Good morning guests...

I just have to start by saying..... far out, it's Friday again! I'm sure we can all have a love/hate relationship with time. We want the time to fly between occasions or from engagements to the big day. On the other hand, we tend to freak out about 'not having enough time'. Put your hand up if that's you? I have both hands in the air!

So we heard about swords, puffy sleeves from our very own DIY bride Mel last week - yes a whole 7 days ago! It's crazy how fast the trends, styles, and fashions can change in such little time. Although Mel may disagree that 16 years is 'short'!
My husband and I have been together for 11 years this year and married for the past three of those... FLIES... SIMPLY FLIES! Three years isn't that long ago, but gosh I wish I knew more about the true value of a great photographer, or those special times of asking your bridal party to be a part of your big day.

My question is, has the order of your wedding day changed along with the changes of decades?

We probably weren't the smartest in regards to holiday/honeymoon time after the wedding. Being the work-a-holic couple that we are, we thought a quick little three day escape to the Sunshine Coast would be great! But how do you squeeze in a wedding on the Saturday and still be able to slip away for a sneaky long weekend? We could only think of one answer... a breakfast wedding!

With a 9am ceremony and the reception venue within walking distance, our guests were able to head straight there and enjoy a beautiful array of breakfast canapés. Bloody Mary oyster shots were the pick of the day. Gourmet omelettes, a choice of salmon dishes, fruits, mini bacon and egg rolls for the children... My mind has gone blank after that! Divine! Our guests raved and left being able to fill the rest of their weekend with their own plans!
We had our immediate family meet us at a local Italian pizzeria for a light lunch, gelato and opening of presents. It made the day so special to us having a little extra 'one on one time' with the people who helped us the most.

Food for thought huh? Don't be afraid to step out side of the box... Your venue may love you for it and your guests will enjoy a wedding with a difference.

Until next week,
Ciao!

Kassi :)

Well, hello there. It's me again. It's been AGES...

As you know, the team at Isaac let their baby take its first fledgling steps away from the nest. It came home again this week, and we checked its feathers thoroughly from head to toe, oohed and aahed over its beautiful colours and sent it on its merry way again. 

So, now we have a little time on our hands... just a little. Just enough for Kassi and I to talk about weddings. What? You have free time and you talk about weddings? I hear you exclaim. Well, this one was different. This one was mine. 

When you get into a conversation about weddings, (pretty easy to do so, considering our job) inevitably the talk turns to, “when I got married....” And so it was when Kass and I celebrated the fledgling leaving the nest. After we clinked our glasses of iced water together, (I know, total party animals right?) I exhumed my wedding photo album from the depths of the bookcase and shared it, somewhat nervously, with Kassi.

You see, it was sixteen years ago since I walked down the aisle to the sounds of a Gregorian choir and Sissel, the Norwegian pop/opera singer. Oh my god, I hear you gasp, what the hell? No really, it was GREAT. I loved that music. I have absolutely no idea what the choir or Sissel were actually singing about, but it sounded AWESOME. 

Weddings have changed a LOT in the past sixteen years. Kass and I both giggled at the puffy, pirate sleeved shirts the boys wore beneath their vests, and the large sword my new husband insisted was required as a prop for some of the photos. I cringed at my round cheeks, and in some photos, my rather voluptuous bust threatening to burst forth from the neckline of my gown. I did my own hair, with the aid of my bridesmaids, and it wasn't even on both sides, a fact that still bothers me today! But... admittedly, I am a perfectionist and I can reassure myself that I'm the only one who noticed. Also, my makeup wasn't as beautifully natural as wedding makeup is today, I was perhaps a little heavy handed in my application. The girls earrings, which I made, (Did I mention I was a DIY bride?) kind of looked like bunches of grapes hanging from their ears...

You will do it too, don't think you won't. You'll look at your wedding photos in sixteen years time and you will laugh, and like me, you might even cringe. With the benefit of hindsight and the comparison with today's wedding fashions, there are definitely things I would change... but there are also plenty I wouldn't.

To this day, I still love: 

My flowers.

Our wedding cake.

Our wedding car – A car I absolutely loved and a surprise organised by my bridesmaids.

Our wedding singer – A grey bearded man in a battered cowboy hat, with a guitar. Awesome.

The photo of my husband-to-be seeing me for the first time.

Photos of family members and friends no longer with us.

A photo of my three bridesmaids throwing their heads back in delirious laughter.

My husband's speech and gift to me of a lawnmower. (That's a story for another day)    

And... my husband.

No matter what else I would change or  do differently on that day, I got THAT part right. The husband part. And at the end of the day, that's all that really matters, right?

Mel x

Please see our updated puzzle pieces ;)

When the baby leaves the nest...

Well this is it.... surely... this is what it feels like for a mother who's child has just left the 'nest'?

Our first little baby, our first edition of our magazine, has left our own nest today! That feeling of overwhelming joy, nervousness, sweaty palms... you know, all that jazz?

Just like a baby, we have conceived it, developed it, brought it into the world, nourished it and gave it tender loving care. 

Not everything is smiles and giggles, we had teething issues, sleepless nights, early mornings... Im just hoping the poop doesn't come with it too! 

But when 'our baby' left the office this morning, I looked at it... stopped... and thought... all I want is for 'you' to succeed little baby of ours.

That pressure that sits inside of yourself, when you are purely determined not to let a single person down... that is what drives you to succeed. 

With every edition of the magazine, I'm sure we will learn something along the way. I cant even count on my fingers and toes the amount of lessons we have learnt just in the past few months. 

But this is it... This is our first edition... At print... Alone tonight in the big printing warehouse, with no family to protect it when it gets dark or when there is a possum in the roof... but 

"dear first edition, you will always be our baby and we will grow from you, learn from you and together we will meet some of the most amazing people along the way!"

Here's to us.... You, dear first edition - our team, and to all of you lovely readers!

As we get closer to the release date, we will display more and more pieces of the puzzle - we like to keep you guessing huh?

Kassi x