Planning a Destination Wedding...

When my fiance and I started planning our destination wedding in 2011, the amount of support and 'Oh yes we will be there' responses was somewhat overwhelming. 

Had we have known that 90% of those people would end up pulling out after our plans were contracted, I think our wedding would have been a completely different affair - it's safe to say that we possibly would have just eloped - and told people if they wanted to be there that we'd give them the information.

We know it is damned expensive to take a trip overseas. We know all too well.  We did not expect any of our friends or family to go into great debt to come to our wedding - which is why we gave pretty much two years notice with our save the dates, had a very detailed wedding website with options for all budgets and we both vowed that whoever came across to Canada to celebrate our special day, would be well taken care of. 

It is extremely discouraging that as our date gets closer - as contracts are paid for etc, that more and more people who were solidified in the beginning, are now not attending. When you have things like a minimum spend of $4000 on food and beverage at your reception venue, and it only looks like you're going to have a very small number of attendees - it can be somewhat frustrating, to the point of why are we even bothering?

We're bothering because we want to get married in this place. We both love it. We are super excited that we even have the numbers coming along that we do - it's just, had we have known so many people were going to pull out - we would have made other arrangements I think.

Putting my scanner to good use...

 Two super cute photographs that the amazing Coast Mountain Photography  took of my sister and I, during our Canadian Holiday back in 2011.

Not a day goes by where I don't stop and think about the sheer beauty of this place, and the magical feeling that it holds.

Cannot wait to return at the end of the year to begin final preparations for our Wedding. It's going to be like coming 'home'.

Countdown to 2013

It's that time of year where we countdown the final days of the year, and generally express what we are thankful for - or complain about how quickly the year has gone - or grumble because we haven't started our Christmas Shopping. 

I'm one of those people. I haven't started my shopping, the year has gone way too quickly, and OH BOY has the temperature gone up a notch in the last month. It is going to be a bloody scorcher of a Christmas. My friends in the Northern Hemisphere who find this hilarious that we have a hot Christmas, I challenge you to come down here one day and experience it for yourself. You will not want to have the traditional Hot Christmas Dinner... I'm telling you.  

This time last year, my fiance and I were on a plane bound for Canada. I cannot believe that a year has passed since we went to spend a month in gorgeous Vancouver/Whistler, British Columbia. I have missed it, (and our friends) every day since we have left. The more we plan our wedding, the more time we keep adding to our 'next' journey there. Currently, our trip stands at around five weeks!

I anticipate amazing things for 2013. I can sense it. It's going to be an amazing year.

I am super thankful to my family and friends (old and new) who have been there for me throughout the year. It's been a year of tremendous highs and really crushing lows - but it hasn't changed the person that I am. My Buddhist meditations have also helped more than I can even express.


Also - everyone out there reading my blog MUST dig deep, and buy one (or more) of the SA-YES Charity Wristbands that I'm selling.  At $5.00 a wristband they truly are a bargain, and help to empower young people in South Africa through the amazing 'South African Youth Education for Sustainability' program. To learn more about this amazing charity that I have supported since it's inception, please visit their website.  They truly do amazing things.

I anticipate that my next blog will be Christmas Lights photos. Perhaps even some touristy photos as my sister and soon to be brother-in-law will be arriving from Wales to spend 6 weeks with us. :-)

[ Wedding ] Planning commences

At times, I wish we lived in Canada.

Planning has commenced for our 'Winter Wonderland' Wedding that we are hoping to have in Whistler in 2014. Somewhere in the months of January and February.

Why those months? 

Because the buzz and peak period of Christmas have ended, there is a heap of snowfall during that time, and it's still school holidays here in Australia so hopefully friends and family can make the journey with us.

For those who can't make the journey - we would set up a remote viewing location with the wedding beamed via skype. I hope. I believe this is possible. Need to discuss with my tech nerd friends.

We've picked the locations!

I'm not going to go into specifics because I want them to be special to the day. Let's just say that the ceremony location will be magical (I hope) and the reception venue will be cozy. No big flamboyant wedding for us... just what we love, in a place that we love, with (hopefully) the people that we love.

What's next?

Well... hopefully our gorgeous friends who live in B.C. can help us out with who to contact in the Whistler Municipal Council about booking our Ceremony Location. Then once that's done, we book the Reception location.

Then after that, it's all about officials and aesthetics.

If anyone has a good recommendation for a Celebrant, Photographer and Cake Company (in B.C.) - help an Aussie Girl out. Heck, I may even jump on a plane and go and do some investigating, if the price is right.

Otherwise I will do like Dana Scully does, and just Google it.