Valentine’s Day 2013

Just too beautiful for words.  Mr. J surprised me with these beautiful pink roses during the week before Valentine’s Day – which was totally unexpected and even more awesome!

I know everyone says Valentine’s Day is all commercial bull**** but it was really lovely to take a walk in the city before our dinner date – to see all the couples wining and dining, feeling the love and taking a couple of hours to spend quality time together.

Mr. J took me to Mezzalira Ristorante, a new place for both of us.  There were three dining options – the degustation, the 3 course and the 2 course.  Because I started 12WBT this week, I said no to the degustation and would have preferred the 2 course, but we compromised with the 3 course.

In 12WBT standards, I probably enjoyed myself a little too much, but the food was fabulous – in particular the dessert.  I did feel a little too full after, which is a good sign that my body is changing.

Anyway, enough diet talk, so the food was amazing, and the evening was lovely – one complaint however, for those interested in a Mezzalira review – the service was a little lacking.  I know it is Valentine’s and they were busy, but I expected more.  This does not extend to all the wait staff, it appeared as though other waitstaff were happier about working that night 

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Birthday Dinner at The Artisan, Canberra

Mr. J surprised me for my Birthday with dinner at The Artisan.  Narrabundah is full of surprises…  It was a perfect meal, in a modern but cozy restaurant.  The wait staff were fantastic, and even spoiled me with a birthday candle at the end – lucky I asked for dessert! 

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Our Wedding: The Flowers

Full disclosure: I had two bouquets!

One bouquet for the first look, which was more fun and bright…

Michal Kriesch Photography

And a more traditional bouquet for the ceremony and evening.

Michal Kriesch Photography

Also, I did not do a bouquet toss. Instead I handed my bouquet to my best friend, so she knew how special she is to me (and how I can’t wait to be there for her when she gets married!!). Due to the small number of guests, we really couldn’t justify more than a maid of honour and best man – My sister was my maid of honour and Mr. J with 2 brothers, chose his best mate. Of course I appreciated my sister being there for all the important stuff, but I missed my bestie too – So I hoped it was a way for her to realise how I did want her to be a part of my day – and yep, there were tears!

My bouquet was really important to me, as it had my something blue – a wishbone that my mother carried down the aisle on her wedding day, over 40 years ago

Michal Kriesch Photography

My florist Rachel at Red Lily Floral Design was fantastic. Amazing. I knew nothing about flowers, brought in a couple of pictures for her to look at, and named one flower that I loved (ranunculas). And BOOM. Sorted.

She made me feel completely at ease and I just let her go with it. She took the limited inspiration I had, and knew exactly what style I was going for. This extended to the table decorations too. And scattered petals… It isn’t a wedding without petals, right?! Also, she arranged the fresh flowers on the cake – which was also, simply gorgeous. Thanks to Heidi’s Dream Cakes it looked perfect, and tasted AMAZING. Believe me – her banana cake is just to die for – and such an unexpected surprise for guests.

Michal Kriesch Photography

Note: No remuneration or discount was provided for this post.

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Our Wedding – The VENUE

Wait for it … Haha! Did my last post give it away?

Mr. J and I were lucky enough to be married and enjoy our reception in the one location – which meant more time with our family and friends, and more time together. Took the stress out of travelling between locations and our venue ticked all the boxes anyway.

And so, we were married at Guillaume at Bennelong, in the Sydney Opera House.

Michal Kriesch Photography

The venue, was simply put, magical. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. Great views, (thanks Sydney Harbour Bridge), yummy food (thanks Guillaume) and wonderful people to share our special day with.

Michal Kriesch Photography

After researching many other venues in Sydney, from Bathers Pavillion to the Quay Restaurant, I accidentally stumbled across Guillaume while searching for restaurants in Sydney, rather than wedding venues. Thinking it would be way out of our budget, I almost missed out on the perfect venue… Guillaume became a lot more budget friendly when you hire a portion of the restaurant, rather than the whole venue.

Yes, this meant that we were restricted in regard to music, but fingers crossed for decent weather, and our musician could utilise the terrace, which we also hired for the ceremony. AND luckily, although chilly in the afternoon, we had no rain, and in the evening the wind was amazingly absent.

All in all, I would highly recommend Guillaume for a wedding, or any super special event. Admittedly management can be hard to deal with at times and fairly inflexible, but I’d say that’s the case for most venues of their caliber.

I honestly can’t wait to go back and done there just me and Mr. J. It will be so lovely to enjoy a leisurely meal together where we were married. Another bonus of choosing a restaurant over a catered function venue.

Mr. J, 22 of my favourite people, lovely food and atmosphere, in the heart of Australia’s most iconic building – what more could a bride want?!

Note: No remuneration or discount was provided for this post.

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It’s almost Christmas!

It’s Christmas Eve! Almost more important for my family than Christmas itself.

Tonight, there will be a feast. And bon bons. And silly hats. And lots of family time

Bizarre that it’s raining after being 35+ degrees today. But it’s definitely a relief!

About to shower and put a dress on

Merry Christmas Eve!!

J
Xo

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Our Wedding: A Summary ;)

In summary, it was a success! Mr. J and I had a fantastic day – and in particular I love that it was so very intimate.

Our final numbers were a massive total of 24 guests, including us(!) We are lucky to have such small families, but also only picking a couple of friends, meant that we were able to spend time with everyone, including each other

This meant that we only had three tables at the reception, and Mr. J and I sat at a different table for each course. I loved that I was able to spend extra time with my special peeps! We had a Mr. J family table, my family table, and a table for friends – and I labelled them accordingly This also meant that Mr. J and I could enjoy the food, which I know many couples miss out on. Although I have to admit, my dress was a little restrictive in that area, so I would love to go back and indulge again … 1st wedding anniversary idea, perhaps??

The loveliest thing was all of the appreciative comments, about the venue, the view, my dresses the food – many people said it was the best wedding they had every been to. This really meant a lot to me. I am sure that many brides hear similar from their guests, but still, I was like, awesome! It made all the planning and hard work worth it.

Also, I was super excited to be flying away on our honeymoon the next day. Mr. J and I were possibly more excited about the honeymoon, and I guess I probably spent the same amount of time planning it as the wedding itself!

I have so much to share(!) I will be posting about some of our wedding vendors, because they deserve special attention And of course, I still haven’t disclosed the venue…!

Here’s a sneak peek

Sydney wedding venue. Photo courtesy of Michal Kriesch Photography

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It’s almost 2013!

Where did this year go?

Well … !  There was adopting our fur-baby, Mr. Alan, entering the workforce (paid!), wedding planning, ‘the’ wedding, our honeymoon, and we moved(!)  It has been a big year, and I have to admit that I am pretty exhausted.  I know that I’ve needed to take a break, and I hoped my blogging break would bring me back to a healthier, less tired version of myself.  But, alas, I am still good ol’ tired me 

My intention of a wedding/honeymoon blog break has turned into a super-long, almost quarter year break, and of course the longer I have been a blog hermit, the more stuff I have to catch up on.

So… Where does one start?   Maybe with a nap 

To be continued …

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Mr Alan: An Update

Mr. Alan, yep, it’s official.  He is our fur-baby 

I think he’s pretty happy, and he certainly makes me happy(!)

Who couldn’t love that adorable face?!

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Alto Restaurant, Telstra Tower, Canberra

Two years since Mr. J proposed — he surprised me with these beautiful flowers after work, and a surprise dinner.

I knew it would be Canberra, but as we drove past the city, I wondered where!  As the Telstra Tower came into view, I looked at Mr. J and he gave it away     Alto Restaurant.

The views at night are lovely, as the revolving floor takes you on a full circle view of Canberra’s surrounds.

Difficult to photograph, clearly(!)

I had duck and Mr. J had lamb.  The bext part of the meal — dessert.  Oh hai there chocolate tart and hazelnut icecream.

Mr. J chose the blurberry tart, but I clearly made the better choice.  What a lovely way to spend a Tuesday evening.

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A New Addition: Introducing Mr. Alan

Yep, it’s been pretty quiet over here in my blog world, but that’s because – Drum roll please(!)

We have a new addition to our little family >> Introducing… Mr. Alan!!!

Alan is a beautiful persian short-hair rescue. His previous owner has been unwell for quite a while, so he is in need of some serious TLC.  He tolerated the 3.5hr car ride, and a trip to the vet the very next day, but he is starting to settle in to his new home.

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