Hens over and out!

“We” head away today on the hen do.

I have only ever been to three  - two of my own (!) and the third was my good friend from college days who became one of Lucy’s Godmothers, Janet. All three were pretty mild do’s – a few quiet drinks on an evening ( well maybe not quiet!) and my second one being a 10 pin bowling session with good friends including Lucy who was 10 and no alcohol as I happened to be in the very early stages of pregnancy with Richard! So I am a real “hen” novice!

So, it is with great excitement and trepidation we head to a secret location in the Lakes. We have young, old and inbetween attending some for one night, some for two. Along with a great group of Lucy’s bridesmaids, friends there’s Granny, MOTG Avril and MOTB! Chief Bridesmaid to Princess Lucy had done a magnificent job in making the weekend very Lucy themed. And maybe more will be revealed after the event, but as they say “What happens in the Lakes, stays in the Lakes”

Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?

Good news, I have now had a few more MOTB dress fittings with Auriole B.

Auriole has been very understanding about the posse of supporters I take. This includes either my Mum, Lucy and/or my friend and style guru Brenda. For the third fitting just with my Mum, Auriole had made a mock up of the outfit in delightful pink cotton. I almost changed my mind and chose the pink! Joking... I am very glad there were no cameras there to capture that one! I have to say I really love the colour  of the fabric I have chosen, it very me and apparently IN or is it ON fashion trend. Well there is a first time for everything.

I changed my idea of which shoes to wear after several friends commented that I must not be frumpy. So I decided to get some proper shoes from A&J Bridal Wear where Lucy is getting her dress. The shoes are much more wedding-y than an earlier blog post, and are currently being dyed to exactly compliment my outfit.

So all that is left is the hat!

Prior to shopping I checked some of the wedding etiquette on MOTB hats....here’s one of interest 

Suit your style Remember, you’re wearing the hat and not the other way around. Be confident but choose a style that ultimately you’re comfortable in and one that complements your shape and height. If you’re tall avoid tall hats and go for wider brims. If you’re short avoid large hats and go for smaller structured creations.

So the hat hunt began at “Hattie’s” with my Mum, Avril (Mark’s Mum) and me all hoping to find the final piece of the outfit jigsaw.  We were joined by Lucy, Joanne (Mark’s sister) and her 6 month old little boy Theo. Avril and Jo have used the shop previously, so it came highly recommended. Hattie’s home is a small ish shop in Stockton on Tees, which the 6 of us just about filled. The shop is packed to bursting point with all manner of wonderful and colourful headpiece creations.

Lucy had commented previously, what a coincidence it was that a lady called Hattie runs a hat shop! So being polite people, as we took turns to be guided to try on hats for the big day, we all said “Oh that’s nice Hattie” or “Thank you Hattie” as we were passed another hat to try. That was until Jo managed to whisper to Avril, who then told Lucy that Hattie was in fact called Dot. They didn’t manage to tell my Mum and me , so we both continued to call the proprietor Hattie for the rest of our visit.

http://www.hattiesspecialoccasions.co.uk/index.html

Now apparently, hats as we used to know then are now out of fashion, and IN are hatinators. A bit like fascinators but with much more on them! The good thing is that they sit on a band, so no fear of dreaded “hat hair”.  For anyone who really knows me they will understand that at times like this, I sometimes I think I have entered a parallel universe.

Granny went first, and after a few “Oh no I couldn’t possibly wear that” ....she was guided to a perfect hat for her outfit. Avril was then assisted, and Lucy had a try on while she waited.

Sorry this is sideways but you get the idea of how colourful Hattie's was

Then it was the turn of MOTB. My only requirement was that the headpiece be big...given the etiquette advice, I am neither short nor tall so reckon as long as the hat is not too tall or wide I should be ok. I tried a few but wasn’t too keen, then tried one which contrasted with my outfit, and was certainly big! All assembled including Theo said  (well Theo kind of gurgled) that it was perfect and with the promise from Hattie aka Dot that she would add some hints of my dress material to match them up, we all departed.

Excited at being able to tick something else off the spreadsheet, I then shared the news along with a photo or two with some friends...and then had a bit of a rethink. Brenda, on the phone practically heading (no pun intended) for the airport was constructively positive. The summary of her advice being that the hat is an accessory and not the main attraction...so we agreed to have a session together when she gets back ( mid October) to look for the perfect topper to the MOTB outfit. Not to say that the one at Hattie's isnt it.

Since then my friend , bridesmaid Kate’s Mum “Auntie Clare” and I met up last Friday evening to have a quick view of the hats on offer in Debenhams. Not many MOTB biggies but good to get ideas. Although I did suffer a major hot flush with all the fun, and had to tie my hair up to cool down!!

Then Clare suggested we try the Get Smart shop at Blagdon’s Milkhope Centre.

http://www.blagdonestate.co.uk/business-at-blagdon/milkhope-centre

So we met there on Saturday and had a good try on. This time the posse included Lucy and Rachel, I had forgotten how entertaining these two  are together. As we looked around some of the other outlets, I was walking ahead of them in a quaint craft type shop where some ornate bird feeders were on display. I heard Lucy say, “What eats monkey nuts?”, as Rachel didn’t reply, Lucy continued , “Squirrels? SO what eats monkey nuts?” Rachel piped up “ I like monkey nuts but not in a thing like that”.....Oh to be blonde!

This hat visit was just for me to get more ideas. 

The best view!

The main lesson to come from all of this is, you really do need the outfit on, and possibly the shoes too – to ensure the full effect. So one step forward and two back, while Auriole finishes the outfit, while the shoes are being dyed, while Brenda gently tans in Greece – I can do no more for now.

Put up the flags!

Bunting is a great British tradition and is a perfect decoration for any celebration.

The lovely Hannah, daughter of our family friends, is a very enterprising young lady. Hannah works full time, is studying for an Open University degree, helps out with her Mum and Dad’s successful B&B and Wear Alpaca businesses, and she also runs her own business called Buttons and Bunting!

http://www.fairshawrigg.co.uk/buttonsandbunting/about.html

I had seen some bunting Hannah made for a wedding celebration last year, so had thought it might be nice to have some made for our home in the lead up for Lucy and Mark’s wedding.

Hannah came to visit and we looked through her purple and wedding-y materials. We measured up the fireplace, doorway between lounge and dining room and the conservatory for the bunting streams.

Lucy has already declared that she intends to use the conservatory (which has no heating) on 2^nd November to do all her beauty preparations in . Sensible girl as ever, Lucy knows that she will be getting hot with the hair dryer, curling tongs, straightening irons and then make up - so she will stay as cool as she can, for as long as she can in the conservatory. So we will hang the main bunting in there.

The dining room and lounge will be filled with MOTB and the 5 bridesmaids, flower girl, more hairdressers, make up and photographers. Sounds like organised chaos? Don’t worry, there is an extra page on the spreadsheet just for “on the day” logistics!

I plan to take the bunting to the Hen do, and decorate the cottage. Then when we get home, as it will only be a few weeks till the wedding, I will put it up in the house so we can enjoy it before the big day. I may even leave it up till after Christmas...Christmas (!) that reminds me, I need to be making a start on that Festive spreadsheet too. 

St Mary Magdalene, Banns, the circle of life and the incident in the Vestry!

Over 24 years ago, the lovely Lucy * was christened at St Mary Magdalene Parish Church in Prudhoe. Yesterday, the first set of Lucy and Mark’s wedding banns were read out in the very same Church. The circle of life eh?

Lucy with Godfather Kevin

Lucy with Godmothers Janet and Sharon, and Godfather Iain

So now it is for real, the first legal part of compliance with UK Civil and Church law is complete.

My friend Google tells me,

“Banns are an announcement in the local parish church of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place. Banns are read in the parish where each of the couple lives, as well as the parish church in which you are to be married. Banns are read out in church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding.”

Lucy and Mark’s banns are being read again in Prudhoe on the 22^nd and 29^th September; and then at Hexham Abbey on the 12^th, 19^th and 26^th October

Lucy and Mark had a recent meeting with the Clergyman who will perform their wedding ceremony. Mark took an instant like to the Revd. Phil Mellor-Smith when he suggested that they meet in Weatherspoons for a pint. And even better Phil turned up in his dog collar. Needless to say they had a very productive meeting and everything is in hand regards wedding ceremony planning.

*I say the lovely Lucy, in fact Lucy’s actual Christening service in St Mary Magdalene was a bit of a nightmare for MOTB. Lucy was about 5 months old. We had dressed her in my Christening gown which had been made from material sent from Canada where my Mum’s parents had emigrated to. In those days, early 1960’s, the material was thought to be luxurious, it was all man made and had really pretty colourful pattern of pastel coloured stars.

The dress!

 The dress was altered by my Mum for Lucy to wear. Sadly, the man made fibre caused the somewhat restless babe in my arms to overheat , and resort mid service to howling like a very hungry wild animal. The Revd in Prudhoe at that time tried to continue through the service but in the end he had to ask us to leave the church, as no one could hear him. It appeared that my job was to try and get Lucy to stop screaming. I ended up in the vestry on my own with a very hot and hungry child.

I had no other option but to feed her! I had borrowed a very pretty and quite formal dress from my friend Chris, a dress which was certainly not designed for breast feeding! I ended up having to strip Lucy out of her boiling (but beautiful) outer robe, whilst stripping down halfway to the waist

myself ! As soon as she was being fed of course the noise died down, but I had to juggle - trying to keep myself half decent in case the Revd. came back into the Vestry, but without disturbing her feeding. So Lucy and I missed most of the service, but of course once home for the family and friends party, she was a delightful gurgling bundle of joy. 

Do me a favour...

There is a hint of Autumn , a beautiful time of year.  After a very long and hot summer, finally there is a coolness in the air and the children have gone back to school. That means after this half term, then the “Blackberry week” (October half term school holiday) the big day will be here. Yikes. Suddenly there are things to finalise, and the spreadsheet has been put on the desktop to speed up access..

So as I sat, sitting the other night, unusually I didn’t have much to do. I had drawn the curtains now it’s turning darker after 8pm – just a quick sketch....or “battened down the hatches”  as my Dad would say,  and decided a good job to get done was the wedding favours.

A quick google search tells me that

Wedding favours are small gifts given to guests as a token of appreciation from the Bride and Groom on their Wedding Day – they are usually given out at the Wedding Reception, and often form part of the table decorations.

The tradition of giving wedding favours goes back many years: it is thought the first wedding favour was the ‘Bomboniere’- a small trinket box made of porcelain or crystal and often decorated with precious stones. These were limited to the European Aristocracy and Upper Classes, and usually contained sugar or confectionery which symbolised wealth and royalty. At the time, sugar was an expensive delicacy which was only affordable by the wealthy (it was also thought to have medicinal qualities), but as it became more widely available to those of lesser means the tradition of giving Bombonieres became more widespread.

Over time, bombonieres were replaced with almonds – given to guests to signify good wishes for the couple’s new life together: 5 almonds to signify Health, Wealth, Happiness, Fertility and Long Life. In the 13th Century sugar coated almonds, or Confetti, were introduced, which are still popular today.

These days, the gifts given to Wedding guests are known as Wedding Favours, and the tradition is popular among a wide variety of cultures worldwide. The huge range of options now available means that although many couples may choose the traditional almond favour, those who are looking for more unusual wedding favours are sure to find something suitable.

 I don’t want to spoil the surprise for the day, so can only say Lucy and Mark have chosen a lovely alternative to traditional sugared almonds, so I was able to create the 85 or so favours in one sitting. I did draw blood out of my fingers a little but hopefully  this won’t be too noticeable on the day....

Wedding cake – part 1

Granny was getting concerned; the fruit cake layer of the cake should be made and maturing by now.

So last week, Gran and Richard set about it....

The kitchen at Number 10 was filled with the whiff of sherry (Granny didn’t have any brandy in the house) and a few pounds in weight of currents, sultanas, ground almonds, apricots and spices.

The main ingredient though was love. 

Granny has very sore and painful legs and knees at the moment, and Richard had been suffering with a cold all week. However, they both put their health issues to one side and with lots of hand washing, they set about making layer one of the three for the wedding cake of the year. 

While they were baking, I was working in a room nearby so went in from time to time to see how they were progressing. 

It was so lovely to see my Mum and Richard who have been baking together since Richard was old enough to hold a wooden spoon, keeping each other right about the traditional Bero recipe. 

Richard had a relapse when the dishes needed doing, but the end result was very successful.

The next task is to make the Victoria sponge layer, and a chocolate sponge layer – these will be made much nearer the time. Although as my daughter, the Bride reminds me it’s not long now.

A chariot awaits?

One area of the colour coded spreadsheet which hasn’t seen much action has been transport to and from the Abbey. This is because it has been sorted out since before the spreadsheet was born.

Lucy and Mark didn’t want a horse drawn carriage or a vintage classic car they wanted Mel, Chief Bridesmaid to Princess Lucy, Rachel’s Dad .  

“Daddy Mel” as Lucy affectionately calls Mel has driven his Jaguar and Volvo as a taxi in Tynedale for many a year,  and on numerous occasions when Lucy and Rachel needed a lift home, Mel was always there.

So almost as soon as they had set the date, the happy couple asked Mel if he would drive them.

Mel answered the phone (as Lucy's number comes up on his phone!) “Hiya Juicy” his affectionate name for the Bride. The main question was – would Mark ( given his height) and Lucy ( given her princess dress) fit in? So they went for a test ride and good news – they fit.

https://sites.google.com/site/melstaxis/home