Shoe Porn

We went into town today aiming to get another set of clothes for the gym and to check out some sales. We came home with a new set of knives, a set of gym clothes, and shoes to go with the wedding dress.

Originally we entered the store as I saw a nice style of shoes which I thought were white, though on closer inspection were pale pink. After being called possibly colorblind by Ricky we had a look around and found shoes which I had been eyeing off since they were brought out a year ago.

Ellie Nude | Betts

I was explaining only last night how upset I was about the Betts website no longer stocking these shoes, and how another pair of shoes I also really liked are no longer being sold by Light In The Box. When we saw that our local Betts still stocked these shoes, we weren't about to wait and lose the opportunity to buy them.

Below are some of the other shoes that I found absolutely lovely while searching for the style of shoes would suit the day.

Ivory peep-toe pumps | Were stocked by Light in the Box

"Fling" Silver Satin | Verali

Another decision down, and another step closer to actually getting married.

Choosing a Venue

Since the post in February, we have viewed two venues and looked at the possibility of getting married overseas. The overseas option we aren't too fond of, due to already having such a small amount of people on our guest list and not wanting to miss out the opportunity of having those people attend. Due to this we narrowed down the selections in town and booked some viewings, see the breakdown of the two venues below.

Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club Function Centre
Contact Ph: 08 9921 3403

The hire of the Surf Club includes full use of upstairs function room, upstairs kitchen, upstairs toilet facilities, outdoor balcony area, downstairs toilet facilities, lift and inventory items of the function centre. It is located off of Willcock Drive in Mahomets, Geraldton, has the beach just past the balcony and has a fantastic view in the evening.

The atmosphere of the venue is nice, and the kitchen facilities are great. All set up and set down are all up to the person hiring the venue, and all tablecloths, chair covers, and any other decoration assortments are not provided by the function centre. The cost for the function centre is reasonable, though the added cost of the hire and help for setting up makes up for the difference.

Casa Blanca Function Centre
Contact Ph: 08 9964 2472

The minimum wedding hire of the Casa Blanca Function Centre includes hall hire, wishing well, tablecloths, half chair covers & bows, ceiling decorations (not incl. fairy lights), use of kitchen - heating facilities, hall & table set-up, and basic inventory. It is located on Eighth Street in Wonthella, Geraldton, has a beautiful entrance and a bar facility available.

The atmosphere of the function centre is cozy, and the couple who runs the centre are pleasant and easy to get along with. Depending on which wedding package you choose, you can also have access to a D.J. and full pack down of the venue would be done by the venue operators. The cost for the function centre is reasonable, considering they do the hard work required on the day.

Conclusion

Ricky and I are both fond on the Casa Blanca Function Centre at this point in time, we will give it some thought, though I think it may be our choice of venue.

Now just to decide what we are going to do with our ceremony, and send out save the dates...

DIY Ring Mirror Backdrop

Ruffled recently posted a DIY Ring Mirror Backdrop, which was used as a feature in a Modern Mediterranean Shoot by Yellow Bird Events. I think it would be a great feature for many occasions, and have good reuse around the home.

DIY Ring Mirror Backdrop. Source: Ruffled.

All you will need for this project is

• Glue
• Embroidery hoops in different sizes
• Gold spray paint (Antique metallic finish is used here, though it's personal choice)
• Mirrors (in sizes coordinating with hoops)

To view step-by-step instructions on this project, view the post on Ruffled.

Choosing a centrepiece

When choosing a centrepiece you can do many things, expanding the theme, expressing yourselves as a couple, or even just adding some more lighting. Whatever you and your partner choose, ensure that you enjoy looking at it, as it is one of the main decorations of the evening.

Source: Flowers In Love.

Source: When Geeks Wed.

Source: Joyful Weddings and Events.

Source: Pink Frosting.

Source: CandleTech.com.

Alternatively you could skip centrepieces all together and use the entrée or even the guest's cake portions as the separator for the table!

Have a centrepiece idea you would like to share? Tell us in the comments!

Photography Considerations

Photographer: Browne Photography

Every wedding has a "must-have" photograph list, whether it's as simple as the 54 Must-Have Wedding Photos For Photographers list, family tradition shots or ones that hold that "extra" meaning to you as a couple.

During the wedding process make sure you and your fiancé look through photographer profiles and sites like Pinterest together to gather shots that will hold special meaning to both of you in many years to come.

Photographer: Deyan Photography
Source: Modern Wedding Blog

In this time it would also be a good idea to discuss the idea of a "first look". It is a new tradition where the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony.
It may be too untraditional for some couples, though the "first look" has many benefits, if only to photograph the special moment between you and your fiancé when you see each other for the first time that day.

Seeing each other before the ceremony leads to a smoother schedule for the day, this opportunity can be used to take some bride and groom shots while the make-up is fresh and the atmosphere is calmer than between the ceremony and reception.

Now you have the photograph types you need for the day set out, time to look for a photographer. When looking for photographers search for those within your region, useful if you want to get them to shoot the engagement shoot as well, and then start narrowing down the list by what style you like.

Once you have a list of photographers, discuss as a couple what you would like to be able to do with the photos once they are taken. This step is essential for the photographer to know so they can work out whether you as a client need to keep copyright on the photographs, or if it is signed over to the photographer, what licencing rights are going to be needed to be organised. More information on copyright can be found on the Australian Copyright Council website.

When meeting your photographer, take a mental note whether you will feel comfortable with them and discuss it as a couple after the initial meeting. The job of the photographer (and videographer) requires them to fit in and to inspire natural shots by both the couple and guests feeling comfortable with their presence. If you as a couple don't feel comfortable with them, be polite when confronting the situation and be mindful of what is the best approach for both you and them.

The important part of working out how to record your wedding day is to have fun, imagine yourself and your fiancé in similar shoots to what you choose, and be mindful of not putting too many expectations on the person who captures your day.

Photographer: DelCastillo Photography
Source: Junebug Weddings

Further Reading:
Wedding Wednesday: Photos Before the Ceremony?

Finding a Theme

Looking more into inspiration with something to give us some ideas, I started thinking about a theme we could base the wedding around. I looked at all the ones listed on the wedding sites I have found and none of them really caught my eye. While Ricky and I were discussing certain aspects of the wedding that we have wanted from the beginning, I realised that we should go along with a video game style theme.
I thought this is a great opportunity for Ricky and I to express who we are and create our own integration of the theme.

Some of the sites I found to encourage inspiration along the path include:
The Drunken Moogle - The Drunken Moogle has many cocktails based on games, series and awesome movies. If we were to have alcohol at the wedding we could use some cocktails from here.
HyperComboFinish - A blog with how a couple used the video game theme in their wedding.
Cake inspiration - Video Game Cakes, More Video Game Cakes, Geeky cakes

There are more out there, though I haven't found them yet or they aren't covering the areas we are after. Keep in mind this theme doesn't mean the whole feeling of the wedding is going to change, it is just that we will have a part of our hobbies involved with what is one of the biggest days of our lives.

XKCD Inspired Cake. Source: Pink Cake Box

Aiding in Inspiration

I was trying to get some inspiration of what setting the wedding should be in, so I starting playing around with making an inspiration board. With an hour or two of playing around with it I realised I had the invitation for Pinterest in my inbox.

I under estimated the site due to the hype that was being made about it. It is good to keep images of what you want for the event and be able to link back to the original vendor to buy it later. The best thing about PInterest is that it can be used for more than one event and interest.
Using this virtual inspiration board I have been able to build a better picture of how the colours can blend together and how the shapes work together. Ricky and I have gone through some changes so far, though the colour scheme (Blue, Green, Silver) has stayed the same.

For the flowers we are going to use the following bouquet's as inspiration for ours. At the current time we have decided on fake flowers, the type depending on availability and cost.

Bouquet of blue orchids and green Spider Mums.
Cream roses add a beautiful contrast to the cool greens and blues.
Source: Bouquet Wedding Flower.

Bouquet - white tulips, light and dark blue hydrangea,
white mini callas, white stock, blue delphinium and blue triteleia.
Source: Bouquet Wedding Flower.