I thought I’d start a bit of a showcase of blogs. There are some amazing blogs out there and I would love to introduce you to my favourites!

So to start off the blog showcase here are some of the blogs I want to thank for helping me out when Polka Dot Bride was born!

Without these blogs I’m not sure I would have been found by so many people and I’ve always wanted to say ‘thankyou’ to the bloggers for welcoming a newbie into the blogging world.

Brooklyn Bride is written by Vane, a Brooklyn bride to be who showcases some gorgeous finds while she plans her wedding-she’s getting married in April! Best of luck with your wedding Vane!

Never teh Bride writes the wedding blog (Manolo For The Brides) over at the famous Manolo’s postings. Christa has a wicked sense of humour and gives some great advice for weddings! Christa is going to be a published author this June! She’s written a book called IDo: Planning Your Wedding With Nothing But ‘Net. You can preorder it on Amazon (I can’t wait for my copy!)

The Preppy Wedding is all about making your wedding, well preppy! The Preppy Wedding has some beautiful, unique and cute finds which always leave my jaw hanging open! The author is a creative mind who always seems to find unique treats and has a lovely warm voice to her posts.

Style Me Pretty gave me a great boost when she mentioned my ‘How To Have A Green Weddng’ post on Blog Action Day last year. Abby is certainly a style leader when it comes to wedding blogs and I know she’s the first place most brides go for inspiration! Abby has a definite talent for pulling together the right elements and is always a great read.

Without the support of these blogs and the others I wouldn’t be where I am.

So do support every blog you love in the blogging community- you never know where it may lead!

This should set you up for reading on a drab Monday!

Stay tuned, I have more showcases to come!

I’m happy today to introduce you to another bride Polka Dot Bride will be following over her wedding planning journey. Kate hails from Australia’s capital Canberra and shared her story with me.

Australia’s Parliament House located in Canberra as shot by nsgbrown

“In a word I would describe both myself and my future husband (!) as nerds.

Although we met in person a number of times before there was any hint of a relationship, we really got to know each other online.

A mutual friend tried to set us up but we were both too shy to do anything about it – so instead we started emailing back and forth and got to know each other a bit that way. Then when my housemate (at the time) was being a bit annoying, I decided to invite myself over to watch his (excellent collection of) DVDs. So it was then love blossomed!

A year or so later, on the same day Polka Dot Bride started up, we got engaged. In the middle of the night he woke me to propose.

About six months afterwards we finally set the date – as we didn’t fancy a winter wedding in frosty Canberra (some people coming down from Queensland would NOT be happy) we decided on a long engagement, and will be getting married in November this year.

It’s worked out well for us, giving us extra time to save and enough time for me to obsess over wedding blogs until I knew what I wanted – a budget, semi-retro themed garden wedding. Relatively casual as we’re generally jeans and sneakers people, but formal enough to reflect how enormous it feels (and is!)”

So brides to be- what tips do you have for Kate as she’s planning her retro garden wedding?

Paper Orchid’s divine cupcake cases have been doing the blog round for awhile now but I also love their favour boxes. The detail is just gorgeous and could be filled with so many things.

Of course, I have to throw in a few shots of the famous cupcake holders too

They’re almost too pretty to use! Perfect for a formal black tie wedding or a garden party, Paper Orchid uses laser cutting and their love of fine details to create little works of art.

Paper Orchid will ship to Australia on request.

I’ve been following the blog of Perth wedding photographer Samm Blake for a little while now (note: if you have a blog do let me know, I’m a bit addicted!) I love Samm’s fresh take on photography and fantastic use of light and textures.

So recently, I was very excited to see Samm win first place in the Kid’s category of the Wedding Photojournalist Association awards! Congratulations Samm!

Here’s what the judges said about Samm’s shot

‘A wonderful, innocent photo of a young girl–maybe a flower girl or younger sister– peeking at the bride’s ring. It has the feel of a stolen moment; one that maybe she never knew was taken. Despite the straight-forwardness of the composition, this one jumped out of this category from the start.’

The WPJA is an international group promoting photo journalism (ie candid moments) in photography, each moment is real, unposed and sometimes even haunting in emotion.

One of the first photographers I ever followed in blogland Charlotte Geary also picked up 8th place in the First Dance category and fifteenth in the engagement category and  Aussie photographers came up trumps with  Tony Marin scoring a second place in the Getting Ready category and third in the reflections and James Boddington seventeenth in Transport. (I’m sure I missed other Aussie’s so let me know!)

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Sydney photographer Ryan Schembri took out three first places at this years WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) awards.

The shot above won first place for WPPI International Wedding Print of the year but Ryan also won Photojournalism section and got 1st Place for Individual portrait!

I know some other Aussies did us proud at the awards but am yet to know who- so do share the details if you know!

You might remember the bride we featured last year- Abbey (if not, refresh your memory!) Well she’s coming back down to earth and I asked her about her wedding day in hopes it might help future brides!

What was the best part of your wedding day?

Besides marrying my husband, the best part was sharing my day with the people I love. I was so amazed how many family members and friends were prepared to travel to celebrate our day. There was not a single moment I didn’t enjoy!

I also loved walking down the aisle while my friend who I have known since I was seven played the violin. That was really special!

What was totally unnecessary?

The outdoor settings! We went through this huge drama about whether or not to get them, and decided we would get them for the smokers. It was an extra expense and no one used them because it was raining!

What would you change? Any regrets?

I don’t think there is anything I would change, it was the day I imagined and I was really happy with the way it turned out. I love the fact the decorations weren’t traditional wedding, and that it was relaxed while still going through the usual motions.

What was unexpected that you loved?

My cousin, the bartender did an amazing job on his own! I can’t believe he volunteered for the job. The speeches were good and I loved seeing everyone getting up to dance!

What are your favourite memories?

I have so many! I like the funny moments that I wasn’t expecting! I love thinking about my panic attack I had before the ceremony and how my bridesmaids looked after me.

I loved it when we were posing for photos and it started to rain and the girls started running, with the photographer running along next to us trying to get a snap and us giggling like crazy.

I loved dancing with my new hubby, and with my dad who I don’t get to see often. All the planned events were great, but it was the unplanned moments that were my favourites.

Is there anything you wish you had spent more time on?

I wish we had organised a better sound system for both the church and the reception. Although we couldn’t have predicted the weather, it drowned out the music and the speakers at the back of the room. We were also unorganised with our song choices!

I also wish we spent more time on our ceremony…it was a bit messy but it was fun!

Is there anything you wish you had spent less time on?

I don’t think anything deserved less time, it takes a lot of work to get things the way you want.

Any unexpected surprises?

My mum! All the build up to the wedding made her have an emotional mother of the bride moment. She completely broke down in tears and had to take some time out. She can’t believe it happened, but she tells me we had been planning it for so long that she could finally relax and it all caught up to her. Dear old mum!

Apparently it is a regular occurrence, so look out for it if you are getting married!

What’s your number #1 tip for brides?

I have lots of tips! The most important is doing what you want! So many people will have an opinion and that is ok, as long as you don’t feel pressured into anything.

If I had of fallen to the pressure my day would have been completely different! Instead of our country wedding with my dream dress, it would have been at a golf course, with me in a long sleeved dress (with a high neck), platform shoes and balloons galore!

The other one is to make yourself cry before you get your makeup done! Lets face it, you are most likely to cry sometime during the day because there are a lot of emotions, but I forced myself to cry beforehand and got it out of my system!

Oh yes, don’t forget to breath! I almost fainted when we were getting ready!

We taught ourselves to dance (very basic) by watching a few videos on YouTube…I am glad we had some kind of routine otherwise it would have been chaos with limited space.

How did you feel after the wedding?

It was really strange the day after the wedding. It felt very surreal and for quite a while I was very happy, while also being glad I no longer had to plan for it!

I love being a wife, and now that we have our wedding photos I can look back and enjoy the memories!

I was excited to see Definitely, Maybe because Aussie expat Isla Fisher stars in it and I wanted to see her somewhere else than the shores of Summer Bay!

Although a romantic chick flick, Definitely, Maybe was enjoyable for it’s real moments. Isla Fisher has been quoted as saying she likes the movie because there are no perfect characters and she’s right- Definitely, Maybe is realistic, every character has their flaws and there isn’t a ‘golden girl’.

The way the story is told provides some light relief and a point of interest to differentiate it from other romantic comedies. Ryan Reynolds played his role surprisingly well. The movie also features child actor Abigail Breslin (of Little Miss Sunshine), Elizabeth Banks and Rachel Weisz.

The winding mystery of the story is entertaining, with the moments after the romantic ‘foot pop’- the awkward silences, the tears, the anger all written in. Which at least tries to break the ‘happily ever after’ Hollywood cliche!

A great movie for a lazy night in!

Definitely Maybe gets 3 out of 5 dots!

 Linda Gorringe’s Annual Sale is about to start!

Linda Gorringe Coco

Running for 8 days the sale will offer discounts of 50% or more on all clearance stock (including sample bridal gowns, evening wear, jewellery and accessories) and 10% on all regular stock, including the full range of Couture & Ready-to-Wear Wedding Gowns, Bridesmaids & Evening Wear Fashion, Bridal & Fashion jewellery, Veils, Fur Wraps and all accessories.

Strictly by appointment only,  call (03 9654 7335) for an appointment.

Sale Dates: Saturday 29th March - Saturday 5th April, 2008 (including Sunday 30th Mar)

I love a big cocktail ring. There’s something special about wearing a red dress and popping on a big chunky turquoise rock onto your finger, or a simple black gown with a pop of an orange gem..

I love these ones from US Jewellery designer Georgie Designs. The wire wrapping creates an organic look and because they’re handmade, you can rest peacefully knowing you’re not going to run across many people with the same thing!

Round Amazonite Ring, Cape Amethyst Ring, Grey Swarovski Pearl Ring, Sterling Silver Rock Crystal Quartz Ring, Orange Calcite Ring, Dark Grey Swarovski Pearl Ring, Angelite Ring, Honey Jade Ring, Square Turquoise Ring, 14k Gold Filled Rock Crystal Quartz Ring, Bronzite and 14k Gold Filled Ring, 14k Gold Filled Cape Amethyst Ring

Georgie Designs are created by Robyn who started the business while raising her gorgeous baby girl. Robyn has a long interest in art- her first memories being face painting and creating puff paint tshirts!

Georgie Designs also offers a ‘Ring Of The Month’ club in 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions giving you a glorious design for your ring wardrobe every month!

Shipping to Australia starts at $10.

I clearly haven’t figured out my decorating style yet because one week I tell you I love bursts of colour and the next I go neutral. But one of the schemes I really love is a room that is white- purely white with the only interest to the eye being the different textures. There’s something pure, something calming and comforting about white.

So when Lee emailed me about a site his wife had launched that was Australian I had to share

Whiteport is all about white! Founded by Sydney girl Jennifer in 2007, Whiteport is an online retail store (one of the few of its kind in Australia) selling gorgeous homewares delivered right to your doorstep and all white!

Jennifer began the site when she noticed online shopping for homewares was severely lacking in the Australian marketplace. She loves white because ‘“Our products look equally good in a city loft apartment or a sprawling beach house,” she says.  “White products are simple, timeless and complement any colour scheme.”

A great place to visit if you’re setting up a home or looking for something special to give as a wedding gift!

Sign up before March 31st to their newsletter to receive 20% off and a free Decorating With White guide!

Michelle emailed me this wedding gown a little while ago and I fell in love with it- anyone with a love of Polka Dots has to check this one out!

Maggie Sottero’s Rasharna comes in All White, All Diamond White, Champagne with Ivory Lace/Topaz accent, Blush with Ivory Lace/Blush accent.

It features Swarovski crystals, glass beads, bugle beads, seed beads, and sequins on an A-line empire waist with a soft organza pleated skirt with a chapel length train.