Our blogging bride and Lovettes member Hannah is due to marry her fiancé Chris at Happy Valley, Norfolk tomorrow! Hannah and Chris’s wedding will be photographed by Red on Blonde. You can connect with Hannah on Instagram and through Pinterest too and read her previous Lovettes features here. This is Hannah’s last post for Love My Dress. Enjoy!
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Eek! A word that has become an increasingly essential part of my vocabulary during the last 14 months – probably currently typed at least ten times a day in texts/messages and yes, embarrassingly I actually say it now too. However, given our day is now so so close it would seem the only appropriate form of exclamation! So a jolly big ‘EEEK!’
Anyways during this glorious heatwave we’ve been having, in between those crazily last minute jobs, I have taken the opportunity to have a wee look through my photos from this last year and it’s hit me just how big a part of our lives wedding planning has been. Sounds silly I know, of course wedding planning is a big deal?! – but weirdly I hadn’t quite realised how many weekends have been filled with wedding- related activities!
Photos from various venue visits, days out with my bridesmaids and flowergirl, and documenting my attempts at being organised (e.g. with A3 spider diagrams and the post-wedding fair ‘sort’ through the tree’s worth of flyers/magazines!); as well as pictures of Happy Valley and the church through the seasons! Ups and downs of emotions, as well as efficiency and focus!
When we were first engaged I definitely felt like a headless chicken in terms of where to begin, and while I didn’t want to hear the advice/reassurance that finding the venue would be key in allowing everything else to fall into place (given that we had no idea if the mystical venue in my head actually existed!) there was some truth in it. Standardly unconventional, the rest of the ‘ordered wedding planning schedule’ in that first (and only!) bridal magazine (which caused a flood of tears) has been largely ignored!
Whilst my frequent indecisiveness has probably caused slight panic amongst our family and friends, keen to help and ‘crack on’, and occasionally some frustration from both Chris and myself, it is part of who I am and I have learnt that it’s ok to not be instantly sure of every detail! It might make things a teensy bit more stressful, but being unable to decide on a 3rd dish is not a negative reflection of us as a couple!
So this last week has been a whirlwind of excitement and productivity(at last!)! We had a finalmeeting with our vicar, Susan. Susan is so lovely and gloriously quirky (and slightly unconventional which is probably why it feels so right for her to be marrying us!), she barely flinched at our lack of rings and seemed to relish the possibility of Haribo! Thankfully since then we finally chose our rings, so hopefully they will be ready just before we, and the removal van, depart from Leam to Norfolk –gulp! (– thank you to Tustains of Leamington for opening early for us, and especially Ellie, (who managed to look only vaguely panicked when I told her how soon we would be needing them!).
My family battled the boiling London streets and tubes to choose my brother’s outfit, my ‘scent’(thank you to Hayley at Jo Malone in John Lewis – so lovely!) and to pick up my dress – eek!(definitely justified!). We finalised our favours with Stagdesign and we made a decision on that final dish for the meal (sorry again Julia!).
So onto next week, when our amazing families and friends and a serious party of lampshades!) descend onto Happy Valley to hopefully create a fabby day that maybe even Robin Hood and Maid Marian would be proud of?!
Thank you so much to Annabel and the Love My Dress team for choosing me to be one of the Lovettes! It’s been amazing to be part of such a beautiful thing – a source of so many ideas, experiences and encouragement!
Love Hannah xx
PS Chris’ nickname is Ted!
Enjoy every second hannah, I can’t wait to see your pictures on Love my dress! X