This is sapphire2009's Green Wedding!

Our lease was up on Dec 31st but we opted to go month to month since we didn't want to be trying to pack up and move during the holidays. We'd ideally like to be out of our current apartment by the end of this month. There's been nothing but problems with this place since the moment we moved in and I simply cannot wait to get out of here. However, this has left us with a dilemma- there are two other complexes that we quite like.

One is brand new and on the more expensive side but they are absolutely to die for with an incredible view of Lake Crabtree. Our apartment would be a 2 bedroom with a juliet balcony (basically only enough room to stand outside and have a cigarette, no proper porch) on the top floor (that's no problem though- they have elevators in them!) and they're currently holding it for us. There really aren't any downsides to it- the amenities are incredible, everyone we met seems really nice, they have over 18 miles of walking and biking trails surrounding it, it's close to the airport and close to major roads/highways and it's not far from anywhere we need to be. It's just that the cost would mean that we'd be having luxury instead of savings. At this point, I'm so sick and tired of living in falling apart, crummy bullshit apartments where you can hear every little sound from your neighbours I'd be happy to sacrifice saving up if it meant I could sleep properly at night. Since we spend so much time at home these days, I would much rather have somewhere really nice that I don't mind being in than somewhere that I absolutely hate.

The second place is on the older side, and while they're nice they're certainly not as open plan or as impressive looking as the first. They have semi-decent amenities but they're no where near as good as the first place. They do have great storage & closets in them though. They're also very close to Chris' grandma's house (so if she needs us, or if anything happens to her we're there in less than 2 minutes) and closer to his mom's house which makes taking care of her house & pets a bit easier. We'd also be able to save up a bit more money- this one is about $200 less/month than the first one. But like I said before, it really isn't as nice and you don't get as much for your money (ie- the trails, dog park etc.)

I can't find any photos online of the second place but you can look at the website's for both of them if you want-
option one- http://www.westonlakeside.com/
option two- http://www.waterfordforestapts.com/

basically, it boils down to having luxury and no savings, or having savings but being pissed off every day. Which would you choose?

: : : Edit : : : I should probably mention that both Chris and I work for his mom's company and instead of giving us paychecks (since we're her only two "employees") she basically pays our rent. Chris is also a full time fire fighter & part time at Best Buy as well as being a student. I'm currently looking to pick up something part time since I don't have as much to do anymore. Our cars are financed and insured by our parents. So in those aspects we're pretty stable for the most part. I try not to spend frivolously and I tend to budget out just enough for what we need that week rather than "acting our age" and being out at the bar every weekend. If we opted for the first place, we'd probably be paying about $200 of the rent and covering all our bills & utilities.

So we've covered the fact that I love lace & how it gives everything that touch of vintage whimsy so now I'm moving on into other aspects of the wedding that I can also find a bit of vintage flair for.

1. Vintage Soda- While we were in the fresh market yesterday, I had a look at some of the soda's while we were there. (actually, i was hungover and desperately needed a dr. brown's diet cream soda but that's beside the point!) I spied a few that took my fancy simply because of the bottle. One in particular was a soda called "Bubble Up" that had a particularly vintage look about it. I didn't try it, but I plan to. This got the gears turning and I've decided it would be absolutely awesome to serve various types at the wedding. ie: old coke & diet coke bottles, dr. pepper, 7-up, sundrop, root beer, ginger beer etc.

2. Vintage Soda Machine- Taking the original plan of serving vintage soda's at the wedding, Chris thought it might be cool to get a vintage soda machine to dispense the soda's.

3. Old Time Soda Shoppe- Another take on the soda's. Have a bartender set up with various old time flavours (cherry, vanilla etc.) and have it set up the same way as it used to be when my dad was a kid. He'd go into town every couple of weeks & spend his money at the soda shoppe getting cherry vanilla coke & root beer floats. I think we'd offer malts & milkshakes if it was possible too. It'd be so much fun!!

4. Jukebox- Both Chris & my Mum think I'm crazy for this, but I would love to scrap getting a DJ and hire a Jukebox instead. We'd load it up with a bunch of songs for everyone to pick from and let the guests dictate the music for the night!

** for some reason, WBC lost my post!**

IrishPochahontas directed me to candles4less when I was looking for honeycomb candles. They don't carry any honeycomb ones, but they do have some great prices on bulk packs of candles so I'll definitely be putting in an order with them soon (after we move at the end of this month... I have no where to store them at the moment!) I'm not too bothered about buying too many because they'll get scattered through my house after the wedding anyway. I always have candles burning everywhere.

~~ Assorted Pillar Candle Set (48 Pcs)... $135.50
~~ 72 Holders + 72 Votive Candles... $39.99
~~ Plastic Container Candle... $1.45(each)
~~ 72 Square Holders + 72 Candles... $59.99

Like I've said before, Chris originally wanted 9 groomsmen. I told him there wasn't a chance in hell. So we cut the groomsmen down to 4, with 2 ushers. When one of the groomsmen we had went a bit loopy and went off the radar for a while Chris swore that he was relinquishing the title from him and asked someone else instead. Now that same groomsman has been reinstated because he's cleaned up his act. What annoys me is the fact that Chris had said that no matter what this particular groomsman did, he wouldn't forgive him for going off the rails once again when he promised he'd never do it again after the time before last and what has Chris done? Forgiven him & forgotten about it.

If you read my previous post about my bridesmaids, I didn't even want a bridal party to begin with. I don't see the need to have more than one or two very close friends or family members as bridesmaids/groomsmen. I think large bridal parties look ridiculous (no offense to anyone, I just think it takes the focus off the bride & groom in the photos) Now that there's yet another groomsman means that I have to find yet another bridesmaid. I don't know anymore women to ask! Last night I was a bit drunk & made a spur of the moment decision to ask one of the girls that Chris works with who's really sweet & we get along really well but thinking back on it now, I'm not sure if that was a particularly good idea? lol. I don't know if she even took me seriously so i guess it's whatever. I guess I'm going to have to talk to her and seriously think about all of this.

I'm a big fan of soft, beautiful lighting- especially from candles. I think it's incredibly romantic and absolutely gorgeous. I'm trying to stick with more organic materials and things that I can DIY for the wedding and recently I've fallen in love with the look of honeycomb candles.

I love to combine all sorts of different textures in my home, and I don't see why my wedding should be any different- I'm planning on having some of my candle holders covered in lace, some of them plain glass and I'm really adoring the idea of having some of my candles being honeycomb beeswax. Not only do they smell gorgeous because they release a sweet honey scent as they burn, they look adorable! However, they're not cheap. I've been looking around online to try and find some that are various sizes, shapes and widths and unfortunately my dream of having beeswax candles is slowly drifting away. They appear to range in price from $5 for small taper candles, to $30 for large pillar candles. I'm looking mostly for pillar candles which average out around the $12-$20 mark.

I simply cannot afford that. Nor do I really have any desire to sit and roll a few hundred of my own when I'm already planning a ton of other DIY projects. My new thinking is that perhaps I'll just buy sheets of honeycomb wax and wrap them around generic cheap pillar candles. Unfortunately, they won't be dripless like true honeycomb candles, but they'll give the same effect. I highly doubt that my guests are going to be sitting analyzing my candles to catch me out on the fact that I didn't spend the money to buy real ones. I'll give it a shot and see what it turns out to look like. I don't want just moulded or dipped beeswax candles. Yes, they're cheaper, yes they still smell nice, but they don't have that lovely texture on them!

So In the meantime, if anyone runs across any reasonably priced honeycomb candles (especially any being sold in bulk!) please direct me to them! I promise, I'll love you forever.

From the beginning, I was pretty much against the idea of having a wedding party- maybe a best man and a maid of honor, but other than that, what's the need for a bunch of people standing up there with you? Chris on the other hand, wanted an enormous bridal party- when he first started thinking about his groomsmen, he had wanted 9 men to stand alongside him. I said absolutely no way- I don't even know 9 women well enough to call them friends, let alone 9 women I'd want to stand with me. I was all for having a kings wedding, and not having any bridesmaids at all- instead, having all men on my side seeing as all of my closest friends are guys. So in the end we agreed upon 4 on each side. I'm a freak about symmetry. I can't stand things not being even. However, He hated the idea of a kings wedding & I reluctantly agreed to having only women standing beside me. I only have 2 really close girlfriends (we'll call them one & two) and one who I like, but I wasn't like best friends with (we'll call her three). It's still undecided about my fourth- I've asked her, but she's not sure if she'll be able to seeing as she's overseas.

Anyway, the other three are pretty fickle. One and Two have sort of always believed in the "my way or no way" theory- They basically expect you to bend to their wishes or forget it. Then they'll get a wild hair up their asses and cling to you like there's no tomorrow for a few weeks until the next best thing comes along. Admittedly, with number Two there is a fair distance between us and she's not home too often, but is it that difficult to pick up the phone and call to say hi occasionally? Three works a lot and has had a lot going on lately- her & her husband just moved into their own house, they've both been working insane hours etc. but I have to constantly be the one to keep in touch with all of them- if I don't make the effort then there probably wouldn't be a friendship anymore. I love them all dearly, but I'm really getting sick of having to constantly chase them to even get a hello out of them. I'm lucky if I see them even once a month, and they've made it pretty apparent that for the most part they don't give a damn about the wedding- always having an excuse why they can't go dress shopping, and not even giving me any kind of input about BM dresses etc. I know that they don't have any plans of throwing me a shower and all they're concerned about is the bachelorette party which I've already told them I don't want.

I'm pretty much at the point of saying to hell with it- just calling & saying that they needn't bother getting their dresses etc. & I just won't have bridesmaids. I'm just really fed up with all of this- at this point, while it would be nice to have them up there with me, I sort of don't care anymore. They know that if they called and said they needed help with something, or asked me to be their bridesmaid I'd be there for them without hesitation so I'm feeling a little used and unappreciated. Especially when they know I'm trying to do this on a shoestring budget and that I'm making almost everything I can but not one of them has offered to help with anything.

Am I in the wrong for resenting them or should I just leave them to get on with it and hope that everything will fall into place eventually?

: : E D I T : : i should probably also mention that I haven't asked them to do anything at all- One and Two have been shopping with me a couple of times (when they had nothing else to do) but have refused to look at BM dresses while we were in the stores. I'm even asking them pick their own dresses so long as they're all the same colour, designer, length & fabric (& considering i've asked for chiffon tea length from Mori Lee means it's not exactly difficult to find something to suit each of them- there's a huge selection to choose from) I'm not requiring them to wear the same shoes, accessories, hair & makeup either. I could understand them being snotty if I was being crazy-bridezilla and making them stuff invitations & make gift baskets while I sit & supervise but I'm not like that...

I've never been one much for new years resolutions, but this year I think I'll have one... or a few? lol.

1. Exercise more often to lose weight- after seeing the photos from last night, I feel like a beached whale and I DO NOT want to look like that on my wedding day!
2. Make sure to clean the house daily- I can't stand seeing the place a mess, and I've been really slack about keeping it tidy lately.
3. Cut down on the number of soda's I drink daily & start whitening my teeth again.
4. Think positively! I have a tendency to automatically jump to the worst possible assumptions about everything rather than thinking that maybe things aren't as bad as they seem. I need a more positive attitude about myself, other people, and life in general.

I spent 4 hours dying my hair yesterday- I was trying to lift the colour buildup first & I made sure not to put the stripper on my roots/new growth. it came out okayish- not quite as light as I wanted but light enough that it almost matched my roots. Then I put the dye in- same way as always. Starting at the front & working my way back in thin layers making sure to coat every strand. I washed it out and nearly started crying!! I'd some how got hot roots! the 3 inches of new growth is NOTHING like the colour it should've been which was a dark auburn, almost a bright burgundy. Instead it's orange!!!! The rest of my hair came out the right colour but my roots! FH & his friend tried so hard to tell me it looked okay but it doesn't.

Then, they dragged me over to their friends house- oh the embarrassment! I spent most of the time outside in the dark so that no one noticed. lol. This is the second time this has happened. When I dyed my hair red last year, I ended up having to strip it out 4 times to get the colour out before I could fix it. So, today consisted of going to the store I bought the dye from to try and get my money back and buying a darker shade (egyptian plum- the same colour it was when FH & I met!) because I really don't feel like spending another $50 to correct it & get the right color.

I really can't describe how awful it is. lol. And what's worse, is that it's mottled and fades from bright to dark! Somehow, I don't think I'll be using that brand again since this is the second time it's been absolutely awful! Everyone else I know has had a wonderful experience with that brand but for some reason it just doesn't work on my hair. :-\ I thought the second time would be better. my FMIL nearly died when she saw it this afternoon... which was not the least bit reassuring. lol. hopefully I can fix it this evening without too much of a problem.

edit just finished dying it. it looks a bit better- not by much though. the roots are definitely burgundy now with the shaft & ends being a little darker so they blend more but I guess it's time to pull out the natural black dye i've been keeping stashed just for this kind of situation. lol. you'll still be able to see some red in it, but it won't be half as overbearing as it currently is.

I headed out today and got the things to finish off my flower girl's basket, and to get started on the jewelry boxes I'm making for my bridesmaids to put their gifts in. The basket was surprisingly easy- the hardest part was probably making the handle.

I used a square silver basket from the dollar section of target, heavy guage floral wire braided together to make the handle, 1 inch thick ribbon to cover the handle, and sheet moss to cover the basket. I wouldn't recommend trying to attach the moss with rubber cement like I was doing- that was a pain in the ass! I got it to work eventually... after pouring half the damn bottle on the basket!

Either way, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I need a few other flowers in there though- It's kind of sparse when you see it in person. I'm thinking green hydrangea? The whole thing cost me about $20 to make though. A little more expensive than I was hoping, but at least it's unique and handmade.

what do you think? any suggestions for improvement? I'm considering wrapping a thin gold ribbon around the handle in a criss cross pattern so that it coordinates a bit more with the ringbearer's pillow.

The wife of one of Chris' friends & a partner in his dad's firm is a photography assistant for Church Hill Photography and she did the photos for his sister's wedding on November 1st. They're really discreet and didn't get in the way of anyone really but they snapped photos of everything! Beth was absolutely adorable too- I thought she was so sweet!

Their style isn't exactly what I was looking for, but they are gorgeous. I was hoping for a more trendy, artistic, photojournalistic style, rather than a traditional look but I'm thinking they could probably get a few in the style I wanted- I can deal with traditional so long as I have a few off the wall photos. lol. After all, we'll have a bunch of photographers there anyway- my bridesmaid's husband, a couple of my good friends & one of the guys that chris works/is friends with are all photographers and they all want to get shots for their portfolio's which i've told them is fine so long as they don't get in the way, and they don't irritate the hired photogs. We'll be inundated with photos! Especially with the fact that I'll also have my camera with a 2gb card so I'll be going snap happy!

Anyway, Church Hill Photography is based out of Richmond, VA and are a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) & Virginia Portrait Photographers Association (VPPA).

all images taken from Church Hill Photography.

While I was out shopping this afternoon with my FMIL, I got our FG & RB's thank you gifts- Webkinz! They're siblings and they're both absolutely obsessed with these toys. They were on sale for $10.00 each in Hallmark- reduced down from their usual $14.00 so I figured I might as well go ahead and get them.

We called their mom (who's a good friend of FMIL's) and asked which ones they already had. She told us a couple of them but she wasn't sure exactly which ones they didn't have. So we asked her about the american buffalo & the american albino horse and she knew they definitely didn't have those so those were the ones they got. They're *so* cute. The buffalo is for our RB, and the horse is for the FG. They'll be thrilled- especially since I decided to do a bit of reading up on webkinz and found out that they were both retired in august and you can no longer get them anywhere. It's sort of like the beanie babies trend from when I was a kid. We'd go crazy trying to find all the beanie babies that were going to be retired because we thought they'd end up becoming valuable eventually (and some of them did).

They won't get them until the wedding in September, but I know they'll absolutely love them! I'm so excited. hehe.

Well, its a reception dress, but not in the usual sense I suppose? I'm looking for something to wear for the end of our reception & our second reception in England since I don't want to lug my gown around with me all over Europe. I've found two dresses that I really like, but I can't decide between them! lol.

1. Vivien of Holloway Ivory Satin swing dress- the benefit of this one is that I already have one of her swing dresses so I know how it fits & looks and they're very, very flattering. For the dress & petticoat, it comes to about $200 plus shipping which isn't a bad price, imo.

2. Dessy Bridesmaid Style 2053- it's lace! I love lace. It's what I'd like to have found in a wedding gown but couldn't find anything I really liked like that. However, with this one I have the dilemma of which color do I choose? Moss with Ivory lace to match but be slightly different to the bridesmaids, or do I go with a more taupe-gold colour (palomino) with ivory lace and look more bridal? From what I can find online, It works out to be about the same cost as the Vivien.

It's not like I'm in a huge rush to buy one right this second- after all, I don't even have my gown yet but I'd like to have a good idea of what I want since it'll probably be the next thing I get after I get my gown. lol. They'd both have the same accessories- whatever jewelry I wear for the ceremony, and gold shoes.

I heard this earlier on the radio and it brought a tear to my eye. I thought it was an incredible poem that reminds us all that we should be grateful to the men and women who dedicate & risk their lives to protect the freedoms that we exercise every day and often take for granted. So as we sit down to eat with our families this Christmas, please think of those who are currently serving and have served in the past, and give them the thanks that is so frequently forgotten.

This poem was originally titled "Merry Christmas, My Friend" and was written in 1986 by James M. Schmidt, who was a Lance Corporal stationed in Washington, D.C. It was recorded two years ago by Father Ted Berndt of Bread of Life Charismatic Episcopal Church in Dousman, Wisconsin. Father Berndt had served as a Marine & recieved a WWII Purple Heart.


A Soldiers Silent Night
I hope everyone has a very merry christmas, and the happiest holidays possible! Lord knows, I'll be busy as all get out till boxing day- we're hosting christmas this year so I've spent most of the evening baking cookies & treats for everyone to nibble on and I've barely even begun food prep (there's still more nibbles I need to prepare so that I just have to heat it up and serve) Then tomorrow will be all day long cleaning, getting the last minute stuff done & dinner with FFIL & his family. I think I'll be well ready for my bed by the time Christmas is finished! lol.

When we went to Atlanta for Chris' sister's wedding on November 1st, they'd booked their tuxes at Bridals/Black Tie by Lori. The service wasn't bad when Chris got his tux- in fact they were pretty good about everything. But after the wedding, Chris left our camera in the inside of pocket of the tux jacket.

I called them a week or two after, explained the situation & asked if they could ship the camera to me. They were really pleasant about it and assured me they'd get it in the mail asap. A week later, it still hadn't posted to my credit card. I called them back. "What camera?" they asked. After talking to the sales assistant for a while, he finally found the camera, took down my visa number again, and the address it needs to be sent to. Again, he assures me it'll be in the mail later that day. Last week, I call again to find out where it is. They tell me that my card has been declined- what the fuck?! there's no way it could've been declined. Then he gives me some other excuses as to why it's not in the mail yet. I just snapped at him and told him it needed to get in the mail that day. Sure thing he says & takes down all of the information again.

Today, I check the account balance- it still hasn't posted. I ask Chris to call them because I think maybe they'll be more responsive to him. I wanted him to make a fuss about it- they've messed me around for 2 months now and it's unacceptable. I wanted it sent over night & insured to us with them absorbing the cost- seems fair after the bullshit. But no, Chris just calls and speaks to them, asks the girl to go ahead and run the card. Turns out, they had the wrong phone number, wrong card number AND the wrong address for it! And instead of kicking up a fuss and saying that its unacceptable, Chris just goes "okay... that's fine." like there's no problem at all. I'm pissed. I'm pissed that after calling them 3 different times, giving them the same exact information every time, they still get it all wrong. I'm pissed that he didn't kick up a fuss about it and instead just acts like it's no problem. I'm sorry, but it is a problem. I wanted my camera back for Christmas day and now I'm not sure if we'll have it.

I'll say this- if we were in Atlanta, there's not a chance in hell I'd use this salon for ANYTHING with the way they've fucked around about my camera. I wouldn't trust them worth anything with a dress or other accessories. Has anyone else had problems with them?

I don't have photos of it just yet, but I made the Tufted Moss Ringbearer's Pillow from Once Wed. I'm still waiting for the bridal shop in Atlanta (Bridals by Lori) to send my camera from when Chris left it in the tux pocket for his sisters wedding. If I don't get it next week, heads are gonna roll! But, as soon as I find a way to get some photos of it, I'll post them.

It was super easy and a lot of fun to make! I couldn't get the sphagnum moss that was recommended, so I used reindeer moss instead which still worked quite well and had the same effect. I used slightly different colors- burlap for the base, hunter green ribbon around it, taupe ribbon across the top & gold corsage pins. I also added a pin on the sides where each of the cross hatching meets.

Chris was so surprised when he came home and saw it. He loves it and thinks it's just great. His mum saw it and thought it was pretty awesome too. Next project is the flowergirl's basket which is also going to be covered in moss and it'll have a flower arrangement in it. I'd have done that today too, but I was so hungover & sick all day that I didn't feel like going out to get the glue & flowers I needed.

I love the look of lace but I couldn't find a dress I liked with lace on it, so I'm planning on incorporating it into the decor & accessories instead. The girls are carrying battenburg lace fans and I'd planned on using lace on our invitations.

I'd bought 2 yards of lace at JoAnn's Fabrics the other day and when I did a mock up of the invitation with the lace, Chris absolutely hated it. So now I'm left with 2 yards of random lace! I'm thinking of wrapping it around some of the votive candles because I'd hate to just have it go to waste.

I'm also loving the tossing cones- they're made out of paper doilies cut in half and taped together. I'll probably use ecofetti since the venue's really strict about what can and can't be thrown & ecofetti is preferred.

I've decided against having lace tablecloths just because he'd flip out and say that it's too girlie. lol. What else can I use lace for?

One of the first things Chris & I did when we got engaged was to go to the department stores and look around at the fine china & crystal. We didn't even think twice about it like many couples seem to- it was just something we both assumed we'd get. Originally, we'd decided we wanted the Wedgwood Sterling Fine Bone China because it was classic, elegant and simple- it's not something we could get sick of after a few years.

Now that our house is evolving and we've been decorating with more earthy, neutral tones and accenting with gold - especially on the dining room table, we've decided that having gold accented china might be a better idea for us. Looking around online, we now want the Waterford Ballet Ribbon Gold Fine China with Waterford's Carleton Gold Stemware from their selection of crystal barware & stemware.

When we get around to sorting out our registries properly (we already have them set up, but there's next to nothing on them at the moment!), we'll definitely have these on there. I'm so excited!! I always loved using my mums fine china for special occasions etc. and this will go perfectly with how we want to decorate our house. And what makes it even better is that I gave chris a selection of 3 or 4 different styles that I liked and he picked the final one!

When I sent out my Christmas cards, I sent out a circular letter with them updating everyone about the wedding plans etc. and included my email address in them.

Yesterday, I received an email from some close family friends who's watched not only me, but my mum & her brother grow up throughout the years. They were at my christening & first birthday, they knew my mum when she was pregnant. We have photos of me as a young child riding around on his shoulders when we went to visit and I always adored playing with their dogs. It was so nice to hear from them!

With their email, they'd sent an attachment- a letter to me & Chris of advice for our upcoming wedding. By the time I was done reading it, I was practically bawling my eyes out! Here's a copy of what he'd written.

"What a day it is for any Bride! It seems a thousand years ago since we were as young as you are now, and full of excitement at the prospect of a long and loving joint future. Do enjoy the run-up to the Big Day, and do have a wonderful day in itself, and of course do settle into a lifetime of devotion to each other.

In the thousand years that have passed since we were in our early 20’s, lots of unexpected things happened. But we’ve now come to the conclusion that the most difficult of them, is understanding each other.

People are deep and complicated things; memories on legs, full of snippets that affect approaches to every subject. Pleasures and hurts in the past that colour ones reaction to every twist in life, indeed to every conversation. Or as someone once said “you don’t know anyone till you know what they’ve been through”.

You’ll both find that you continue to surprise each other for many many years, with little things that you didn’t know were there. So, then, what do you do ? You absorb them.

It’s also surprising how fast time goes by. Before too many blinks of an eye, you’ll both be in your 40’s. A few more blinks, and you’re Retired.

It’s not many blinks since Alexis was a joyful little lass mounted on my shoulders, running around the lounge here at Toad Hall. And fewer blinks still since she was a teenager in tattered jeans, in my waiting-room !

The Future lies in the hands of a happy couple called Lexi & Chris. Your successes and pitfalls are almost entirely down to you, and your choices govern everything. From love and happiness, to the comforts of financial success. By the way, make your money before you are 40. Can’t give you better advice than that."

"The £2,000 dress fitted Sophie Clarke just so, her father was sitting next to her in a beautiful horse-drawn carriage, and she was heading for the church to marry the man of her dreams.

Then the horse bolted – and instead of looking forward to the wedding that was three years in the planning, the 29-year-old began to fear she would never see her husband again.

The jolt had thrown the driver and his assistant from the carriage. With no one at the reins, the terrified animal hit a car and Miss Clarke was pitched over the edge, where she hung dangerously close to a wheel.

But the horse galloped on, and fearing they would both be killed as it veered into the path of a lorry, he pushed his daughter from the carriage, speeding at up to 35mph, and threw himself out after her. He may have saved her life, but Miss Clarke hit the ground so hard she was concussed. Her big day was over – and it had not even started..."

you can read the whole story at the Daily Mail

Looking at that carriage, I'm not surprised that the driver had no control of the horse. I'd actually be surprised if he could even see over/around it! That size carriage is made for a pony, not a draft horse. It's a shame that it happened, but at least it's put things into perspective for her. A smaller, more intimate wedding sounds much nicer than dropping £15,000 on one day. (and no, I'm not jealous, I just prefer smaller weddings)

After a rather stressful & tumultuous weekend that had me in tears for half of Saturday night, Chris has decided he'd like to go down to City Hall on Thursday (his day off this week) and get married.

Now, as much as I'd like to do that, I would rather to it in lieu of the big wedding, not as well as. Sure, I'd like to go ahead and get this all over and done with but I don't think i could keep it secret until the big day that we were already married. Not to mention, I don't want my anniversary being around Christmas, nor do I want it the day before my mother's birthday.

If we were to do City hall, I'd never forgive myself for hurting my family who didn't get to be there (especially my mom & grandma) and it sort of takes away the magic of having the big wedding if we're already married. Really, what would be the point in renewing our vows only 8 months down the road? However, if my family could be there I wouldn't think twice about it and I'd call the whole big wedding off- we'd just all go out for dinner or something afterwards as our celebration and maybe have a bit of a party just for our friends.

On the up-side however, if we did do City Hall, I would have health insurance, and we'd get a huge tax break from it. I also probably wouldn't feel so stressed out about everything being perfect for the big wedding. Not to mention, I'd get to wear a super cute tea length dress!

*sigh* I really don't know what to do.