We got a photographer.... YAY!!!

After months of trawling website after website trying to find a wedding photographer, we've finally booked one. I admit we're really fussy, and on a really tight budget, so we've struggled with the "price" versus "style" argument for months.

The photography is possibly the most important thing we'll buy for the day. It's the one thing apart from our rings that'll actually be with us forever. That'll remind us of every detail from the wedding. So it's important that it looks the way we want it to and reflects who we are.

We saw the photographers we eventually booked at a wedding show in Birmingham last year and really loved their work. But to us their fee seemed a little out of our range, little did we know that to get even close to their standard we would need to look at photographers that were in the "silly" money range!!!

So we left the decision until we knew that the date and venue was definate.... then after another quick emailing and phoning session we had to admit that we would have to bite the bullet and accept that what we wanted was gonna be in the higher price range and that the photographer we saw at Birmingham would be booked already..... So we contacted the more expensive ones and got quotes... but we knew that although they were beautiful images we just couldn't justify the money, not on our budget, so finally today we chanced a phone call to the photographers from the Birmingham Show and amazingly they're available.... and actually not unreasonable in the price area! And the deal they're offering is flexible and allows us to get exactly the sort of coverage we want.So the deposit is paid.... and that's one less thing to worry about!!!

you can see their website here

Jane xx

Wedding Gift website goes live...

So the "gift us our honeymoon" website has gone live.. ..

We've been together just over eleven years and we have most of the stuff we need ....although if anyone wanted to give us a big flat screen TV then we wouldn't complain!....but to be honest as far as traditional setting up home stuff we've got almost everything we need or want.

The one thing we love to do together more than anything in the world, is travelling with our cameras in our beautiful Smart car "Blob". We've always dreamed of travelling across the USA in a car/motorhome and when we got Blob 3 years ago doing it in him became an even bigger dream. Unfortunately the reality and logistics of trying to get him over there and and the support we would need make it vitually impossible.

Then when Darren proposed last year and we started thinking of what to do for a honeymoon, we realised that we could ask people to help us achieve our original dream. From New York to San Francisco in a motorhome, visiting some of the places we've always wanted to see....
So we tried to work out the best way to allow people to help us do this, we realised that as quite a few of our friends live outside the UK that a website might be the way to go...

So the idea of www.ouramericanhoneymoon.com was born. And after lots of time grappling with Dreamweaver (we have 3 other websites but still haven't mastered it!!!) it's gone live..So here's hoping that those that want to buy us a wedding gift find it easy to use, that was our main goal, to make it easy for people to understand why we want to do it, how we plan to do it and how their gift will help.

We are worried that people will think we're being cheeky, but we hope that our friends, family and others will understand why we're doing it this way. It just seems that it's no more cheeky than having a gift list at some expensive store. We've also given the option for someone to give as little or as much as they want or can afford! (we've worked it out to approx £1 a mile, and every mile counts!!!)

This week the big wedding thing that has to be sorted is the catering... we're torn between a tapas style table buffet and a straight "help yourself" buffet. So we need to pin down the 2 caterers we're considering to a menu and a quote this week and I'm working a 48.5 hour week, so expect some very short and possibly bad-tempered posts this week!!

Jane xx

So it's happening then...

So we've got the venue money, my dress is sorted (thanks baby brother!), the wine and transport sorted (love you mum and dad) and I have a fantastic mother-in-law to be, who is gifting her time to keep my house tidy. This will allow me to do as much overtime as my body and mind can cope with!! It would appear that the wedding that would only happen if hell froze over, is happening!

So I guess it's officially time to panic!!!

Although to be honest the one thing we don't want to happen with this wedding, is any stress! We're the sort of people that if things go wrong we'll just end up in a pile giggling... Not that anyone I work with would recognise that Jane, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and control freak in work!!!!

So I hope you enjoy reading this blog...

Jane & Darren xx