of filling rooms at a hotel was an uncertainty we weren't willing to deal with. After looking at some venues we went with Morrells in Northcliff.

Pros of Morrells

This is one of the most impeccably decorated and maintained places I have had the luck to pass through. The style exactly matches my aesthetic (french country) and the staff are friendly, professional and helpful.

The chapel is non-denominational.

There is a flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces making for a very fluid event and nice to haves like a cigar bar, piano room, rose garden and a bar covered in old war love letters.

We haven't tasted the food but have heard fantastic reviews, all catering is done in house and the wine list is impressive.

Lastly, they cater for many of a brides concerns in house. With décor, flowers, food, drinks and entertainment sorted out it leaves us to arrive in pretty outfits, make sure there is someone to marry us and that our guests know where to go.

Cons of Morrells

As expected, a full-service venue like this does not come cheap. The venue hire and staff costs are some of the highest we have seen and with the need to use their in-house florist, flower and décor costs could escalate quickly.

The venue is located on quite a busy road in Northcliff, once you are inside you can barely here it, but you can't help that feel if it was situated down a quiet street it would be even more idyllic.

Despite this it was definitely the place we wanted to have a party with our nearest and dearest and dance the night away next to a vintage rocking horse.

What next you ask

With a lovely stationery designer, Tash Chapman at Bridesign we have our engagement party invites out. A casual affair at a cafe on a peach farm, peaches champagne and giggles!

We have our photographer booked.

We both have an idea what we want to look like but still need to find the dress/outfit without breaking the bank.

Then its downhill to the fun stuff, booking honeymoon, tasting menus, choosing cake and picking flowers

Hoping the wedding expo next weekend has some great ideas for us.

From a very happy but exhausted

Maczar bride