I have managed to upload Part 2 of the Wedding Diary, but if you havent had the chance to read Part 1 as yet, catch up here: Part 1
Dear Diary Part 2: 12.02.15 – Ordered the balloon arch today from Gillian at Etcetera Cards and decided on the colours that will accompany it – It’s a lot more than just choosing your colour scheme – you have to think about the netting, ribbon and all bleeding sorts! Anyway – that is now done. At the same time I picked up some little cards for my MOH, special friends, and parents to say a big fat thank you. God love Gillian as she has seen me from my very clueless start trying to plan this sucker. and has helped me through a minefield of wedding blunders. Also managed to get down to my wedding hotel Joya Del Mar to pay the deposit and have a further chat with Omer the manager about seating and I am super happy that I have finally decided on how the tables will be arranged! Bonus! 16.02.15 – Ordered my Guest book, guest book plaque, place cards, table runners and cake topper all from Amazon.co.uk! All came to a bargain price of 46.00 Quid! Wont see any of them though until my MOH arrives on 6th April boo hoo! 17.02.15 – Ordered my MOH, special friends, and parents gifts today from ‘Homemade by Rachel’ Rachel Anil. Quite excited to see how they turn out as I have customized plaques for each of them. 18.02.15 – Booked our bus tickets to Antalya for the Hen weekend! OMG Im so excited! Also bought a couple of new outfits too as a girl gotta have new holiday togs :) Whist in town, Lindsay and I popped into the flower show to discuss the flowers. I think I am half way there as I have managed to order my bouquet and button holes. Will pop back in on Sunday to discuss the table flowers. 22.02.15 – Went back to the flower shop today to order the top table flowers. Oh thank god the flower side of things is now done. I find it so hard to make decisions so I wish there was literally only 1 purple flower available, not bloody hundreds. Anyway, its done now at a bargain cost of 500tl from Nergis Flowers nearly opposite Ectetera Cards in Marmaris 25.02.15 – DIY home hair trial today with the Velcro rollers. Its now 10pm and they have been in since 12.30pm. I will take them out soon, sleep on the hair and hopefully when I get up tomorrow I should have some sort of messy undone yet cool surfer chick chic bed head – well, a girl can only try... I am also pleased to announce that my hubby to be has FINALLY got himself a best man (with only 45 days to go until the big day). Phewww!! Turks have the ‘manana’ syndrome too, so this is a bloody big relief let me tell you! Tomorrow is going to be a long one as we are taking a road trip to Izmir to the consulate to get the paper work done as being a foreigner I cant do it in Marmaris ffs. Oh well, it’s a chance to do some proper shopping hehe! 26.02.15 – Izmir. Jesus what a horrible day. Im not going to lie, this was possibly one of the worst days to date. Travelling on a bus for 4.15 hours one way is not fun but doing that 2ce in the same day is just bloody torture. We found everything ok in Izmir. Basically jumping a taxi from the otogar to the British consulate which was 35tl. Appointment there went well, or so I thought until we arrived at the registry office (10 minute taxi ride away 15tl). There, they informed me that I had dated the document incorrectly and I was unable to change it myself, and that we had to go back to the British bloody consulate. They stamped what needed to be stamped but informed us that they could do no more and that if we didn’t have the date changed that the Marmaris Belidiye would not accept the document. So firstly we had the most miserable lunch known to man in Burger King, then paid 5tl for a dolmuş to get us back to the British Consulate which was off course closed for lunch by this time too. So we went to Mc Donalds for a coffee and a walk about until they opened up again an hour later. Thankfully the woman in there just changed the date herself instead of completing new documents and sent us on our way. I can say that neither of us was in the mood at this point to see any more of Izmir and we were thoroughly fed up so we decided to sod off back home again. Another 4.15 hours later and we were back in the Marmaris thank god and home to my baby puppy love. 27.02.15 – A visit to the Belidiye to check what we needed to do next which was 6 passport photos, blood tests and to buy a very specific pink cardboard folder to keep all of our documents in. Sod doing anything further for the weekend – time off wedding crap is required! 03.03.15 – Blood tests round 1 – I say round one as we got to the Sağlik clinic at 8am as informed that we needed to, waited there till 09.30am when we were informed that the only Doctor that does the marriage blood paperwork was not coming in that day. Well off course he wasn’t ffs. So we went to get our photos done and buy the silly pink cardboard folder instead. 04.03.15 – Blood Tests round 2 – Finally got the buggers done. I have no idea what I was tested for but only 1 vial of blood was taken from me where as 4 vials were taken from Mehmet. They told us my blood would be ready by 4pm and Mehmet’s blood 1 or 2 days later as it needed to be sent to Mugla. Next stop was back to the Belidiye to complete some paperwork. Once done she told us to come back for the final time when we had the results of the blood so that we could then and only then book the registrar for the time and date of our wedding. They bloody cut things close here let me tell you! Mehmet went back to the hospital from my results at 4pm only to be told that the blood had changed date and now was not going to be ready until the 12th – so 8 sodding days later. Seriously, you just couldn’t make this shit up! On the upside, I collected my handmade gifts for my Maid of Honour, and 2 other good friends that are part of the wedding. They are not bridesmaids as at 34 years of age I believe I am too old for bridesmaids, so they are just good friends instead :) So next it’s the hen weekend – By Christ it cant come soon enough. I literally need this break from wedding stress where I don’t have to worry about the fact I still have no band or DJ, that we still have no wedding rings, that Mehmet still has not taken his suit to the tailor to be altered so that it does not drown him and that Mehmet still has not bought wedding shoes... Oh lord, is it all worth it? 6th – 10th March 2015 - The Hen Weekend – OK, so I must just thank my Hen homies here for helping me de-stress, so a HUGE BIG shout out to Lindsay Eglinton, Hollie Torun & Jill Walker. This hen was so totally consumed with stress I nearly had a heart attack, the long weekend totally sorted me right out. A good drink and moan with friends always does. Its fair to say that I totally recommend a 5* All inclusive hotel for a 4 day break away from wedding stuff. I have come home ready and raring to get this shit done! P.S – Mehmet informed me that while away he popped his suit into the tailor to get refitted. I kid you not. 12.03.15 – I bloody HATE early starts. These days Im a stay in bed till 10am kind of girl so getting up at 8am is always a shock to the system! Hit the blood test place for 9am and knock me down with a feather we were actually seen immediately!!!! The Doc told us we were both dangerous disease and STD free (thank the good god above or I simply would have died right there). So off we trotted to the Belidiye to get this bad boy booked once and for all. Bugger me – all ridiculously simple and got the registrar booked for the time that I wanted and all! The weight that was lifted from my shoulders was MASSIVE. We skipped out of the Belidiye and Mehmet gave me a spontaneous kiss – I made a note of this as it had not happened since I started planning the wedding. He must have felt the stress dissipate right at that moment too! By Christ – things are FINALLY starting to come together! 13.03.15 – Check my organised self out – I have managed to book me a DJ. Sod the band, I would have only have been disappointed and way out of pocket with what they try to charge when they hear the word wedding. Opted for Katie and Selim instead – I didn’t actually realise that Selim was a wicked Tune Turner until my personal trainer pointed this out, so Cheers Julie, you did me a solid there gal! Yes so got my music booked and am feeling rather chuffed with myself now. I even managed to get Mehmet to write a list of Guests that he is going to personally call and invite to the wedding tomorrow. He simply refuses to send out invites being the Turk that he is, but believe me when I say I don’t even care as getting him to put names on paper is a HUGE task completed. I have informed him that the hotel need the list by Monday (they don’t, but he now doesn’t think its just me nagging and that he actually really should sort this guest list out). 15.03.15 – Today is what is known as a bloody good day. We have progress. We have found and ordered our wedding rings (cheaper than most other shops), Mehmet now has wedding shoes and a belt, and all that is left to be done is to get Guc his outfit. I can now see the light at the end of the never ending wedding tunnel of doom. Hallelujah! T Minus 4 weeks and counting! To be continued...
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Dear Diary...
03.01.15 – I think I may be the only gal on the planet that simply cannot be bothered to arrange her own wedding. The thought of getting started is just horrific, although I know that I need to start somewhere. Thankfully I have found the venue already; I just need to get cracking with the rest of it. God – grant me the strength and will to see this wedding organisation through!!!! Considering the big day is now only 3 months away, you would think that I would have started to feel some sort of inspiration wouldn’t you? Wrong! 06.01.15 – I finally made a start! Today was all about the flowers. I am not a flash person so in my mind I had an idea of table decorations that were subtle, understated and a bit shabby chic. What I was offered was a load of gaudy, over the top and quite simply LOUD table decorations that burnt holes through the corneas of my eyes. Lesson learnt – I am now surfing the net and will take pictures of what I want the next time I brave the flower shop! A big shout out to my pal Alison for walking me through the minefield of garishishness! On the up side I have now booked our appointment (all online I might add) to visit the British Consulate in Izmir to process all the paper work. I have chosen the 26th Feb to do that, so I have a bit of wriggle time ahead to book the busses, etc. 07.01.15 – Visited the hotel today to iron out some questions and possible issues, and all seemed to go very well, we were even treated to a dessert testing! Discussed final details and got a bit more of a clue now of what everything will look like. I felt my first pang of excitement – and if you know me well, a pang of excitement is a pretty big deal as I simply do not get excited by these things! Next on the list of the day was to have my first dress fitting. Trying on a half finished dress may not have been the wisest idea as I am one of these people that cannot imagine what the finished product will look like! Quite a few adjustments needed!! Big shout out to Jackie for all the help and direction today – I really couldn’t do this without the help of my friends! 08.01.15 – Started to arrange the hen weekend for March. Originally we had decided on Istanbul but have now come to realise that a 5* All Inclusive in Antalya may be a better (and cheaper) option for a long weekend. The original line up of girls has changed due to drop outs, money issues etc, so as it stands I really don’t know how many of us are going, but there is one friend that I can certainly count on and that my die hard party pal Lindsay J So watch this space as it may all change again before we book up! 09.01.15 – Hair Trail Numero Uno! I have it in my mind that I want a kind of messy surfer chick look for the hair on the day. Yes I know, I have seen all the odd looks and heard all the ‘are you sure’s’ to last me a lifetime. I am not your conventional bride you see, I didn’t even want to wear a dress, so having my hair all princess like is simply out of the question. There shall be no tiara, no diamante shite, no bloody fuss at all. Dont get me wrong here, I am hoping to look out of this world amazaballs, but amazaballs does not need to include princess crap now does it?! The first trial today went better than expected. I am sitting here with funky curls and height right where I wanted it. Fair play, its great having a good friend that twilights as a hairdresser J 10.01.15 – Another rather large part of the wedding accomplished today – The Cake! I believe I am on a roll! I took Jackie along for help to meet my secret weapon cake lady. We designed the cake right there and then and came up with one original looking beauty. Fingers crossed that it turns out like the idea in my minds eye - all dark and dramatic! 15.01.15 – Music. So this may seem like an easy task to someone that likes music, but believe me when I say that choosing a band, what they will play and a playlist for other music to be played when the band are on a break is a mammoth of a task! I have emailed the guests coming from the UK and asked them to send me some tunes that they would like to hear on the day / night, but so far pickings are slim. I have started to put together my own playlist but its starting to resemble a night out at Davey Jones Locker moshing and Im not really sure the older generation will appreciate our enthuasim for 80 Rock music. Oh lord, this really has turned out to be quite a job and a half! Regarding the Band – well, there I may have struck lucky with a friend of mine who is a singer. I have sent her a couple of tracks to record and send me the links, so watch this space! 16.01.15 – OK so I got to admit, I had fun today. Today saw the start of the Gift List. My world has become fabulous again with people asking what to buy us for the wedding. I was not expecting as many people to ask, nor was I expecting gifts (honest to god, I wasn’t as getting a gift here in Turkey is generally unheard of), so my personal trainer suggested putting together a bit of a list for my pals to know what to get us instead of getting us a load of old crap! As our house is fully furnished (we already live in sin), it’s kind of hard to know what to ask for but once I started googling wedding gifts I opened up a door to a whole new world! Im not one to take the piss, so nothing on my gift list is overpriced in any way, Im just glad I have the opportunity and good friends that want to buy us something! 17.01.15 – Decided on our wedding song! Actually a lot easier that I though. I simply reminded hubby to be of a song we both really loved the minute we heard it at the end of an episode of ’ Luthor’ and how we had a race to see who could find out who it was that sung it. Ahh google (and Luthor) – we owe you our wedding song! 20.01.15 – 2nd Dress Fitting. Oh wow, what a difference 2 weeks makes! I was so so soooo happy with my very very different wedding dress! Even Jacki loved it, and considering it is definitely not the norm for a wedding dress, this was a good sign! I felt like a gothic princess and literally cant wait to collect the dress on Thursday! Now I just need to sort out some accessories for my hair as Im not wearing a veil. Watch this space! 21.01.15 – My wedding favour boxes arrived! I chose and ordered these while I was in the UK for Christmas and am surprised they arrived so quickly! So me and hubby to be made up the first batch of them and tomorrow (or never) we will make up the 2nd batch. Fiddly time taking little critters let me tell you! Im thinking sugared almonds as a filler, I hear thats the norm for weddings, plus they are on the cheaper scale of things too J 22.01.15 – So today was a bloody good day when it comes to wedding stuff. Had hair trial number 2 with my good pal Alison. Really don’t know whether to opt for hair up or hair down – seriously undecided right now. Then after the hair trial I went for the final fitting of my wedding dress. I can honestly say that I absolutely bloody LOVE my dress. When I first started googeling dresses this one was the very first one that I saw when I tapped in Vera Wang. I should never have strayed from that first dress, I should never have bought one in the UK, only to return it 3 months later! In the end I decided upon the Vera Wang, took the photos with me to the dress makers and he put together my perfect dream dress. And tonight I took it home with me. I could cry with happiness at how exact he has made my dress. I know a black dress wont be everyone’s cup of sherry, but it is bloody well mine! For the first time so far I have had my first pang of excitement for the wedding day! Yes world – Today I’m loving life! 25.01.15 – Took Mehmet’s suit to the wedding shop for a proper fitting. It’s so unfair that he is slim beyond belief! He had a fitting, then tried on different shirts with different ties in the wedding colour scheme – and finally we have settled on the Black shirt with Lilac coloured tie. He looked bloody gorgeous! J 27.01.15 – Booked the hotel in Antalya for the hen weekend in March. 5* All inclusive – need I say anymore? Cant frigging wait!!!! 03.02.15 – Started filling the favour boxes with sugared almonds and then popping the bow round the boxes. Toooo cute! They look adorable and will make a great addition to the wedding tables! I made up 23 boxes before running out of almonds, so on pause for now! 05.02.15 – Back to the wedding dress shop as I have decided I want long black fingerless gloves to go with my dress and I want them to customise the gloves with diamantes for me (yes I know, I previously stated no diamante crap but a bride can change her mind right?). I am seriously getting excited by my alternative bride look! Cant wait to see the looks on people’s faces when they realise Im wearing a black dress!!! 07.02.15 – Made up more favour boxes up as more almonds were bought J Still not finished them, but just need to add the ribbon and they are good to go! Managed to also book our bus tickets to Izmir for the consulate visit on 26th Feb. As we have an appointment for 11am, we have to get the 6am bus. Apparently the bus has internet so we are both taking our laptops J 08.02.15 – Got my ‘something borrowed’ in the bag after raiding Jackie’s jewellery collection today! Got myself some wicked cool sparkly diamante earrings (yep, diamantes once again, what the hell is wrong with me??), head wear, necklace and bracelet! 62 days to go!!!!!! TO BE CONTINUED... |
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