We've chosen the venue!!! Hooray!

After much deliberation, we have finally chosen the lovely Culcreuch Castle for our wedding. Why? We wanted our ceremony outdoors so it was important that the venue had a beautiful outdoor setting and Culcreuch Castle doesn't disappoint! It has its own loch, it's set in a large estate with woods and has rolling hillsides in the background - romantic much? Also, as the wedding has a vintage theme we wanted a venue with a lot of history and lovely features to go with our theme - look at the website and you'll see why it's perfect in every way:   http://www.culcreuch-castle-hotel.com/

The Castle

The private loch

I have also updated our wedding website: http://www.mattandalice.are.gettingmarried.co.uk/ with all the new details.

HELP! (i need somebody) HELP! (not just anybody) ...

Get your voting fingers on and click your option:

panel management

And the visual prompts:

Venue 1:

Venue 2:

Venue 3:

Please help me choose :)

One last point, the first two are near (1) and in (2) Glasgow and the third is near Edinburgh. Edinburgh airport is easier for my family to travel into.

Invitation Madness!!

Right, well it was quite a sleepless night last night trying to get the invitations done, but i finally have made..... ONE!!! But the rest should be easier now that they are all printed and its just the glueing bits to go... So here is how it went:

First there were materials and ideas:

Hobbycrafts were having a sale and i might have gone just a little crazy with the ribbons!








Below was the plan i drew up which i quickly scrapped once i discovered how long it was going to take to do...

Then there was the first attempt:

Finally we moved onto the "insides" - by we, i mean ME, the boys were happy for me to make the first one and then would help make the rest.... YEAH RIGHT! So i wanted software to help me make the inside and back cover of the invites but it was almost impossible to find any Mac software that was free and would HELP me make the cards - i downloaded a trial version of Adobe Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop - useless (this may be because i am still learning how to use a Mac)... Then i downloaded DesignPro, couldn't get my head around it (this was very late at night)... Finally i tried to use paintbrush which crashed just as i was finishing the inside (and i hadn't saved!!!!!!!!) .... Took a deep breath and decided to use good old trusty word, and i found out that you can do a "Publishing Layout Document" on it "oooooooohhhhhhh" - very impressed was i, now that it was about 2ish in the morning - small minds, easily pleased!

So then a number of things were tried:

 Pictures, pictures and more pictures... Sepia, antique or black and white? Who knew you could do so much with em?









Then after much consumption of el Coca Cola....

And much google searching on the tinternet... We finally had a template and the production line started:

And the final product???? Finished this morning after some much needed sleep :) 

So invites are done, now just need to wait for RSVP's so we can know numbers and finally book the venue!

Invites today!

I've spent my monies at hobbycrafts now its time to make me some invites!! Pictures to follow.... :D

I'm rubbish at updating this!

Ok so the dress is chosen and paid for - YAY! Can't put it on here just in case Matt's having a sneeky peek, unlikely but anything is possible! One clue... VINTAGE!

The venue is now down to two options... Knockderry House and Sherbrooke Castle. Had a lovely time venue hunting this weekend with Carol and those two were our favourites. Unfortunately, we also missed our flight home because of a 'police incident' on the M8 in Glasgow, which involved closing off a whole section of it just 15 mins away from the airport!!! But Easyjet were absolutely awesome and transferred us onto a Monday flight at no extra cost and the lovely Matt sorted out our hotel reservation for the night :)

Planning to go back up in January with Matt, Davey and Fsil to make a final choice on the venue and then hoping to have the invites ready to send out by mid January...

Dress fittings on Saturday!!

I have appointments at two bridal shops this weekend, one which has a sale dress that i really really like and at £300, how can you go wrong??? I'm also making (very slow) progress on the weight loss front (am trying to get back to the weight i was the summer before i started my doctorate, before i opened the fridge and never closed it again, ate and ate until i should have exploded but miraculously didn't.... CAKE!!!! Enough said! But i have now achieved over 1 stone loss (20 lbs) and my 10% goal, so its going down. Hoping it will be 2 stone lost (24 lbs) by Christmas.... And for the "normal" people, that's a starting weight of 88 kg, now weigh 79 kg, and i want to weigh 60 kg for the wedding - i'm not asking much!!! :D The dilemma is, will i lose it in time? And more importantly, what dress size should i order? Should i be very ambitious and order a dress 2 sizes smaller? Should i play it safe and hope for a good seamstress?

I'm drugging Matt, hopping on a plane and getting married in Vegas tomorrow, you are all welcome to join me so long as i don't have to plan anything more than drugging Matt, getting him on a plane to Vegas, and showing up at the Chapel to get married!!! :D

Thank goodness for unobservant fiances who never read their future wife's blog!

Venues: Take 2

Right, well of the original list of venues have scrapped them all and have a new shiny list all of which i will be visiting with the lovely Carol Hall in December :) And the finalists are...... (insert drumroll)

Knockderry House   (http://www.knockderryhouse.co.uk/)

I like: it's by the sea and has a beach, activities available, very pretty house and beautiful location. Exclusive use so no strangers allowed!

I don't like: 45-60 mins by car from the airport, need to catch train and bus if coming by public transport...

Norton House Hotel and Spa  (http://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/Norton-House/)

I like: it has a spa! It is opposite Edinburgh Airport and not too difficult to get to from Edinburgh city by public transport.
I don't like: It's a big hotel so wouldn't have it all to ourselves....

Sherbrooke Castle Hotel   (http://www.sherbrooke.co.uk/)

I like: its in the centre of Glasgow so very accessible, could have it exclusively to ourselves... It's so preeety!!
I don't like: possibly the price tag - but we are negotiating! Lack of facilities or activities.

Friars Carse Hotel   (http://www.friarscarse.co.uk/)

I like: near to preswick airport, accessible by train, activities available and there is a snooker room. Looks nice and feels intimate. Can be exclusively ours.
I don't like: Not sure yet...

Hunters Quay Hotel  (http://www.huntersquayhotel.co.uk/)

I like: small, intimate and quaint. Activities available. Beautiful location by the sea and near to a forest park. Would be exclusively ours.
I don't like: possibly the faffing with catching a ferry to get to it, although could all be part of the adventure!