Dear Brides - stop your stress now!

The last couple of weeks the Wedding Doctor has been inundated with brides' questions full of anxiety and stress about their upcoming weddings. Whether the stress has been about money, time, wedding politics or simply being generally over-whelmed - it is unwanted and quite often unneccessary.
Avoiding PWT (pre-wedding-tension) will not only help your general mental well-being, but it will also help you glow on the day and have more fun!
I am going to give you a few tips on how to avoid the big stressors in the coming months.

1. Organisation!

Notebook from Pretty & Personal Papers by Tricia 16 on Etsy

Boring I know - but if you write lists and keep ontop of them, you won't have a million ideas and jobs running around crowding your head.
You can make it fun, especially if you are a stationery nerd like me. It's a great excuse to buy yourself a special notepad and pen! Always keep it close and when an idea or something that needs to be done comes into your mind jot it down.


 2. Save money

Many of the brides' concerns were to do with money. Of course you could buy a lottery ticket and cross your fingers, if you win - problem fixed! But for the other 99.9999999% of us need to get smart about our dollars!
Here are some tips the Wedding Doctor gave one bride this morning about how to save every day leading up the your wedding:
1. No more coffee! It is amazing how much money we throw away on coffee and how quickly $3 - $4 every second day adds up.
2. Pack a lunch to take to work - buying your lunch is a big no no!
3. Take advantage of sales - in grocery shops as well as retail. ONLY buy what you really need!
4. Quit smoking and drinking - these are very expensive past times.
5. Make large meals and freeze left overs.
6. Use less makeup - give your skin a break it'll glow on the day, and you will use 50% less if you have 3-4 days off.
7. Gather goods around your house that you don't need anymore and get onto ebay to sell them. You can make hundreds on items just lying around the place collecting dust.
8. Maximise your tax - make sure you get every penny you deserve at tax time. Employ a professional's help if you need to.
9. Wash your car yourself - don't go to a drive through.
10. If you are planning a honeymoon - save money by going in off peak season.
Keep control of your budgets and quotes on the Modern Wedding planning tools.

For how to Budget for your wedding check out - Weddings on a Budget.


3. Exercise!

Photo courtesy of examiner.com http://ow.ly/3hdp9 

You may already be doing this to fit into your dress, but it is important to make exercise fun, not a chore. Go for a brisk walk or jog and enjoy the scenery around you, or try Zumba the new craze that everyone is talking about! I haven't tried it yet so I can't vouch for it - but like everyone else... I've heard it's good.
When you exercise endorphins are released and these will make you feel good - it's as simple as that. You will also feel a sense of accomplishment if you reach your exercise targets. Aim for about 40 mins a day.

4. Eat healthy

Andrew Simpson

I did a post on this back in October and took you through all the 'feel-good' foods that you should be stocking up on now, these will help you glow on the day and stay relaxed and stress-free!
Here's a quick run down of the top 5 foods:
1. Blueberries - full of antioxidents and rid your body of cramps associated with stress.
2. Oranges & Kiwi fruits - mixed with Vitamin B foods (eggs/milk) they will take away your anxiety.
3. Brocolli - Contains folic acid which fights depression.
4. Fish - Rich in vitamin B and delivers the happy brain chemical, serotonin to your brain.
5. Almonds - Chockers full of riboflavin (B2), vitamin E, magnesium and zinc. the magnesium also helps produce serotonin, vitamin E will fight toxins and zinc wards off negative effects of stress.



5. Surround yourself with happy people

Make sure you bridesmaids are your happy helpers and not people who make you work hard and depress you. You need to keep the atmosphere light, so if they can't help you with that, then you need to have some serious chats with them or find a friend who can.

6. Go to bed on time

Image from BibBon on Etsy

Every bride needs their beauty sleep! A well rested person can think more clearly, is less stressed and generally happier. So while you may be desperate to see the end of a movie at night, tape it and watch it the next night. Research has shown that the more hours of sleep you get before midnight the better, so get organised and into bed early.

Some of these points are very simple and you may think - 'well yeah... pretty obvious', but you sometimes need to see it in black and white to take notice. If you follow these simple rules for your pre-wedding life then you will see your stress levels plumit. Who doesn't need that?

If you have a secret stress reliever - don't keep it to yourself! Share with us and your fellow brides.

Have a happy and relaxed Tuesday:)

K xx


psst...  come and say hello on twitter http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz or facebook http://www.facebook.com/ModernWeddingMagazine

Quest for beauty

Not only do our superstar staff produce a beautiful Modern Wedding magazine but we also put together a gorgeous glossy magazine for the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and Central Coast areas (Newcastle & Central Coast Wedding).
At the moment we are looking for the perfect place to hold our fashion shoots. I am amazed at the beauty of so many of the reception venues in the Hunter region! I just couldn't wait to share some of these places with you. Please let me know what you think of these choices!

Wyndham Estate - Hunter Valley

This is the beautiful Wyndham Estate, which is right on the banks of the Hunter River. They hold all the big events; at the moment they have Opera in the Vines and Chris Isaac’s concert.
They have ample space to get lots of different shots.

La Toscane - Hunter Valley

Beautiful La Toscane is such a romantic venue and is set at the foot of the rolling Sweetwater Vineyard. We have had one of our shoots here before and it was stunning! Stunning enough to do it again?

Shoot photo from 2010 Newcastle & Central Coast Wedding magazine

The Sebel Kirkton Park

This divine venue is set amongst 40 acres of manicured gardens, the hotel overlooks the stunning vineyards and Brokenback ranges. Very elegant settings with more than a touch of romance.

Tamburlaine Organic Wines

This stunning lodge is in the heart of the Hunter Valley and is the idealic winery location. Set on a lake, the photos would be beautiful.

You may have noticed that all the choices are in the Hunter, that is because there is more scope for different photograph styles, and let's face it - the surrounds are fantastic and after the shoot we can celebrate with a glass of fine wine:)

Please be sure to have your say and let me know which location you would choose. We are so spoiled for choice! The shoots are in a couple of weeks, Yippeee!

K xx

Are you getting married in the Hunter? Where are you holding your reception?

Make sure you swing by and say hi on twitter http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz or facebook http://www.facebook.com/ModernWeddingMagazine

Luxurious inspiration - Real wedding

 

 

I thought I'd share with you one of the stunning weddings from our Luxury Weddings Magazine (on the shelves now). There are so many inspirational weddings and romantic stories in this issue - it is packed full of beautiful photography and gorgeous wedding ideas. 

This is Anna and Tom's wedding, which was held at Vaucluse House. It was a classic, romantic summer wedding with an eight-piece string ensemble playing in the background... very nice!

 

 

Amy and Tom knew each other at school and met again on the first day of university while waiting to go into their first lecture. Six years later Tom proposed while out to dinner at their favourite restaurant. Amy remembers: 

“While reading the menu, I noticed that in the dessert section there was my name and, confused, I kept reading. Certain moments of our life were listed as desserts with the year they occurred listed instead of the price, for example – ‘Moved in together and bought our puppy 20.07’. At the end it read ‘Mi vuoi sposare 20.09’ and when I asked what that meant, he said ‘It means will you be my wife?’ and got down on one knee with the ring!” 

 

Amy's highlights of the day: “The first kiss, our first dance, the beautiful weather and our two-year-old niece deciding she’d like to grab the microphone and sing a song during the ceremony!” 

Photographer - Society Photography
Bride & Bridesmaid’s gowns - Rhonda Hemmingway
Makeup- Rox Baldan
Hair - Paul and Co
Groom’s suit - Hugo Boss
Ceremony - Vaucluse House
Reception - Catalina
Event stylist / coordinator - BNT Management
Florist - Simone Gooch

Hope you are having a fabulous, inspiring Friday afternoon. Have a great weekend and see you on Monday!

K:) xx

Make sure you swing by and say hi on twitter http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz or facebook http://www.facebook.com/ModernWeddingMagazine

Pom Pom Girl!

I'm not a particularly crafty person (in either sense of the word). Whilst I “get” the baking side of Martha Stewart I find the craft side very hard to achieve as I seem to gravitate towards the harder to achieve projects which often end in misery. However I find simple crafts rewarding and I these don't test my (lack of) co-ordination too much which is a relief.

Despite this, we actually made our own wedding invitations. The reasons were that to get the invitations that we wanted which were very elaborate, it would have cost us a small fortune to order these. I looked at the quotes before looking at the sample that I had put together and realised that if I could actually make a sample, then there was a distinct possibility that I could make the actual invitations too (with the help of my then fiancee and parents). They didn't turn out too badly in fact. I probably won't be opening up my own invitation business but I don't think that guests realised that they were hand made by someone with two left hands.


The tools

If you are similarly inclined you should have a peek at the new Modern Wedding DIY magazine. It has a great range of 250 projects and each takes you through the process step by step. You literally could save thousands on your wedding. The Chic Everlasting section has divine black and white designs, bombonierre cones with wax seals, butterfly napkins and cakes. They also show you how to wrap your own bouquet, make ribbon flowers, napkin rings, horseshoe wreaths, pamper packs and beauty treatments as well as untold decorating tips that can be used for a wedding or a dinner party (there's even instructions on how to stitch your own picnic blanket!).

Folding to sheets of tissue paper, like an accordian

Cutting the ends as a point or round shape

I am getting ready for Christmas and one thing that I have seen used to great effect are tissue paper pom poms. I saw some at a shop for $8.95 and wanted to buy some but as fate would have it, my issue of Modern Wedding DIY arrived and I found that I could make them myself.

Tying with string

Spreading it out

I decided to give them a go. I didn't have any pink tissue paper and the only kind I could find was brown. I followed the instructions and they were easy to follow with a step by step guide with pictorial guides. I folded and folded and fastened and fastened and then separated the layers and then ta-da! They were done!

Then gently lifting it layer by layer

I was surprised to see that they actually looked like they were supposed to. And it took all of five minutes if that and I just used tissue paper that would cost anywhere between $2 to $4!

Ta da!

I'm already plotting what I'll be making for Christmas... ;)

Lots of love and pom poms,

L
xxx

Psst come and say hello on twitter http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz or facebook http://www.facebook.com/ModernWeddingMagazine

This week, there is a giveaway where you can win a $100 gift voucher for the Modern Wedding shop! http://modernweddingaus.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-are-doing-it-again.html

Romance by the sea

I love my job! Everyday I look forward to sitting down with a cuppa and going through the wedding photos that are sent to me that morning. I am always amazed at the close attention to detail and effort our brides, and their adoring husbands have put into their wedding.

One of the gorgeous weddings that was sent to me was the wedding of Prue and Callum Tuohy. The photographer for this wedding is a close friend of the couple and is studying for her masters in Photography (very handy indeed!) The wedding took place at the Mantra at Salt Beach, in the Tweed River Valley on the northern New South Wales coast.

From the bride:

How do you begin to start describing the most amazing day of your life! … After seeing the beautiful sunrise on the morning I would become a wife and I would have a husband, it began with breakfast with my best friends and getting ready. As I reflected on the morning getting ready, the best and most special part about it was that I had my close friends helping us prepare for the best day of my life so far... Having them all there made the day so much more relaxing and enjoyable.

Walking down the aisle to my husband was very special. We met through Surf Life Saving and had our ceremony on the beach, it was so relaxed (celebrant was also a friend of ours) and everything was very much 'us' and reflected our personalities. During the ceremony there were also whales jumping really close to the beach which was also very special and something that can never be planned!

Check out Modern Wedding website for their full story and more photos!

If you want to share your story and photos with Modern Wedding brides email them to me - enquiries@modernwedding.com.au

Make sure you come and say hi to us on Twitter - http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz
And Facebook - www.facebook.com/ModernWeddingMagazine
Don't forget to enter our competition - one week to win $100!

K xx

Dear Brides, win a $100 gift voucher at Modern Wedding!

Merry Modern Wedding to all our beautiful brides and brides in waiting!
I am so excited to announce that we are giving away yet another $100 to spend at the Modern Wedding Shop! And it is even easier to win this time!

Since the shop opened 3 years ago blushing brides have been saving their precious time and leg work by buying their goodies at our very own store. The shop is brimming with goodies such as wedding bomboniere, parasols, decorations, cake decorations, stationery, gifts, jewellery and veils, ceremony accessories, theming ideas, hens party supplies and more. I'm constantly marvelling at the lovely goodies that our clever buyers find from all over the world.


Antique Acrylic Place Card Frame

With This Ring Chrome Diamond-Ring Bottle Stopper

Reflections Elegant Black and White Mirror Compact Favour - ON SALE!

All you have to do is visit us on our facebook fan page and post on our wall what your favourite item from the shop is.
E.G. I have just been to the Modern Wedding Shop and I love the filigree cupcake wrappers!
The competition will close on Monday night, so get in early!!!

Good luck!

If you are on Twitter - swing by and say hi! - Twitter: http://twitter.com/ModernWeddingOz

K xx

And the winner is....

Kelly Pearl & Crystal Earrings

What a fabulous day to give $100 away!
It is just about the easiest $100 giveaway - all we asked for was was that you check out the Shop and tell us what your favourite product was and why. The winner is getting a $100 voucher to spend at the shop on anything she wants, and that person is.... Amy Brown! Congratulations Amy!
Amy, email us at enquiries@modernwedding.com.au to redeem your $100 voucher.

If you missed out this time - don't lose sleep! We will be doing it again.... very soon!

Some of the other top product picks for the shop were:

Belle Lace Parasol - Black

Belle Lace Parasol - Black

Belle Lace Parasol - Ivory or Antique White

Happy Friday!

K:) xx

The Princess Bride

Oh!  A Royal Wedding (capital "R" capital "W") approaches.... along with the rest of the Modern Wedding team, I was ecstatic this morning to discover that Prince William had finally proposed to long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton with a breathtaking diamond and sapphire ring that had previously belonged to his mother, Princess Diana.

The announcement of this news inspired a flurry of images and inspirations, just the simple combination of the words "Princess" and "Bride" sends one's mind tumbling along down several both tremendous and tragic avenues. Dreaming of a fairytale wedding where you're the princess? Make sure it's Modern: keep it light, fun and add a healthy dose of irreverence. Today's princess bride is highly self-aware, edgy and a little bit mischievous. Think ballerina style gown (full length can look overdone), tousled hair to offset your tiara, soft pastels and silver and crystal highlight pieces.

Image courtesy AP via smh.com.au

Image courtesy Reuters via smh.com.au

Top: Enchanted Carriage Favour Boxes, Below: Crystal Cake Drops both from Modern Wedding Shop, Gown by After Six 

L-R: Silver Cake Topper, Silver Bomboniere Confetti Almonds, Princess Cupcake Wrapper and Satin Floral & White Pearl Halo Tiara all from Modern Wedding Shop

Keep your makeup simple, but for an air of edgy chic add either dark kohl liner or statement lips.


Considering being a princess bride? Let us know how you're keeping it modern. Got any more ideas for a princess themed or fairytale wedding? Let us know! And don't forget to stop by our Facebook & Twitter pages and say hi!

Enjoy!
R xox