Image from Brent’s collection

I’ve decided that iPhones are a bad idea for people like myself.

Permit me to explain..

I am that person, everyone knows, who has ridiculous ideas and absurd suggestions that most people leave and pass off as impracticable – however, I tend to actualize them (friends roll their eyes at me a lot). I also get easily over-excited, obsessed and involved in whatever seems to pop up next in my life.  So of course, just before bed this evening (I have an 18 month old, bed time has shunted itself forward a few hours ..) my partner CJ suggested I check out Polka Dot Bride and consider contributing. Three minutes later my application is in, and I jump in bed. If my iPhone was the equivalent of CJ’s brick Nokia I wouldn’t have received the prompt confirmation to contribute to this unique blog. Now for most people, they’d go to sleep, and get around to it tomorrow – maybe. I, however, would have lay there thinking about what to write until 1am before deciding to get up to write it anyway. So here you all are! The result of my brain spilling onto the screen so that I can go have a good night’s sleep!

Now that’s out of the way I’ll briefly tell you a little of our story so far …

My name is Brent, I’m 23 but it seems I live the life of a 33 year old.  I am a jewellery designer and graphic designer who lives at the foot of Mt. Dandenong in Victoria.  My partner CJ and I run a retail space here called Limerence which stocks all Australian, Handmade and sweatshop free jewellery, fashion and art. We have an 18 month old son Hunter, and CJ is currently 18 weeks into her second pregnancy. CJ is also a fashion designer (our styles work very well hand in hand) and we are due to marry in October this year. To further emphasise the sometimes extreme nature of my personality, and to put things into perspective a bit, I will have known CJ for 3 years come August and we’ve already done all this!

As with most things I commit myself to, I pour everything I have into it. I am hoping that I can pour everything I have (I might have to draw a pie graph to break up how much I can pour into each element of my life at the moment) into giving the readers of this a bit of a giggle, and a bit of an insight into some of my (and our) unconventional ideas, thoughts and processes around ‘the big day’.

Just to give you something to look forward to I’ll let you know that I am making our rings, CJ is making our outfits (hers, 3 grooms men, 3 bridesmaids, and helping me with my suit), we are having our reception at our home and the whole event is heavily DIY and environmentally conscious.

I’m going to bed now … I’ll tell you all about how great my sleep was later.

x Brent

 

Ms Gingham says: Thanks to Brent, the newest addition to our Groom blog, for entertaining us with his tales of obsession. I’m really looking forward to seeing how much he can pack in over the next few months in the lead up to his and CJ’s wedding.

Brent says: “I’m that guy with the absurd ideas, the only difference is that I end up making them happen. I’m young but feel very, very old. My partner and I met three years ago and within that time I started my own jewellery business, we have had a son who is now 18months, CJ is 18 weeks pregnant with the next, we moved to the forest and bought a home, opened up a fashion retail store that stocks only handmade and Australian items, and are now getting married. Our mother’s joke is that we won’t have anything left to do for the next 50 years. I make jewellery, practice graphic design, I love my wine and my music collection and in general, when I get a moment to think about it, I love my life.”