Amanda & Scott's Wedding

Photo gallery

Our wedding

The happy couple

Reception

Honeymoon

Anniversaries - traditional gifts

First - Paper
Second - Cotton
Third - Leather
Fourth - Fruit/Flowers
Fifth - Wood
Sixth - Candy/Iron
Seventh - Wool/Copper
Eighth - Bronze/Pottery

Ninth - Pottery/Willow
Tenth - Tin/Aluminum
Eleventh - Steel
Twelfth - Silk/Linen
Thirteenth - Lace
Fourteenth - Ivory
Fifteenth - Crystal
Twentieth - China

Twenty-Fifth - Silver
Thirtieth - Pearl
Thirty-Fifth - Coral
Fortieth - Ruby
Forty-Fifth - Sapphire
Fiftieth - Gold
Fifty-fifth - Emerald
Sixtieth - Diamond

Wedding suggestions

If you've got any pearls of wisdom you'd like to add, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Plan on your hair taking TWICE as long as the practice run. This seems to always happen.
Let your bridesmaids have input into what they're wearing - particularly if they're going to pay for their own dresses. Don't stress about their shoes - my BF let us wear our own shoes as long as they reasonably matched, and it meant we didn't have to spend big $ on uncomfortable shoes that could hardly be seen under our dresses anyway ;-)
Either accept that your flowers MIGHT turn up different from what you ordered - or hire a hit man and let the florist know.
Plan everything early. The longer you have to plan, the easier everything is.
Get help! If you can trust Mum to do some hiring/organising, let her. And it'll please her no end :-)
Grooms and groomsmen can be DREADFUL at things like picking up their suits on time. Scott was great, but he was unusual (it seems). Just keep an eye on them and it'll be fine ;-)
No matter what kind of cake you're getting, have a fruitcake tier at the top to keep for the next year. I didn't get ANY of my cake on the day! So my year old cake on our anniversary was just wonderful :-)
Smile!!! I went to one wedding where the bride was such a bridezilla she was still organising everyone on the day and didn't smile once.
Bridesmaids should have little bags (same material as their dress is great) with tissues, lipstick and THIS IS IMPORTANT needle, thread, ribbon, buttons or clasps that match the bride's dress JUST IN CASE! Even if you don't use them it'll be a great weight off your mind to know they're there :-)
Get a proper photographer. Friends are great, and disposable cameras on each table is a FAB idea, but you do need a professional to make sure you get EVERYONE.
If you're doing photos between ceremony and reception, give the guests something interesting to do in the interim (eating and drinking is fine) - but don't leave them in limbo for a couple of hours.
If you get bride bubbles, which is a lovely alternative to confetti which can stain - make sure they're the guaranteed-not-to-stain kind. Pretty easy to get I think. Bubbles didn't come into fashion until after our wedding and I wish we'd had them. Rice is inevitable, but fine :-)
Whether or not you have a wedding register, have someone like Mum that people can call to help with gift ideas. It prevents a lot of duplicates and stuff you don't need.
Write down everyone's names and gifts in a book - this is a good job for a bridesmaid.
Don't drive away with the windows open or roof down! Your hair will be full of an AMAZING amount of hair product. I did and looked like Bridget Jones by the end of the journey. Luckily it was only the honeymoon place hosts who saw :-)
Have someone trustworthy guard your luggage and getaway car. My mum was the ringleader of the trashing brigade and our car copped a lot - but our luggage was guarded, thank goodness!
Have fun! It's a wonderful experience :-)