There’s a point in every wedding planning where a bride throws her hands up and is just ‘over it’. Over the decisions, over the comparisons, other figuring out where the money is coming from..and sadly I think our feature bride Abbey has reached that point!

Never fear Abbey, Polka Dot Bride is here! While we can’t take away the melancholy feeling we can help you with your massive to do list!

Registry- Can start online with fiance anytime, Abbey is thinking of The Wedding List Company- easy, will take a weekend and she won’t have to leave her lounge room!

Manicure/Treatments- Abbey can do this anytime or do it herself!

Photo- Biggest to do! Narrow down available photogs!

Video- Abbey wants to organise a family friend to video the ceremony

Musicians- Organised a group to play at ceremony

Reception Music- Will use own CDs (must make)

Cake- Decide on Design, Abbey’s mother’s friend is making it

Flowers- Half done! Bought silk bouquets

Celebrant- Abbey’s mother’s friend (must lodge paperwork and meet with her)

Dress- Waiting for sister to come over and help choose on a shopping trip!

Accessories- Chosen jewels!

Veil

Hair artist- Abbey decided on wavy down style

Makeup Artist

Shoes- Decided on green shoes, must find more!

Honeymoon-

Bridesmaids dresses- Abbey is waiting for her sister to travel over to choose dresses, she would like to find green dresses

Accessories

Shoes

Hair- Decided on up-style

Flower girl

Ring bearer

Transport- Cars are arranged

Stationery- All arranged! Must think about order of service booklets etc

Rings

Menswear- Send fiance to do this!

Accommodation- reception venue doubles as a B&B

Menu

Wines

Favours- Decided on biscuits in small pots with green ribbon

Readings

Decorations

Lingerie
Parents gifts
Gifts for attendants- Bridesmaids are getting gift boxes filled with Bridesmaid t shirts and other goodies, Groomsmen still need to be done
Emergency kit- Purchase from Bridal Survival
Night before wedding accommodation
Music selections
Dancing instruction for first dance

L-R Bride To Be, True Bride, Real Weddings, Cosmopolitan Bride, Martha Stewart Weddings, Instyle Weddings

It’s been a busy few weeks at the newsagent with all the new bridal titles being released. Which means of course every bridal magazine lover haunts the newsagent! I thought I’d showcase the best ones out at the moment so you can go magazine hunting yourself!

Bride To Be Volume 140 May- July 2007

The new issue of Bride To Be uses Ada Nicodemou as their cover girl and gives us more of her wedding than any of the weekly magazines did! The whole reception is showcased and suppliers listed. It also features a story on Mariana Hardwick and has supplement for the groom and honeymoon. Coupled with their stylish fashion spreads (and there’s a great shoe one in there too!) Bride To Be is a great buy!

True Bride 2007 Good Wedding Guide

True Bride showcases the weddings of the finalists in their annual competition ‘True Bride of The Year‘ in more detail. The real wedding stories are gorgeous and it features a planning guide at the back. You can enter yourself if you marry this year and be up for $2,000 in cash! Great if you want to pour over the weddings you’ve seen online in more detail!

Real Weddings Issue 11

We can never go past an issue of Real Weddings and this issue is no exception! As usual it showcases stunning and unusual brides of all origins and cultures and is a great source of inspiration! This issue features a beautiful Autumn spread as well as a pretty purple spread. Brides range from an Irish bride with a duck egg blue theme to a bride who arrived on a camel! Everything is captured with style and the magazine displays it all beautifully A MUST buy!

Cosmopolitan Bride Best Real Weddings Special Issue 2007

Cosmopolitan Bride took a different angle with their new issue- this edition is totally focused on nothing but real weddings! If you’ve got all the old issues of Cosmo Bride, you may find this magazine slightly repetitive but it’s good for all the luscious details we love! We particularly love the Country Splendor ‘Get The Look’ page. Full of inspiration for any bride!

Martha Stewart Weddings Spring 2007

Oh Martha, how could we not love your magazine? As USA based as it is it provides perfect inspiring details that any bride can use. This issue features a beautiful pastel spread with luscious cakes and sweets in pale blues, soft greens and baby pinks. Monograms are becoming more and more popular and this edition also features a feature on monograms and innovative ways to use them! My personal favourite is the gorgeous feature on the underrated Ranunculus flower which with its luscious buds can make a perfect Spring wedding feature.

Instyle Weddings Spring 2007

Another USA based title that we love, Instyle Weddings is always full of great ideas and places to check out. Surprising registry ideas, finding the right look for you, bridesmaids gowns for any mood, big day beauty problems solved and much more had me pouring over this issue for hours. Any Aussie bride can take tips from this issue and find ideas to put into practice in their own wedding. Instyle Weddings allows you to step outside the box and think outside the ‘cookie cutter wedding’.

Abbey’s wedding is creeping up..and this is her to do list from her planner

• registry
• have a manicure lol
• photo and video
• musicians and music
• cake
• flowers
• dress and accessories
• honeymoon
• finalise registry
• bridesmaids dresses and accessories
• flower girl and ring bearer
• transport
• stationery
• rings
• menswear
• accommodation
  
• menu and wines
• favors
• readings
• decorations
• lingerie

We can also add to that- bridesmaids (dresses, shoes, hair, jewels), flower girl and pageboy outfits and accessories, parents gifts, gifts for attendants, (if wanted) emergency kit, celebrant, night before wedding accommodation, music selections, dancing instruction for first dance, and more

You have heard me rave about WeddingBee before! Well as I was such an addict I bought the tshirt! I should probably be slightly embarrassed but I’m just happy (how can you be anything but when you see a little bee buzzing?) WeddingBee is my favourite wedding blog and has introduced me to so many others like Style Me Pretty and Manolo for the Brides which I stalk on a daily basis.

So I thought it was only fair to support such a wonderful creation! I chose the tee with the bee character on the front and Weddingbee logo on the lower back. (I tried to take photos, but it appears shipping from New York to Australia creates a lot of wrinkles!) The above photo is courtesy of Mrs Bee!

WeddingBee is a bridal blog started by Mrs Bee which now has multiple contributors. Its US based- but the inspiration is there for everyone and that’s why I love it! Definitely worth checking out!