March 2002Invitations are sent, skirt fabric is chosen, cake is finalized, and honeymoon is set!
by Gill Cheshire
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Well, the invitations have gone out and the responses are trickling in. Most people have called to say they are coming and will confirm something in writing as well, although so far most of them don't seem to have bothered. So things are certainly on the move.
Andy has been preparing an information pack and has painstakingly been typing up the words. I say "painstakingly" because he has never used a PC before and so he has never typed before either. So it has taken him some time. In fact, he admits to taking 45 minutes the other day to type a couple of paragraphs.
Of course, I can type. But he insisted he do it himself. So I have walked away and left him to do it himself. There is absolutely no point in me sitting and watching him as it just frustrates me at the slow pace. But at least he has got on with it. I am very fortunate that he has shown an interest in the whole event and has given his opinion on matters as well. Most men lack a complete interest in the preparations.
So he's been typing up the dress code (we want all the men to wear dinner jackets and the ladies long eveningwear), the directions to the venue, the accommodation alternatives, the gift list, etc. He has phoned up a number of hotels to get enough brochures for each guest and has even got a brochure of the castle itself for inclusion. He even got a brochure on dinner jacket hire. He has made up all the packs himself and as we get a response back, he sends the pack out.
You may wonder what I have been doing with my time. Well, quite a lot actually. In my last journal I was not happy with the size of the cake (based on the polystyrene dummies I had). So back into the cake shop I went and have now changed it for a much larger cake. Far too big for the number of guests we're having, but it will allow us to give cake out to our work colleagues and friends who have not been invited. In fact, the bottom tier of the cake feeds 100 people (but I suspect that's if you give them a small slice). The middle cake 50 and the top 30. The cake, however, will be in better proportion to the flowers I am making and won't look quite so small.
Last night, I had an appointment with the seam mistress to discuss my outfit. I thought I was going to be measured but instead we discussed the fabric for the skirt of my outfit. I have chosen a beautiful silk dupioni in a Champagne colour, which blends perfectly with the bodice and the cloak. My next appointment isn't until April. In the meantime, my skirt will be made up ready for me to try on and finalise the measurements. They know I am on a massive weight loss campaign so they decided not to measure me now and instead make up the skirt and finish it off nearer the wedding date. I only hope I can lose the weight I need to!
I've also been extremely busy working on a honeymoon. I've come up with various options and finally decided upon something. So off I went to the travel agents to book it. In case you think I haven't consulted Andy, I have, and he was in complete agreement. But you know when you've just paid a big deposit and then are not sure that you made the right decision? Well, yes, I've been there. £1900 for a honeymoon seemed an awful lot of money, but I thought what the heck it is our honeymoon. Walking away from the travel agent I didn't feel happy and I could just imagine what my father would say. A friend of ours has offered her cottage in The Lake District, a beautiful part of North England. It would certainly keep the cost down. Still I haven't been happy with this option either. Andy wanted to really go away and go somewhere hot. Well, he's got it now. I've decided to reinstate the original honeymoon idea and forget worrying about the cost. You only live once so what the heck. We're off to Dubai and Oman for 8 days which, I think, will be lovely. Only one downside - it's very, very hot. Well, he did say he wanted to go somewhere hot!
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