Cure for the common cold?

I had gone 9 weeks at a new school without getting sick. I was going for a record - no cold in term 3. But 3 days out from holidays I've choked! So I'm home today grumpy because I'm off overseas on Friday evening and I really don't want to be sick! 21 super excited kids and an overnight plane ride with a cold does not sound all that appealing. Grrr.

On the plus side. Thanks to Photoshop and green-eyed-butterfly's lace brush set I've managed to make up the files for the placecards. I'm pretty sure there's some sort of wedding karma that says you shouldn't do that before you get RSVPs but tough. Sending them off to my lovely mum who is going to print, cut and fold until her heart is content and have have them all done by the time I get back from Japan!!! Got to love excited mums.

I've sent A off to the health food shop this afternoon to search for Oil of Oregano which is apparently good for colds. Any other quick fixes out there?

3 Very Important People

There are 3 very important people who just because that's-the-way-life-goes wont be at our wedding in November.

Nana and Pop have both passed away in the last 3 years. Has it really been that long? It doesn't feel like it. Pop was a farmer until the end and as a friend put it at his funeral was "one of life's true gentlemen".  Nana was a great gardener, tennis player, cook, seamstress, florist - you name it and she could do it.  I have no doubt that if she were around she'd be doing our flowers, cooking our cake and they'd probably be teaching us how to dance. They loved their old-time dances and would light up when they showed us something new they had learnt. My sister and I always said we should go with them one night to see them in action but of course we never did. The definition of regret.

For them, after our first dance, the rest of the family will be getting up to do an Evening Three Step. Possibly to 'I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts' unless anyone else out there knows another evening three step song??? 

And, my other important person? Grandpa. Another avid green thumb with a garden to rival Nana's and a great sense of competition in a game of scattegories. Seriously, the debates over answers were fierce. Filled with laughter, but fierce. It is for both of them that I'm giving the bouquets a go myself. I'd like to claim to be half as talented, or even a quarter! 

So while they won't be there in person, they'll be there in our hearts and our actions in some way. And that will be enough.

Music dilemma and a solution

FMIL very kindly bought us a CD of wedding music last weekend. We put it on for a bit. After about 5 songs I was ready to snap it in half. I just don't see us walking down or back up the aisle to the Bridal Chorus or Wedding March. I certainly can't see the bridesmaids entering to Trumpet Voluntary either. To me, they are big majestic cathedral like songs. We are getting married in a small, inner city church. I'm fairly sure it will take no more than 30 seconds to get up the very short aisle.

So when A mentioned to his mum that we would probably go for something more modern the response was "you have chosen to have the service in a church and so the music must be appropriate" and some more traditional song suggestions along with the name of an organist. Yikes! How do we get around this without offending?

Vogue wedding forums to the rescue! There was a mention a while back about the Vitamin String Quartet having covered just about every song you can imagine and boy were they right about that! From Lady Gaga to Radiohead and Kanye West to the Pixies. After ruling out Bad Romance and Gold Digger we got quite a good list going. And it was one of the most relaxing, fun wedding jobs we've done together in recent times!

Now to decide which one to walk up the aisle to! At the moment it's a toss up between Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol) because it's a sweet song and Mr Brightside (The Killers) just becuase it sounds good!

The older crowd will appreciate the appropriateness of the music (no words, no drums) and we'll appreciate not having the primary school adapted version of "here comes the bride" running through out minds!

Thanks Vogue Forums!

Tell me what you really think!

I love my Grandma to bits. And I love that now she's nearly 90 she says exactly what she thinks without being too concerned about tact!

When I saw her last weekend she asked a lot about the wedding. But the comment that took the cake was this....keeping in mind that I had just come from a hair trial.....

"And Christie how are you going to have your hair?"
"Like this Grandma. But with a veil and a flower," I reply and spin around so she can see the back too.
"Like THAT??? It's very messy. I hope it will be neater than that!"

Thanks Grandma! You're a cracker!

After hours of trawling Etsy (oh how I wish I was a more decisive person) I'll have a flower like this from percyhandmade hopefully made with some lace from my dress if there's enough after hemming this weekend.  Yep, another trip to Melbourne. The cat won't be home alone this time though!

While we were away...

Last weekend we left Axel in the care of the neighbours. They were happy to pop over and feed him so we left two packets of food on top of the washing machine. When we got home on Sunday night there was only one box there. A and I were wondering what on earth had happened to the other bag. It was just about full so surely the cat sitters hadn't fed him ALL of it??? He didn't look much fatter. It was a mystery.

Later that night A stepped on a couple of pieces of cat food in the hallway. We swept it up and thought nothing of it.

Monday morning I go into one of our spare rooms and stand on something. Cat food. What the...??? One more step, more cat food. Axel comes in slinks behind the futon and starts crunching away. I look around at him and see the once full bag of cat food in shreds. The floor is covered in cat food. Clearly the thought of his favourite food was just too much! Did he really have to destroy it in the only carpeted room in the house though?!

Axel the Destroyer - He may look innocent but it's all part of his cunning plan!

Getting closer

2 months to go!

After a 2.5 hour delay (thanks cheap airline with striped animal mascot) we flew to Melbourne to get some things sorted.

I got to pick up my dress. Very exciting. No crazy pre-wedding diet required, it fits perfectly.

Went to the reception venue, met the bloke in charge (and he is a bit of a bloke) but knows what he's doing. Had an early Father's Day lunch there. Good food, how do you pick a menu when you want to pick every option, particularly the desserts???

Met the pastor and had a chat about the ceremony (interesting, not entirely sure if he's going to marry us after all as he was not very approving of the fact that there will be alcohol at the reception.....it's ok though, we have a back up plan).

Went to A's 10 year high school reunion and stayed with good friends who are getting hitched just a couple of weeks after us.

Had a hair trial (but not makeup - the girl who was going to do it for me can't get off work on the wedding day so back to square one with that).

Had lunch with Grandma, who we're not sure will make it to November as she's been diagnosed with cancer in her spine, breast and possibly stomach. Really hoping she'll be there as she's my only remaining grandparent. She really wants to be there too and seemed to be well today so here's hoping!

Flew home. Flights are NOT relaxing when the pilot takes two goes to take off (thanks again, cheap airline with striped animal mascot). Really hoping we booked a different airline for the real wedding weekend!