Saturday, December 31, 2011

THE ONE WITH NEW YEAR'S EVE

Saturday, December 31, 2011
So, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m sitting at Elwood beach as I write this blog, getting a little tan and relaxing to the max.  I just LOVE the little beach side suburb we live in and the fact I can walk five minutes down the road to the beach.  Comes in super handy when your fiancée is overseas and you have lots of time to catch up on books and magazines.

One of my favourite New Year’s Eves was two years ago when Ryan and I were in Paris. It was below zero, snowing, freezing and SO much fun! We stayed in a lovely hotel in the 7th arrondissement surrounded by quaint little cafes and exclusive boutiques. I’d love to say that we spent NYE drinking wine, eating scrumptious food and just being all around fabulous, but no, we rugged up and walked the streets for the night with about five billion other people. I’m talking hours and hours on end of walking, seeing the sights, stopping at a few places along the Champs Elysses and  having a drink at a bar every hour or so. And when I say drink, I was having camomile tea in order to warm me up. I was frozen right to the bones. Il fait super froid. Ryan would laugh and laugh at me for being so outrageously uncool with my tea, on New Year’s Eve, in a city that was clearly going crazy with people really kicking up their heels.
We made our way down to the Eiffel Tower for midnight and it was really something special and I’m so happy that we did it. You see, Paris was a quick side trip after we had spent Christmas in Ireland with Ryan’s family. A nice little trip for just the two of us and it was beautiful. J'aime Ryan.
Some Parisian memories…
Midnight kiss at the Eiffel Tower on NYE
Coffee stop
Louvre on New Years Day 2010
Arc de Triomphe
So cold my nose was red

Happy New Year French style

It has been a super fabulous year for me and I'm just so excited to see what 2012 brings. Lots of weddings that's for sure, but hopefully lots of love and happiness for all.

Amour à vous,

Friday, December 23, 2011

THE ONE WITH THE EXHAUSTION

Friday, December 23, 2011
As I write this blog, I'm just home from a few days in Lorne, finding myself completely exhausted and sleepy. I think 2011 has finally caught up with me, and having finished work for the year early this week, my little body shut down and refused to do anything more than nap randomly and eat whatever I fancied. Who knew that I was in such need of some r and r, but r and r is what I had.

Ryan is going home to Ireland on Christmas day for a week, followed by a couple more weeks in the US for work, so bless his little soul, he organised a few nights away for us before Christmas and his dreaded departure. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm excited for him to go back to Ireland and spend time with his family and best friends, but the whole trip is almost four weeks and that just seems such a long time to be away from each other. Pathetic really when I think about Bianca and the long stretches of time she is away from Tyson, months and months of him being in the Middle East with very little contact. Such a strong woman that Bianca.

So Lorne was for me what rehab is for Lindsay Lohan. Lots of rest, lots of time to catch up on a good Marian Keyes novel, lots of tasty food, lots of walking on the beach, lots of napping whenever I felt like it. And it was heaven, pure heaven. I've never been one to have an afternoon nap, yet I found myself sleeping for hours on end throughout the days. I woke up one day, had breakfast, hopped back in bed and promptly fell asleep for a few more hours only to wake up at lunch time for a delicious cheeseburger. What a life eh?!

Something we did realise on this trip of endless sleeping was that when we're at home, we don't often just do nothing. If we have no plans, we'll make some. We'll go shopping, catch up with friends, see a movie, clean out the house, do a stack of washing. We never sit still. Why is it that we don't ever take the time to take care of ourselves? This little trip away has made me think that perhaps afternoon naps and no plans for life are the way forward. Forget about filling my time with fancy commitments. Fluff my pillow and say goodnight, this lady has learnt how to sleep at the drop of a hat and she isn't afraid to do it.

Perfect timing really with it being Christmas and all. Time for the Christmasy traditions and time with family, but then there is the extra week or so of holidays which will be spent laying on the beach with some trashy mags that help me nod off in the sun.

Wishing you and your families a lovely, happy Christmas full of lots of laughter and happy memories.

Oh, and just one more thing. When next in Lorne, you MUST MUST MUST have dinner at Babalu. Ahhhhmazing.

Love to you all,

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

THE ONE WITH WEDDING TRADITIONS

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
What do we think of wedding traditions? The bouquet toss, the first dance, the something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?

Jenny reminds me of myself. She is getting married in Wales and doing all of the planning from Australia. So, the two of us having been chatting this past week about little wedding traditions, and you know what, I’m torn. There are some wedding traditions that I love, and some that are just, not so much. And I know that everyone is different and while I may love, love, love something, the next bride may not and that’s okay. No judgment here.

One that I really love is the grooms cake. I love the idea of having a fun manly cake for Ryan with some kind of odd non-wedding theme, but do people still do this? I’ve not seen a grooms cake at any of the weddings I’ve been to but it does seem to happen in the movies. And you know whatever happens in the movies is true to life. My love affair with the movie Steel Magnolias doesn’t help my curiosity either - who remembers the bleedin’ armadillo cake?

Jenny also introduced me to cake toppers. She has a gorgeous little cake topper that she ordered online and sent me the link, so I started scrolling through them and came across this one and it got me thinking. Perhaps I will organise a grooms cake. Why not?! That way, Ryan can enjoy a lovely little cake topper like this (ha ha) and it’s manly as there is a sports ball on it.


Another tradition I quite like is the bride and groom spending the night before apart and not seeing each other until the bride walks down the aisle. Very romantic. Although, it’s quite popular these days for the bride and groom to have some photos together before the ceremony as a way of squeezing so much into one day, but I’m not so keen on this. I love the idea of walking down the aisle seeing each other for the first time that day, the bride in her dress all glammed up, the groom with a tear in his eye as she approaches.

I stumbled across some really funny old wedding traditions today and I just cannot have them. I would desperately want to eat the cake rather than mush it up in my pocket or under pillows (but they do make me chuckle):
  • The chief bridesmaid should keep a piece of cake in her pocket for the duration of the couple's honeymoon, if she hopes to marry soon.
  • Single female guests should take home a piece of wedding cake and place it under the pillow to dream of the man they will marry.
One thing is for sure though, and that is I’m not keen on the garter toss. Again, no judgment for those brides who like this tradition, each to their own. I’ve just seen so many hideous displays of garter behavior that is beyond words. Grooms with their heads up the brides dress for far too long a time frame, pulling out props from under the brides dress like handcuffs and rubber chickens. WTF? No. That’s not for me. There will be no garter toss, no garter worn.

And so, as I think about all of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) traditions, I’m excited by one in particular, and that is the Save the Date card. Ours are ordered and being printed as we speak and I could not be happier with them. I love them and it’s taking me all of my might not sharing a picture of them with you today, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for my friends and family who will be receiving theirs in January.

My fellow engaged friends at work and I will continue to share all of our little bits and pieces of wedding information with each other and in the New Year, Jenny will be a guest blogger for Girl About Love as she finalises the finer details for her wedding in Wales which is very fast approaching. Now this is one SUPER DOOPER organised bride.

Love to you all,

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

THE ONE WITH LUKE & WENDY'S WEDDING

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

On a beautiful day, in a beautiful winery, a real sweetheart named Luke married his gorgeous bride named Wendy.

The moment that Wendy walked down the aisle with her parents, I knew that it would be a beautiful day. She looked stunning. Absolutely stunning. Her dress, her hair, her makeup. She looked like she was straight out of a bridal magazine. The ceremony and the reception were held at the Morning Star Winery in Mornington (which overlooks Port Phillip Bay) and you almost could imagine you were at a gorgeous chateau in France, made even more realistic with the lovely champagne in hand all day long.
  

There were so many gorgeous little touches throughout the day that I loved, things like the clusters of vases full of lovely white and green on each table, the individualized cupcakes for each guest added a great talking point with others on your table and the beautiful/amazing song performed by one of the guests (and 
let me say this, the girl could sing - she was captivating).


Everyone was having a blast during the reception, dancing the night away, no bums in seats. The music was fabulous. It was just so Luke. All of his favourite oldies like Frank Sinatra were played. I only wish he had a little croon with the band himself. Bless. And, I was even happier with the songs played because Ryan managed to get up and dance with me for quite a while. I love when he dances with me at weddings. Maybe that is my favourite thing about going to weddings, having a dance with my fiancée.


It was such a truly magical day. The following day however, rain, wind, cold. The perfect day for a hangover. And if our hideous headaches were anything to go by, it was one hell of a reception.

Luke and Wendy, sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love,
Then comes marriage…


Love to you all,


Sunday, November 27, 2011

THE ONE WITH SOME WEDDING INSPIRATION

Sunday, November 27, 2011
So, as I'm obsessed with wedding blogs, I come across loads of gorgeous pictures of weddings, wedding styling, wedding photography, wedding fashion... And I just save them so that one day, I can click on my wedding folders and say "I want this, that and those". Wedding planning, done. If only it was as easy as that, hey!

These are some photos I've saved today. LOVE.

 Note: Photos from Style Me Pretty, Monique Lhuillier, Martha Stewart Weddings and The Foundry.


Love to you all,

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

THE ONE WITH LOUISE & PETER'S WEDDING

Wednesday, November 23, 2011
I was a bridesmaid for one of my nearest and dearest friends, Louise. She was a stunning bride, one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen.

Her love story is quite romantic. Louise was spending a few months travelling around the world, seeing the most wonderful sights, when her then boyfriend Peter flew to the other side of the world to surprise Louise. It was on their travels that he proposed to her in Paris (oh la la). She said yes, they travelled some more and finally, they returned home to Melbourne engaged. It was such an exciting time, not only because Louise was planning a wedding and what is more exciting than that, but also because she was home again after being away for 6 months seeing the world. There was just so much for us to catch up on!  

Their wedding was held in Williamstown, in a gorgeous church, followed by a reception at Pellicans Landing. I've never seen Louise as happy as she was the day of her wedding, she is always such a happy person anyway, but on her wedding day, she just seemed so much happier, smiling and laughing all day, and just so in love. The ceremony was lovely but the reception, what a blast! We just danced the entire night away. None more so than Louise, who not only busted a groove with every guest, but she and Peter did a choreographed dance that was pretty damn amazing.

Some bits and bobs that I loved:
  • The cake that Peter designed and surprised Louise with
  • The first dance to Mary J Blige's song 'I Found My Everything'
  • The amazing bouquet of tropical flowers that were just so different to your typical bouquet, they were just gorgeous 
  • The husband and wife fish centre pieces which also doubled as presents for people to take home!
I've known Louise since we were in primary school. She was my first friend at a new school and we've remained besties ever since. We survived high school together, spent many years nightclubbing together (so many cringe worthy memories), spent holidays together and have shared pretty much everything in between together. The thing about Louise is that she has never changed, she has always been the same person all of the years I've known her, and that is truly wonderful.

Through Louise, I met Shanelle, and the rest is history. The three of us became amazingly close and for the past 12 years, we have been there for each other in good times and in bad. You could say that we're as good as married to each other. Best friends until death do us part.


Champagne while geting glam
Shanelle, Jenny, Louise, Kathy, Natalie
Besties!
The wedding party in Williamstown Gardens
the gorgeous bride
Mr & Mrs Grey

And so, Louise and I now count down the days until we celebrate with Shanelle at her wedding. Not only is she marrying the man of her dreams, but she is marrying the man she first met at Louise & Peter's wedding. Awww.

Love to you all,

Sunday, November 20, 2011

THE ONE WITH NEW YORK

Sunday, November 20, 2011
New York.

I've spent years watching episode after episode of Sex and the City. I could recite every line, tell you where they stood in every scene, repeat restaurant and cafe names they sat in. New York is romantic, exciting, jawdropping, unbelievable. 

The first time we were there, I honestly spent each and every moment with my mouth gaping open in awe of what I was seeing. I was speechless. Everything you've seen on television and in movies was there but bigger, brighter and busier. As soon as we stepped out of our TINY hotel room and hit the street, I just kept saying to Ryan "I love it, I love it, I love it". I literally ran the streets to the next amazing thing in front of me. Not very cool. Not very Sex and the City.

The second time we were in New York, Ryan proposed to me. Just when I thought I couldn't be in love with the city any more than I already was, it now has a beautiful moment of my life connected to it. During this trip, I discovered downtown Manhattan. No words. You're just wondering around Jay Z and Beyonce's playground!

And so on our engagement trip in New York, we quickly decided that we wanted to have our wedding there.

That being the case, we recently returned to New York on a mission to plan our wedding. We pretty much booked it immediately after landing. Gorgeous catholic church in Soho, booked. Cool rustic reception venue, booked. We met with event planners, we scouted florists, we found some cake stores we liked, we discovered a few little jazz bands (damn you Bon Musique for being so unbelievably fabulous but completely out of our price range) and now, I feel like I have the wedding plans slightly under control. So, on May 15th 2013, I will become Mrs O'Hare. SO excited.

Then, let's not forget my trip to Vera Wang.

VERA WANG

And just because I didn't think anyone would believe me, I took the sneakiest of sneaky photos in a store that has an uber strict no photgraphs policy. It was a very successful stealth mission. And so, I ticked the dress off my list too.
genius photographic skills by me!

There's just so much to fall in love with in New York, you need to go hundreds of times to see it all, and that is the best thing. No matter how many times you go to New York, you do/see/eat/visit something different every single day.
There is no denying that the top attractions are literally breathtaking, but the most amazing thing for me is that you can walk the streets and stumble across new little areas every few blocks. It's like you're somewhere else. Walk another few blocks and you're in a completely different village again. You discover so much in one day, that the days feel like weeks and yet you still feel like you need more time when it's time to fly home.



Don't get me started on the food. Eataly. Shake Shack. Lombardis. Billy's Bakery. Wholefoods. Manana Mexican. The Mercer. Food trucks. Meatball subs. Fried chicken. Balthazars. Blue Smoke. Bianca. The Plaza. Sliders. Pastis. Cafe Angelique. Chelsea Market. Murrays Cheese. Pizza, so much pizza.

I'm just so excited for all of our wonderful friends and family to come to New York for our wedding and fall in love with it just like I did. I simply cannot wait.

Love to you all,

Thursday, November 17, 2011

THE ONE WITH THE LOVE SHOOT

Thursday, November 17, 2011
I'm obsessed with wedding blogs. I love everything about them; the gorgeous wedding dresses, the beautiful flowers, the breathtaking venues, the styling... I could go on and on, but the thing that makes me the happiest is when I see photos that capture beautiful and unexpected moments between people.

Snippet & Ink is one of my FAVOURITE wedding bogs. Love it, love it, love it. And I found so much inspiration from their blog on exactly the kind of engagement photos I wanted. Nothing too posey, nothing bridal. Just real moments.

The amazingly talented and super gorgeous Sally from Sally Goodall Photography did just that with our love photos and we could not be happier with them. Not only do we love them, but our parents were over the moon with each and every shot!




I love me some Sally Goodall - check her out - http://www.sallygoodall.com/

Love to you all,

Monday, November 14, 2011

THE ONE WITH THE FIRST BLOG

Monday, November 14, 2011
I'm so excited to finally have my blog, Girl About Love, up and running. Big day for me!


I've been desperate for some sort of creative fun, and this is it people! It is on my blog that I wish to share with you stories of a girl in love. Said girl being me; recently engaged to a gorgeous man named Ryan. Awwww.


I'm currently in wedding bliss... Planning my wedding, celebrating so many of my friends engagements and sharing all of their wedding joys with them. So far, no bridezillas, but as soon as the little devils start appearing, I'll be here blogging about all of the juicy details.


I'm not all about weddings though. Here, you will also read about my little adventures in life, awesome food finds, and my day to day musings. I hope I can bring a smile to your day.


Someone who has done just that for me is Cherie, at A Baby Called Max. Her blog makes me smile (not to mention feeling completely inspired!). I know a few new mums out there who should check it out. No doubt you'll be hooked just like I am.


I hope that Girl About Love hooks a few of you out there who are just like me! So, in honour of all the other brides-to-be in my life, this blog is for all of you; Wendy, Leanne, Kelly, Bianca and last (but certainly not least), Shanelle. No doubt you're all going to be stunning brides... But what will we do once the bridal fare is over?!


Love to you all.