In 2012 I am looking forward to...

... 2 weddings of my nearest and dearest

First of all the big wedding of my best friend, who celebrated her Standesamt wedding last year in Bavarian tradition. The big party will be in the Bavarian countryside, but I think it terms of style it will be quite different. More traditional bridal. Which means I can wear a new dress ;-) I am her maid of honour so there will be a lot of wedding planning, crafting and sewing, I promise. Yippee!

Then later in the year my sister will have her wedding. I am super-excited about this. My little sister. And my favourite brother-in-law. At the moment they don’t know whether it will be in a small castle in Bavaria or a ski lodge in Austria – I don’t care, because I know it will be a unforgettable celebration and party. No matter where.

... writing a book

I always wanted to write a book. Not for others. Not because it could make me rich. Or famous. Just because I would love to see something I wrote printed in a real book. I always thought it would be a crime thriller, but recently I think of something else. I think I could really do it. I would love to. Let’s see whether 2012 will be the year of my first book ;-)

... sewing more

I have so many sewing projects in mind that I honestly do not know where to start. Another one of my favourite shift dress? Another wrap dress? A Jackie-O-dress? A cape? Another hat ? A Carnival costume for my little one? A dress for my best friend’s wedding? And for my sister’s wedding? Finally something made from Jersey? More skirts?

... looking better after myself

My lovely husband just started a new job. Great challenges. Great colleagues. But 300km from home. So me and the little one are on our own during the week and see Papa just on the weekends. Very strange feeling. I have had long-distance relationships before – which I didn’t like particularly either – but a baby really gives this a whole new dimension. Anyway, I better stop whinging and start to look at the positive sides. No compromises on the evening TV programme! Evening after evening on my beloved sewing machine! Vegetarian dishes for dinner! ... Well, I cannot think of much else at the moment, but I am sure that I will discover more along the way. Right? Right!

... getting better at juggling work and my little one (or at least with a bit less running)

I know life won’t get less hectic, especially with my lovely husband not around every day. But I will try my very best to take it less serious. Walk instead of run. Be more pragmatic and less perfectionistic. Get a babysitter. Not look at the dust bunnies too closely – at least they are quiet pets ;-)

... and an unexpected present

I have no idea when to expect this. Or from whom. Or what it will be. Whether it will be big or small. I just hope I will recognise it whenever it will come my way. Because that is what my New Year’s Eve fortune cookie promised me. And of course, I believe in fortune cookies J

Oh well, 2012 looks pretty good to me ;-)

Wedding Anticipation Set

I am so excited! My little sister is getting married next year. She and her boyfriend just came back from a trip to South Africa and announced the good news. I am so happy for her. He is a great guy and they are a wonderful couple (for more than 6 years). So I think it is wonderful that we will celebrate them and their love big times. Because that is what weddings are all about, isn’t it.

picture found here

Since we live 800km apart, sharing anticipation and taking part in the preparation is not easy, but I still wanted to let her know how excited I am and to give her reason to dream and plan. Therefore I sent her a little

Wedding Anticipation Set

It contained:

A bridal magazine – most of them are horrible and consumption focussed, I know, but I think they are a great way to see what is out there in bridal world (which can be a scary world I can tell you) and make up your mind about what you want and most importantly what you don’t want.

A blank notebook – for taking notes of all the beautiful things and amazing ideas which you come across during your bridal research, I lost a number of papers with fabulous ideas because they just got lost in my stash of paperwork, therefore I love to have everything bound and in the same place.

Post-Its – to mark the page with the beautiful idea in the magazine full of things you don’t want to read or see again or for little ideas, but please make sure to stick them into the notebook, they will get lost otherwise, I promise you

The list of my favourite 5 wedding blogs – which you can easily find at the righthandside of my blog, I like them because they are different to the fairy-tale-pink-princess-stuff that you often find in bridal magazines, they offer warm-hearted, affordable, creative and alternative ideas which makes a wedding so much more beautiful

The Ultimate Wedding To Do List – I know you can find such extensive To-Do-Lists in every bridal magazine, but I found them always quite daunting, they included millions of things which I didn’t want to do, traditions I have never heard about, but forgot important legal things which are mandatory in Germany, therefore I created my own version and offered sister to use it as a guide and change it into her Ultimate Wedding To Do List

Unwanted advice – yes, I already started with this slightly annoying tradition, just to help her get used to them J, no honestly I think most people give you advice because they want to help you and it is really up to you what you do with them: ignore them, take them into consideration, forget about them, act on them, discuss them with your loved one,...

Of course you could also add a bottle of bubbly, chocolates or the like, but I wanted to give the post no excuse to delay the delivery and it worked. They delivered it into her office in record time  ;-)

A Bavarian wedding – Decision about my outfit made

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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Alright the little poll is officially closed. The decision is made. I am going to wear...

... Dirndl No 1 at my best friends’ wedding.

I know there were also very good reasons to wear Dirndl No 2, but the argumentation for Dirndl No 1 was just a bit more convincing to me. Plus it was a clear winner in terms of numbers, but that wasn’t the only reason why I decided to go with it.

As some of you suggest I will pimp up my good old Dirndl No 1 with:

A white, slightly transparent, maybe lacy apron...

picture found here

... and a white dirndl blouse

picture found here

Thank you so much for your help in making up my mind. For all the wonderful suggestions. I am in your debt so please let me know if I can do something for you – help you make a fashion decision, bake you a cake, send you a postcard... anything!!!

A Bavarian Wedding – My Outfit

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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My friend C. is going to get married in August and as you might remember from here she is going to wear a Dirndl, a traditional Bavarian costume. So this time the search for an outfit is quite different to all the other weddings I have been before. Plus I am her maid of honour – which is a huge honour for me but also doubles the pressure to wear something extra nice. As I live in Berlin (about 500km away from Bavaria) it is quite difficult – not to say impossible – to find a new dirndl here and unfortunately I won’t have time to go Dirndl-shopping in Munich before the wedding either. Argggghhhh! So it is either wear a dirndl I already have or make a new one (but where to get Bavarian fabrics from and where to find time as a working mum). Double arrrrgggghhh!!!

Anyway, given that making a new dirndl is not an option, I decided to ask you lovely people, what I should wear. You are the best decision makers ever. You are passionate about fashion. You are honest (at least I hope you are!). So, please help me and decide for me what I should wear at my best friend's wedding:

1. A long, traditional Dirndl – brown with little blue flowers and a pale pink apron

Pro: classic, long enough (there is nothing worse than those mini dirndl!!!)

Con: boring?

or

2. A shorter, modern interpretation of a Dirndl – made of denim with a bright pink silk apron

Pro: quirky, something special
Con: too causal?, too short?

Oh well, the decision is up to you. So please vote at the poll on the top left corner of this little blog. The poll will be open until the next wedding wednesday. So please take your time to make up your mind - if you need time to think and contemplate. But please do vote. Pleeeeeaaaasssseeeee! I really need your help. Desperately!!!

here comes the bride... my favourite wedding blogs

I am currently working on this little blog of mine. To make it more interesting for you, dearest readers. There won’t be any major design changes. A) because I am not great at html. And B) because I like it simple. This gives the pictures more room to “pop”, don’t you think J

Anyway, I thought it is about time now that I show you my favourite blogs. The ones which I visit regularly if not daily. The once which brighten my day and fill me with inspiration.

Since my interests are so manifold, I will limit myself to my 5 favourite blogs in each category. And since it is wedding Wednesday today, here are my 5 favourite wedding blogs:

·         The Offbeat Bride: a site off the beaten wedding track, I love the stories, the photos, the ideas and the tone of this wedding site which is so different from the usual wedding business

·         A Practical Wedding: the motto of this site is: “weddings. minus the insanity. plus the marriage”, it offers wedding planning for ‘normal’ people,  and I tell you there are not too many normal people in the wedding planning business ;-)

·         Brooklyn Bride: pure eye candy, the most beautiful photos you can think of, many ideas are quite over-the-top, but that is what you need as inspiration

·         Jesse and Deanna: a blog about the wedding of Deanna and Jesse, the wedding is over, but the ideas and the heart-warming stories live on, start with their first post in 2007 and work your way towards their big day in 2008, you won’t regret it

·         Theresa heiratet: the story of a young woman who suddenly turns into a bride-to-be, she takes you dress-shopping, to her meeting with the priest, to her hens night and all the other parts of a wedding planning process, hilarious and soooo true, unfortunately in German only

I hope you enjoy a bit of wedding inspiration, nostalgia, kitsch, romanticism or porn, no matter whether you are newly-wed, a bride-to-be, married for ages or single.

Wedding Weather

 
On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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Let’s face it – you cannot plan everything. Not even for your big day. There are some things you just cannot control. Like the weather. I have seen beautiful warm wedding days in December. And incredible cold and rainy wedding days in July. Tropical showers on sunny islands. Bursts of sunlight in grey cities.

There is just no way to influence it and no reliable way to predict it. All you can do is be prepare (you know if you have an umbrella, it never rains and vice versa) and then no stress about is as much as possible. And then I am sure you will be rewarded with a beautiful day, no matter what the weather is like!

The Heart wants what the heart wants

Therefore go for it. Whatever it is. Whatever it costs. Do it. Make it happen.

Don’t worry about traditions. About other people. About anybody else but you and your love. It is your day. And the heart wants what the heart wants. There is nothing you can do about it ;-)

The biggest wedding party...

... of the year - or the decade - just started. William and Kate are married. Of course I watched it on TV! I still remember the wedding of Diana and Charles – mainly because our black-and-white TV broke down right in the middle of the ceremony and we had to run to grandma’s house to watch the finish. This time the TV did okay, the bride looked stunning, the groom looked, well military (I am just not into uniforms :-(), there were tons of celebrities, TV cameras, a bit of sunshine, white horses and a carriage. What a wedding!

I am glad, however, that is wasn’t mine. That my lovely isn’t a prince. That we could decided what we wanted (and what not) without a queen in the background and tons of strict royal traditions. That our wedding was relaxed, intimated and not broadcasted and watched around the world. I simply don’t want to be a princess. Or a queen. I don’t want my face on flags, coins, collectors’ plates and every magazine on earth.

Nevertheless, all the best to the happy couple!

The First Dance

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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One thing that seems to create more stress than pleasure on the big day is the first dance. If you read through wedding blogs, bridal magazines or online communities, this tiny part of the day (5min max) seems to be an endless source of fear. Full of stage fright. Full of unrealistic expectations. Full of drama. Full of pressure. Full of Dirty-Dancing-like lifts. Therefore the bridal couples often end up spending weekend after weekend taking dancing lessons. Preparing choreography. Practising steps and turns and lifts. Oh dear!

Right in the beginning of our wedding preparations, however, we decided to make our wedding a relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable affair for us. We didn’t want to feel like we are doing a show. Therefore stressing about the first dance just didn’t fit into our concept of a casual wedding. Thus we decided not to take dancing lessons at all. We would just dance like we always do. With more passion than skills.

We did spend some time choosing a first dance song though.

In the end we choose First day of my life by Mel C which was perfect, because

a) it was meaningful to us because it was my husbands’ alarm tone when we first met (romantic, huu?)

b) it is about starting a new life (together)

c) it is slow but not too slow (you want to motivate your guest to dance and not fall asleep)

and

d) it is not too long (as above).

Perfect n’est pas!

Looking back I am so glad that I haven’t obsessed about the first dance because it turned out to be all different in the end. Very different than I have ever imagined, but also much more fun.

Yes, my lovely husband wore flippers (from a previous wedding game) and I had a present with a balloon on my wrist. Yes, it was unusual. It was unplanned. In a weird way, however, it was romantic and wow, it got the party started ;-)

Beautiful things gone wrong

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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One of my favourite wedding presents were these balloons.

Originally the friend who gave them to us planned to give one balloon to every guest, everyone would write a wish for us onto a postcard and attach it to the balloon and then we would all send them to the sky. That was the plan, anyway. The problem was that the ropes of the balloons got tangled so badly that there was no chance to ever separate them again. So in the end, Andi and I sent two huge clouds of balloons to the sky. Which looked absolutely beautiful. And which worked despite the considerable weight of each balloon cloud. And I think this is just one example of how amazing it can be when something goes wrong at a wedding.

So, please relax all brides-to-be and maid-of-honours-to-be! I promise you that no matter how well you plan the wedding and no matter how often you double-check. There will be things that ‘go wrong’ on the day. That is inevitably! All you can do is shrug it off, laugh about it (if you can) and just keep on enjoying your special day.

location, location, location

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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One of the central decisions you have to take in the lead up to your big day is certainly where to celebrate. Where to eat. Where to dance. Where to party. In short: the location.

Uh and there are sooo many options. Formal ones. Casual ones. Expensive ones. Cheap ones. And even ones which are free. Into some you have to invest a lot of time and effort in terms of decoration and catering. Into other you can just walk in and get the party started. Some are in the middle of nowhere and others right in the middle.

I think the most important thing about the location decision is what kind of wedding you want to have, what kind of atmosphere you want to create. Oh well, and the budget plays an important role as well.

We wanted to have a location:

Close to the church where we got married – walking-distance if possible to avoid our guests having to drive, getting lost on the way and then spending hours looking for parking

With a warm, casual atmosphere – nothing too cool & stylish, nothing too formal, something where people would start to dance after dinner

Which we could rent exclusively – because we wanted an intimate party with all our loved ones and no strangers walking up to the buffet

Centrally located in Berlin – because we wanted our guests to enjoy their drinks and then take a taxi home, to sleep in their own beds and to allow the kids to be picked up by their grandparents for babysitting

With great food – because we love good food and we wanted to serve our friends and family the best we could afford

Therefore we decided in favour of one of our favourite restaurants in Berlin: Nola’s am Weinberg. It met all the criteria plus gave us the best service we could have hoped for. The staff was amazing. They organised everything for us and were incredible easy to deal with (both very important if you organise your wedding from overseas) They look after our guests so that we could relax and just enjoy the night. They adapted the start of the buffet to the speeches. They organised special food for the kids. They even put a plate for us aside in case we hadn’t had time to go to the buffet due to all the congratulants. They cleaned up the dance floor right in time. And they didn’t throw us out even though the party lasted much longer than anticipated (5am!). In short they made our wedding a party to remember.

So, if you are planning a wedding in Berlin, I can only recommend the Nola’s as great location to you! And if you are just looking for a restaurant with great Swiss-inspired food, that is the place as well!

For more pictures have a look here, for the menu have a look here

Bridal Emergency Kit

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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One of my favourite presents for all brides-to-be in my life is a self-made Bridal Emergency Kit. It contains everything that helps to prevent the little dramas on the big day, for example:

• Hairpins (for unruly strands of hair) 
• Lipgloss (for a little touch up after all that kissing)
• 2 Headache Tablets (one if a nervous headache strikes before the ceremony and one for the morning after)
• Handcream (to smoothen unruly strands of hair or flaky skin on the naked elbows and knees and to make the new wedding ring slip easily onto the finger )
• Transparent Nail Varnish (for last minutes touch-ups on finger and toe nail as well as for stopping annoying runs in stockings and tights)
• Safety Pins (because you just don’t have time to do any sewing of hems and there will always stand someone on someone else’s hem)
• Mints (so much kissing and mostly so little drinking and eating, do I need to say more?)
• De-Make-Up Wipes (tears of joy and make-up just don’t mix well, even if it is waterproof make-up)
• Band Aids (we don’t want to risk getting blood stains onto the wedding dress, do we?)
• Tissues (because no matter how relaxed and cool you are, you will cry at some point. Promised!) 

I usually put all of these things into a self made white fabric bag (which I am going to show you another time), which the maid of honour then can keep at hand for any bridal emergencies. Oh, I also usually add a little Leporello with descriptions on how to use the kit. If you want, you can copy my design for this little booklet here (just click on the picture to get a higher resolution version):

All you have to do is copy the images on a page each, blow them up till they cover the whole page and then print them double-sided onto light cardboard. Afterwards cut them horizontally in half and fold them in three equal parts. Then paste them together on the small edge. Add descriptions to the single pages if you want.

Voila, your personal bridal emergency manual is finished.

A Bavarian Wedding

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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My oldest friend from high school C. is getting married this summer. Since she has chosen me as her maid of honour – what an honour! – you surely will hear more about this Bavarian wedding in the next couple of months.

And a Bavarian wedding at its best it will be. Celebrated in a little town south of Munich. With a bride and a groom from Munich. In traditional costumes – a Dirndl for the bride and a Lederhosn for the groom. How wonderful!

This is how they might look (just to give you an idea what I am talking about). And I will definitely wear a Dirndl as well. I am not sure, yet, whether I will make a new one. Or pimp one of my old ones (new skirt). Whether I will wear a modern version (jeans) or a traditional (cotton) or a precious one (silk). I will definitely have a bit of persuasion to do with my husband, because he is from Berlin (where you would never ever wear a Lederhosn). But I am sure he would look so hot wearing one ;-). And I will make a mini Dirndl for my little one. I hope she can walk in August, because I imagine there isn’t anything more annoying to wear when you are crawling than a Dirndl ;-(

Anyway, I love traditional costumes at weddings. I think getting married is so traditional – in a good way! And wearing traditional costumes that generations of your family has worn on their wedding day is a perfect fit in my opinion. Because in the old days most people hadn’t had a special dress for their special day. They just wore their Sunday dress. Added an inherited veil. Or maybe some flowers. Or some rosemary (because it stands for never-ending love).

Looking at my wedding photographers’ website, I found another wedding with traditional costumes. While the couple wore the international version of wedding dress and suit, some of the guests showed off their traditional Norwegian costumes which I find simply stunning in the colourfulness and positive vibes.

These photos and many more can be found here

Beautiful, isn't it?

All together at a long table

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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I think every wedding and every family celebration needs one big, long table. At some point – at the reception, at the rehearsal, on the night before or the night after the big day, at lunch time. With the closest friends and family. Share a meal, share stories,...

Mail Art

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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I got this parcel from a friend in Australia yesterday. Doesn’t it look fabulous? I think it is not just a parcel. It is a piece of art! And I’m really impressed that Australia Post as well as the German Post shipped it without complaining.

I think using a lot of similar stamps is also a great idea for wedding invitations. More is more! It catches attention. It screams: look at me. It dresses up the envelope. Everything you want for a special invitation. I could imagine a field of flower stamps. Or a sea of fish. Or a world of landscapes.

Something Blue

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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 Everyone knows the wedding tradition that the bride should wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” in order to have a happy marriage. Usually the ‘blue things’ are pieces of jewellery, garters, embroidered handkerchiefs or the like, but I think something blue could also be:

Blue shoes

found here

Blue gloves for a winter wedding

found here

Blue headpieces

found here

Blue purses

found here

Or blue belts

found here

All items found at Etsy

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Just a quick reminder of my birthday survey

2 questions to answer (by email or comment):

What do you like to read most in this little blog of mine?
and
What do you currently miss in my little blog?

5 surprise packs to be won

Like e.g. the Fernweh-Wanderlust Surprise Pack

Or the Oh Baby it’s Monday Surprise Pack

Or the Top 5 Books Surprise Pack

Or the Wedding Wednesday Surprise Pack

containing a pearl necklace (a single white pearl on a transparent string - to be found on the red card) - a booklet and a red pen for all your wedding planning - some red tape with white hearts and a heart shaped cake topper
Plus the last surprise pack to be unpacked tomorrow.

I ♥ Fireworks

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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Today is the day when the fireworks sale starts in Germany. And I was among the pyromanias, who couldn‘t wait for the stores to open their gates. For me this feeling is better than the start of Myers Boxing Day sale ;-)

I ♥ fireworks . I ♥ the visual effects. I ♥ the sounds. I even ♥ the smell. I ♥ it’s magic.

Of course, I know that it is dangerous (yeap, I hear all the horrible stories about people losing their eyesight or important limps while playing with fire). I know, it is bad for the environment. I know that you could do so many more meaningful things with the money you spend on fireworks.

BUT

I ♥ fireworks . I simply cannot help it. It’s beauty always makes me very emotional. And it makes me gasp in astonishment every time. I feel like a child, marvelling at it’s beauty.

So, I HAD to have fireworks at my wedding. Because I wanted to have all the things that really matter to us. And fireworks definitely ticked this box for me.

So, the first thing that I did when we got engaged was organising some fireworks. I knew our budget wouldn’t allow for professional fireworks, so I needed to find an affordable alternative. I also knew that you couldn’t get fireworks in Australia and take them home on the plane. Or buy fireworks in Germany in October.

So, I needed another plan. Fortunately it was shortly before New Year’s Eve and therefore I was able to ask a friend to buy a 100shot-firework box at the supermarket. Thanks again, J.!!! I think it was about 20 Euro. Then he stored it away for about 10 months and ... I got my fireworks at the wedding. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. It was very emotional. It was a wonderful surprise for everyone. And it was a dream come true for me.

Virtual fireworks here and here

Unusual wedding card

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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found here

I love the no-nonsense style of this wedding card. No doves. No hearts. No rings. Instead these beautiful types.