If my wedding co-ordinator is reading, I'd like these, please!

Source: Style me pretty blog here.

Love, love, LOVE the simplicity of these flower centrepieces. So elegant.....and so matching with our theme. This is what I want, please :)

Ps: do you think it's rude to send your wedding co-ordinator your own blog for reference? Discuss. :)

Sunshine Coast Wedding Venue Recs

Told you I'd be posting more!

So I told you all how G and I came up with our venue. Thought I'd share some more of our choices on the Sunshine Coast.

- Surfair Resort. You probably all know that this is what we decided on. We knew it was us as soon as we walked through the doors. The resort is all white outside, evoking memories of the Mediterranean. Inside, it's very modern. While I wasn't too fussed about the function room at the start, I loved the surrounds.

Two of the three buildings at Surfair. Ps: that's the penthouse on the top floor.

Where we're having our ceremony - on the dunes in front of the resort, looking over the beach.

There are many new packages at Surfair, so I won't comment too much on them. You can have your reception in the Spinnaker room (which we're going with), the restaurant, or the penthouse.

We are going with a sit-down package with standing canapes and antipasto platters for guests, and alternate serve mains, with our wedding cake for dessert (plus our lolly bar). This is costing us $110 per head, and includes a 3 hour drinks package, as well as our reception decorations. More information is on their website here.

- Waterfront Restaurant, Noosaville. Beautiful surrounds, with a gorgeous deck area looking over the river. The focus here is on gourmet meals in a relaxed setting. You can get married on the grass out the front of the restaurant, in the park nearby, or at one of the many beaches a short drive away.

Source: Noosa Waterfront.

You can have a cocktail function (from $79 per head) or sit down function (from $89 per head). Drinks packages start from $55 per head. More details on their website here.

- Rydges Oasis Resort, Caloundra. This place we hadn't actually seen in person - I just made an appointment after a friend recommended it. I will reserve my comments on this place for now. They can accommodate both cocktail (from $35 per head) and sit down functions (from $125 per head). They have a few different function areas - the restaurant (which is over the lagoon, but a little dark), the larger function room (which is light and airy but a little bit tired), a marquee in "the paddock", and a small function room (which is TINY). You can find out more information from their website here.

The large function room. Source: Rydges Oasis.

The last place just wasn't "us". It didn't have the same atmosphere as Surfair.

We also looked at a few places at Mooloolaba but they were the ones that never got back to us. I'm definitely not going to waste my time talking about them!

Ulta 3 / NYC Color Black Satin

I have tried for ages to find a nice black polish that isn't too shiny
or too "black". Unfortunately, I'm still undecided on this one - NYC
Color's Black Satin.

Yes, it's an easy polish to work with - it glides on easily even without a base coat and doesn't stain my nails. It does, however, stain the skin around my nails (as you can probably see from the photo).

Yes, that's a blanket. I got sick of being in bed, so I'm camped out on our couch.

I'm still not decided. I think it's because that wet look, which I love with other coloured polish....just not in black. What do you guys think?

Stay tuned for more of my Ulta 3 swatches while I'm stuck at home. In fact, stay tuned for many more posts - it's giving me something to do!

Keep yourselves healthy,

xoxo

Deciding on a wedding venue

I've been neglecting my little blog for a while as I've been sick in bed for most of the week. Damn winter cold!

I did have a question from one of my friends who recently announced she and her boyfriend of 5 years are getting married. As I'm a pro at this wedding planning business (HA! Little does she know!), she wanted to know where to start. Should she choose her venue first, or the theme of her wedding?

My darling M, here are my answers.

GO. WITH. THE. FLOW. I don't think there are any right or wrong answers to this one. G and I knew we wanted either a beach wedding (since we both love the beach so much) or a garden wedding (since many of our day trips have been in the mountains in beautiful gardens). From here, we made a list of possible geographic locations.

If you don't know what TYPE of wedding you want, think about the things that make you guys happy. Do you both like going for walks outside? Do you like national parks, or beaches? Do you like English style gardens? Do you both have a passion for wine/beer? Do you like interesting looking buildings, or gothic style architecture? Are you fond of antiques or vintage style clothing/wares? G and I love beaches and English style gardens, as well as quirky vintage style wares. Not to mention that we both ADORE wine and beer. This helped us to figure out we wanted a wedding outside of the city.

Think about the FEEL of the wedding you want to have. Will it be casual and fancy free? Will it be more glamorous? Do you like the thought of a weekend away? Do you want a piss-up with everyone going home in cabs, or retiring to rooms? Do you want a city, country, or beach style wedding? Do you like the thought of the ceremony and reception being in the same location? G and I loved the idea of people having a weekend away at the beach, and getting exceptionally intoxicated over the 3 days. Hence, we decided we wanted the ceremony and reception at the same place, and that place would probably have to be a resort or a hotel so people could just walk to their rooms.

Once you have a basic idea of these, it REALLY helps you to narrow down the possibilities of venues. Think outside the square, though. Many beautiful weddings have happened in places I wouldn't have even thought of for a wedding. Think of art galleries, national parks, camping grounds, bars, restaurants, theatres etc that are special to YOU.

After deciding on the geographic possibilities, we researched the venues in the areas. We talked to friends to see if they had any recommendations. This was a big help, as we wouldn't have heard of several of our possible venues without recommendations. We then Googled the venues, and looked for reviews. This helped us weed out some that possibly wouldn't be our cup of tea. However, it also found us more possible venues. The Vogue forum was also an amazingly helpful tool, as we could get feedback from people about possibilities. Easy Weddings and Ideal Bride also helped to give us some suggestions (although a lot of the options weren't really what we were looking for, we actually found our venue from these!)

We also took drives to the possible locations to see if there were any possible venues we had missed. This also helped us to weed out other venues on our short list after seeing them. There were many that looked NOTHING like the website.

After doing the drive-by and researching the other venues we'd found, we narrowed our short list down to 3 locations on the Gold Coast, and 5 locations on the Sunshine Coast. We emailed questions to the function co-ordinators to see possible packages and whether they were flexible on certain aspects. Two venues on the Sunshine Coast didn't even respond back, even after calling them to follow up. Obviously, they were off the list. The Gold Coast locations also went off the list after we decided that we did want a packed beach for our ceremony.

From here, we had 3 venues to make appointments with on the Sunshine Coast. After seeing all three, we had unanimously decided on our venue, pretty much as we walked through the doors. It was very "us". However, don't be uninspired by the venue if the function room/area is bare and you can't visualise it at all. Take photos of the area, and think about what you could do to it to make it "you". Also, ask for photos of other weddings held at the venue. It will give you an idea of what you could do with the space (and give you even more ideas of table centrepieces!)

For all you Brissy brides, I thought I'd share our Gold Coast shortlist:

- Currumbin Surf Club. Absolutely gorgeous location - right next to Elephant Rock with the function room on the top level looking over the beach. They have cocktail packages from $99 per head including alcohol, or sit down packages from $145 per head including table centrepieces, alcohol, and co-ordinator. The cocktail functions can accommodate between 40 and 100, but the sit down functions can only seat between 20 and 40. For more details, go to their website here.

Currumbin Surf Club function room. Source: Currumbin Surf Club.

View over the beach. Source: Currumbin Surf Club.

- Oskar's on Burleigh. Another stunning restaurant with views over Burleigh beach. This was looking to be a front runner as the surroundings were so gorgeous, but Burleigh beach gets busy EVERY. WEEKEND. That was an issue for us, as neither of us like being centre of attention. Oskar's always serves delicious food, and can accommodate sit down functions for up to 140 (with a minimum of 100 for Friday night, and Saturday weddings; and 90 for Monday to Thursday and Sunday). Their menu is approximately $100 per person, and alcohol is charged on a bar tab (minimum of $3800). For more information, head to their website here.

The view towards Surfers Paradise from Oskar's balcony. Source: Oskar's.

- Mermaids at Burleigh. This was also a front runner. Funny, as it's below Oskar's. Mermaids is right on the water, being only slightly over the waves. They also have a stunning menu, accommodating up to 130 guests for a sit down function, or up to 300 guests for a cocktail function. Both sit down and cocktail packages range from $80 to $110, with alcohol being charged on a bar tab with a minimum of $35 per person. There is a minimum spend, however, so check out the details on their website here.

Function on the balcony of Mermaids. Source: Mermaids.

The Sunshine Coast shortlist will come in another post.

Hope you all are keeping well and avoiding the cold.

xxx

A sad day for Australia

While I am not necessarily a political person, I am extremely disappointed with what's happening in the Australian government right now. Yes, I was one of those people that voted Kevin Rudd in - I don't think there's a problem with that. However, I'm not necessarily a Labor supporter.

Growing up, my parents always preached about the importance of taking an interest in politics as politicians are the ones who shape our nation. They were stout Democrat supporters but never pushed their beliefs onto my sister and I. While I used to like what the Democrats stood for, I haven't heard much from them lately (hence the vote for Ruddy).

I am extremely disappointed that the Labor Party would out a leader who was so far ahead of the Liberals. While I definitely don't support all the policies the party has implemented, I voted for Ruddy as head of the Labor Party because I thought he would be the better person for the job.

Don't get me wrong - I am extremely happy that we have a female Prime Minister at long last. However, I am not a supporter of Julia Gillard after the MySchools debacle. I do not support transforming our kids into statistics from the NAPLAN test results. I do not support the bullying and intimidation that the party showed towards the Teacher's Union after the lack of consultation with the Education departments over the MySchools website.

However, I am in a tricky position. I dislike Tony Abbott tremendously. I think if he was elected as Prime Minister, our country would be transformed into a nanny state. Workchoices would be back (with an obvious name change) and we would all be forced into individual contracts. With Julia Gillard at the helm of the Labor Party, I think the Liberals will be voted in because the voting public wouldn't have the trust in the Labor Party anymore.

I hate this as a teacher because the Education department will only sign teachers up during the school term. That means we're unemployed during holidays, hence no pay. While many people believe teaching is an easy job because we work 9 - 3 with lots of holidays, it is definitely not like that. Holidays are the times where we have to plan, mark, write assessment items, and generally catch up with stuff we haven't had time to do during the school term. Teachers are required to get to school at 7am, and don't leave the school until well after 5pm most days. There are staff meetings, extra curricular activities, bus duties, departmental meetings, year meetings, plus professional development days. We don't get paid for these things. If individual contracts are brought in, there is the chance that some teachers won't plan during holidays, meaning that kids won't get the best education, and won't meet key standards for life. This is a huge worry for me as a passionate teacher.

How are you all feeling about the change of leadership?

Ulta3 Pink Colada

G always teases me about how many Ulta3 nailpolishes I have. Currently, I have 17.....

Please excuse the glasses in the background. How embarrassing!

Left to right: Flashback Fuchsia, Black Plum, Waterlily, and Black Satin.

Left to right: Pearly Grape, Mulberry, Pink Colada, and Sizzling Red.

Left to right: Dusty Rose, Poppy, Beesting, Sweet Violet.

Left to right: Neutral (the brown version obviously), Spring Blossom, Baby Pink, Natural Spring, Watermelon.

....however, I still can't go past a pharmacy without sussing out their Ulta3 bin. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a lot more than 17 soon. I keep reading the thread on the Vogue forums and hearing about raves for colours (that's how I knew I wanted Neutral, Watermelon, and Pearly Grape - thanks ladies!)

I never used to bother with nailpolish all that often before I discovered Ulta3. I found the formulas usually too runny, or the brushes were too thin and I'd end up with polish all over my hands (although I still do that sometimes). I do love OPI polishes, but at $20 a pop here in Australia, it hardly seems worth it (although I am lemming a beautiful purple colour that my friend R always seems to wear).

I do have some favourites - Mulberry, Pearly Grape, Neutral, Flashback Fuchsia, and this one, Pink Colada.

I love the formula of this one. One coat makes it opaque and it seems to last for 3-4 days without chipping, especially when I use a top coat. Don't let the pink colour in the bottle fool you - this is definitely more a red colour, with a slight tinge of pink. I find it looks quite blue red next to my PPP beige skin. Despite this, it is definitely one of my favourites, as it looks good with everything.

Inside, 2 coats with top coat.

In natural light. I would've gone outside but it's raining here in Brissy. Excuse my funny shaped fingers too - I have broken all of them at one point or another. That's why they're all on funny angles.

I'm going to swatch all of my Ulta3 polishes so you can see what they look like.

Have a great day guys!

xxx

126 days to go.....

According to my wedding website (yes, I know, how wanky), there are 126 days to the wedding. Eek! Where did that come from?!?! There are still soooo many things left to do!

G and I have got the most important things....

- my dress! I've had that one for ages...since last year. Here's a sneaky peak at the dress (but will be coming down quickly so G doesn't see). Link here

- the venue: Surfair Resort on the Sunshine Coast.

Surfair Resort. We're getting married on the dunes, just outside the gates. Source: www.surfairmarcoola.com.au

Guests will stay for the weekend, with quiet drinks at the bar the night before, and breakfast the morning after.

- the cake: cupcakes from Poppy Cakes with a red velvet cutting cake. We're having two kids of cupcakes: Baileys and chocolate cakes with vanilla icing, and vanilla cupcakes with passionfruit icing. Yum!

Source: Poppy Cakes.

They will look like this (but in blue and cream)

Source: not sure. Has anyone else seen this? Want to credit where credit's due!

- bridesmaids dresses.

- G's suit: no photos of that as we've only just got it. We just bought a grey suit from Roger David, as G doesn't need to wear a suit...well ever!

- flowers:

Inspiration for my bouquet. The bridesmaids will have cream roses and peonies, tied with a blue ribbon. G and his best man will have a hydrangea and rose boutonnière.

- photographer and celebrant: friends of ours, giving their expertise to us as wedding presents.

So, you may notice that there are no photos of invitations. Yeah....about that.....we haven't got any yet! G and I aren't the most decisive people on earth, so doing the stationery has taken twice as long as I'm sure it takes most couples. It took us something like 3 months to design our Save the Dates! (See them here).

With just over 4 months to go until the wedding (and RSVPs needing to be in a month before the wedding), we need to get organised. I never thought I would be a matchy-matchy kind of person. Turns out, I am. I want the whole wedding to have a unified theme, with colours of blue, black and cream. Since I'm a very visual person, I need to see what everything looks like altogether. Looks like we'll be waiting to do invites until after we meet with our event decorators on July 3rd. Watch this space.....