The Weekender

So I am pleased to share that two weekends in a row I have given the 12WBT SSS, or Super Saturday Session a good go.

But I have been finding it hard to eat out on the 12WBT program.  Last week I had a dinner date with my sister on Thursday night, then off to Sydney on Friday for Ed Sheeran, then Saturday night visiting family.

On Thursday night we went to Mecca Bah, it’s been a while since we went in 2011!  I was really impressed last time; this time, not so much.  I had a gluten free seafood tagine, which was great.  They swapped the couscous for rice.  Mr. J had a pizza, and my sister had a tagine too.  My complaints are in regard to the service – I felt as though I had to hurry to finish my meal because my sister and Mr. J finished theirs before me and the waiters cleared their plates.  So there I was as if I was eating on my own… maybe I am being too fussy   Plus it was freezing.

On Friday night in Sydney we didn’t have much time before Ed, so it was boring old Subway for dinner.  Not exactly the exciting weekend away that I was expecting, but hey, it was nice to be able to make a good healthy choice.  We stayed at the Mercure, so it was an easy walk to the Entertainment Centre.  Ed Sheeran, I love you even more now – such a nice guy!

Saturday morning I smashed out 10km on the hotel treadmill – 90 minutes later and I was past the point of ready for breakfast!  Due to the buffet options at the hotel, I managed to make sensible choices again — toast, boiled egg, and as a treat some bircher muesli and rhubarb.  No juice, lots of water, and some tea.

Due to the miserable weather, Mr. J and I passed on the Sydney sight seeing, and decided on a lazy trip to the Blue Mountains to my parents and Mr. Alan.  Miss the lil guy – he seemed to miss me too   As much as a cat can!   It was nice to chill out, before coming back to Canberra on Sunday.

We left early enough to leave me time for some 12WBT preparation – a trip to Costco and Woolies, and I was ready for the week – determined to make a better go at the nutrition side of things.

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12WBT: Keeping on keeping on

So it is week three of 12WBT, and I have a few confessions to make.

1. I do really well typically Monday through Thursday and then the weekend hits.
2. ‘Life gets in the way’ and I either eat too much, or exercise too little over said weekends.
= Which results in me hoping and doing too much exercise and eating too little Monday and Tuesday in an attempt to compensate for the next weigh in on Wednesday.

I am off to Sydney *again* this weekend and I’m going to stop this trend! I have booked a hotel with a gym so no excuses for the upcoming SSS. And I am determined to make better food choices.

I am scared of looking back at these 12 weeks and wishing that I had done more. 9 weeks to go, gotta keep pushing on!

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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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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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To have our cake and eat it too

Long ago, I decided (I mean we decided), that a cake wasn’t necessary for our small, intimate wedding.

Our venue offers either a 2-course dinnner option, or a 3-course option. Now, if you go for the 2-course option, you have to pay cakeage. Whereas the 3-course option, cakeage is included. And of course(!) including cakeage brings the total cost of the 2-course dinner to the same cost of 3-course option.

Do you get what I am saying here? We may as well go for the 3-course. But then… entree, main and dessert – and then cake? Seems too much, really. And with our max of 30 guests (which now, by the way, is looking more like 25), we thought the $300 or so extra cost for a cake, wasn’t really worthwhile.

So, that was it. It was decided. No cake. One thing less to plan (and pay for).

And then …

You guessed it … the parents got involved. BOTH sides. First, at Mr. J’s brother’s wedding, his mother was devastated about us deciding not to have a cake. Mistakenly I labeled it a ‘budget issue’, which only resulted in her offering to pay for it. Second, my own mother raised it. It began something like this: “I’ve been thinking … you might regret it later … it’s a tradition you might look back and wish you had …” And of course, it ended with, “I can get you the cake”.

And so, we (I), did a completed 360. In the space of 3 days, I had contacted vendors, had the meetings, and chosen the flavour/design.

Now, don’t get me wrong, our cake isn’t going to look like this, as lovely as it is:

Photo: Heidi’s Dream Cakes

What would we do with 100 spare slices of cake ??

But yes, we decided on a cake. Simple, but romantic. 8-inch, yet with servings still left over. Unlike fruit cake, which will freeze for up to a year, our cake is freezeable for up to three months – so perhaps Mr. J and I will have to enjoy a welcome home slice after our honeymoon.

So there you have it. Thank you to Heidi at Heidi’s Dream Cakes, for being so accommodating.

*No remuneration was received for this post.

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Coming Home, Sydney

Sydney how I love you.

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A Wedding – An ‘Intimate’ Event?

Planning a wedding? Have you set a date? Are you getting married in your hometown? Is the ceremony in a church? How many people in the wedding party? How many guests will be invited?

- Typical questions I have been asked, and many are surprised by my answers. Don’t get me wrong, I know that Mr. J and I are not your typical wedding planners …

But most of all I was constantly surprised by the growing number of ‘intimate’ weddings, with 80+ guests. Or ‘intimate’ weddings with 10, or even 20 people in the wedding party. Perhaps in my search for wedding inspiration, I should search for “small” intimate weddings, better described by discerningbride. And as they say, and I believe, less is more

Or at least I thought I did(!) As the guest list is really the first thing you need to consider – before the (scary) wedding budget, and then later finding an appropriate venue for selected number of guests – It really got me a bit worried.

Will it be too formal? Will our wedding be remembered for being “too” quiet. Will anyone dance? Should we give up on the idea of dancing? Will the various guests get along with people they don’t know? How will we work the seating plan out? Will our friends/family-friends be offended when they realise they aren’t be invited? Should we bother with a ‘wedding cake’? Is an ‘intimate’ wedding more hassle than it’s worth to Mr. J and I? Should we buckle to the trend of a ‘Super’ wedding, and give up on our dream location?

Hmm ‘Super’ wedding style, or ‘Royal‘ wedding style

No … I still think this is still more our style

And so … although it is early days, we have decided to hold our wedding in Sydney. With the ceremony and reception at the same location (which is not a church). Mr. J has his Best Man, and I have my Maid of Honour. And at this stage, the guest list is 25, but our maximum is probably 30. Dancing is yet to be decided. Cake is also yet to be decided

Anyone who hasn’t stressed over planning their wedding, obviously has a good wedding planner(!) Hint, hint, Mr. J

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The Weekender

Because my weekend is extended (yay long weekend) … the weekender is late (boo long weekend over)!

Friday – After enjoying a quiet morning, and a not-too-stressful drive (thank you iced coffee, cruise control and tunes), I picked up Mr J from west Sydney.  We drove into the CBD to the Wyndham Sydney Suites.  As Mr J was pretty tired after his 4am start, we took it easy Friday night.  Dinner was at a spanish restaurant, and dessert take away to enjoy while chillaxing in our room.

Saturday morning we wandered in search for breakfast.  Found a great little cafe, I had poached eggs on toast and a coffee freeze, Mr J an omelette and cappuccino – for wait for it … $23!  Awesome deal.

After a late check-out we were on our way – Shopping(!)  We went to Victoria’s Basement and then Ikea.  We had planned to also go to DFO, but after some serious shopping and spending, we’d had enough.  Plus my favourite shoes broke   I guess that is a good sign of shopping success (and sore feet).

After shopping craziness, we visited my family, and basically just chilled allll day Sunday.  This afternoon we tolerated the long drive back, helped along with more iced coffee, and then I got to enjoy all the stuff we bought, by carrying them up six flights of stairs.

I will share some of our more exciting purchases in a separate post, but for the meant time -

Most exciting purchase of the weekend   When I saw it in Victoria’s Basement, I think I may have actually squealed!  It is an Intak (by Thermos) drink bottle …  I hadsearched high and low in Canberra for a decent drink bottle, that is light and BPA free, with no luck.  But now I have a pretty pink one, I kinda wish I had bought two.

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The Contenders

Mr J and I have finaly decided on a wedding venue! So very exciting! It is perhaps the most special venue ever(!), and a venue that I didn’t even think was possible/available for a small-time wedding!

But how did we get here? If you ask Mr J, he would say that I am a very indecisive person. If you ask me, I am just very sensible, cautious, etc etc!

I am not ready to share my venue location (we are still 15 months out from the wedding), but I thought I would share a bit about the lovely locations we ruled out.

The Bathers Pavilion, Balmoral Beach – click
Source

I know it seems silly, but I fell in love with this venue after seeing the above advertisement in a magazine. I loved the idea of getting married at a beautiful location, and doing the beach photography thing. And then following with an amazing reception at the restaurant with wonderful views over the beach/ocean, with private balcony. Mr J and I visited Bathers, walked the length of the esplanade, dined in the restaurant, and hence fell in love with it even more. The food was a-ma-zing! And the service was impeccable.

However(!), after a bit of back-and-forth, and with a bit more thought, a few factors pulled Bathers out of the running. The 30 people minimum requirement, the slower than preferred email contact, and the budget. I guess that more than anything, there was something causing me to hesitate, and holding me back from locking it in.

Probably because, I was yet to come across the most perfect venue!

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