Our Venue - A Brew for Two (and 148 other people)

This weekend my FSIL and her husband are coming down for the day to visit and since they haven't seen our venue yet, Office Groom and I thought it'd be a great chance to take them over.

Then it dawned on me that I haven't posted anything here about the venue yet!

So, without further ado...


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Yup. A brewery!

Here's the backstory... I worked at the Steam Whistle Brewery throughout university. It was one of the best places to work and I made a lot of good friends and have a lot of good memories there. At some point, my best friend and MOH joined in for the fun which only helped create a new batch of fun memories. And yes, most of these memories include alcohol :)

In my last year of working there, I met Office Groom. I was actually out with a few friends from work when we (literally) bumped into each other. And well, the rest is history!

Since then, Office Groom and I have enjoyed some great parties at Steam Whistle and we still pass by from time to time to say hi and hopefully grab a free pint! So when it came down to picking our wedding venue, it was an easy choice!

We are beyond excited to party it up there on our big day. So far every time we've told someone where we're having our venue, the first thing they say is "You're going to have a fun wedding!" That's what we're counting on!

The brewery is currently going through some interior redesigning and from the sounds of it, it will look AMAZING. Last summer they did a major makeover on the exterior and it looks fantastic!


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The building itself is known as the roundhouse, and it was originally used for trains. Now a few of the trains are prominently displayed outside.

Aside from the rustic beauty, great people, and awesome downtown location, here are a few other cool features:

Full access to the patio which has a view of the trains, and an even more spectacular view of the city and the CN Tower.


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A photo booth!


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A fun wedding party lounge


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Oh, and DUH. Beer.

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We got paper!

Now what?

Ever have one of those moments when you feel really inspired to undertake a DIY project and then you go out and get all the necessary tools and materials, only to get back home and look at all the stuff you just bought and think those two dreaded words - "Now what?"

That's what I went through after the Office Groom and I returned from a visit to The Paper Place.

Early on in the engagement (Ok, who am I kidding? It was like 2 days after he proposed) I knew that I wanted to make our invitations. After a bit of internet research, I found my inspiration. I loved how unique and personal it was, and it was totally something that OG and I would do. So I did what any creative but lazy person would do - I used the same template and made a story of our own.

Because of the length of the invite, I knew that we wouldn't be using the usual 4x4 invite and envelope. I entertained the idea of using a regualr 8x10 sheet and cutting it in half, but that lazy side of me kicked in again and I realized I was better off buying pre-cut paper. Enter the "Tea Length" paper and envelope.



So I've got a design and paper. You think it'd be just as easy as printing those suckers off, labelling the envelopes, stickin' a stamp on, and sending them on their merry way.

Nope.

While I'm lazy, I'm also detail oriented. The thought of just sending the invites as is without any doodads to spice it up didn't sit well with me. Hence our visit to The Paper Place. The name of the store speaks for itself - if you need paper, and I'm talkin' any kind of paper, this is the place to check out. OG and I agreed that a little something added to the invite and envelope with a pretty paper would do jsut the thing. The employees were really nice and helpful and helped us narrow down our choices.



Or so we thought.

When we got home I started playing around with the different paper, and I just wasn't feeling it. Either it was too much or not enough, and I started to get frustrated too early in the game. So I put it away.

I know this isn't the ending you were looking for. You wanted to know what we decided on and what the end result was, right? Sorry, no dice. This is the real world, and I'm a real bride, and fact remains that I wasn't very successful with my first attempt at making our DIY invites a reality.

BUT - we're not giving up. This was of course, our first try. Although we are definitely still going with the design and ivory tea length paper, the doodas will have to wait. And I'll be sure to post more when it happens I'm just glad that we gave it a try before buying a whole bunch of paper that would go to waste (or used for numerous origami projects).

UGH...

You know it's been a crazy busy day when I never got around to entering a post.

I've been running at a mile a minute and still can't seem to catch up with all my work :(

I didn't deem myself "Office Bride" for nothing, lol.

Jack and Jill...

...Party, that is. Not the cute rhyme we all learned as kids :)

Although J&J's are becoming more and more popular in the world of weddings, there are still a lot of people who don't know what they are or how to organize one. In fact, even after attending a few J&J's myself, I wasn't quite sure what they were exactly, other than a fun party with money making games.

Most online sources, including Toronto Brides, defines a Jack and jill as a co-ed shower.

Generally, J&J's :

- Are less formal than a traditional bridal shower
- Include both male and female guests, usually close friends
- Include games and raffles to raise money for the couple

Who organizes this?
Like a shower, typically your bridal party would take responsibility for putting this event together. If it hasn't been brought up yet, it never hurts to mention it to your Maid of Honour or Best Man, but then leave everything else up to them!

Who do we invite?
If you're not planning on having a separate bridal shower, than you can invite anyone you want, but preferrably from your wedding guest list. If you are, than typically you would invite those who are not invited to the bridal shower (friends, co-workers, etc). And yes, you may certainly have a J&J AND Bridal shower, as long as your bridal party is cool with organizing it. Just don't be surprised if friends and family can't make every event. Weddings and wedding-related events can be expensive for everyone.

The date's set. Now what?
Again, what you do at your Jack and Jill is entirely up to you and your fellow organizers, but generally J&J's have fun activities for the guests to take part in, and to raise money for the couple. You also have the option of accepting gifts, but if you decide to do games instead or to have a separate bridal shower, it's probably best to indicate that gifts are not required for the J&J in the invite. It's all about etiquette, ladies.

Not sure what activities to have? Here are a few that the Office Groom and I liked from other J&Js we've attended:

- Raffle. Simple and fairly easy to do. The tough part is collecting prizes. Now's the time to ask a few favours from friends with hook ups. Gift certificates, professional game tickets, a free car tune-up - anything and everything will help!

- Booze Coin Toss. This one's fun to play and watch! Simply place a large bottle of booze on the floor (preferrably not carpet) and have participants stand several metres away. They must toss coins (luckily, Canadians have $1 and $2 coins!) at the bottle, and whoever gets it closest wins the bottle. Great game if you know a lot of drinkers :)

- Orange Dance. Couples on the dance floor please! Oh, but not before you place an orange between yourselves before you boogy down! Last couple with an orange between them wins. I witnessed my parents doing this at my brother's J&J and it was both hilarious and traumatizing.

- Cash bar. Not really an activity, but still fun to have! Set up a bar and charge a small fee for drinks all night.

Top 10 Love Songs for 2010

Etta James, Frank Cinatra, The Beatles - Classics are always a safe choice for your first dance. But if you and your partner are looking for a more modern love song for your first dance, here are a few recent hits to consider! Everything from rock to country to RnB...

"I Belong to You" by Muse

"Halo" by Beyonce

"Love Story" by Taylor Swift

"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis

"Fight for this Love" by Cheryl Cole

"I Run to You" by Lady Antebellum

"Magic" by Robin Thicke

"Sweet Thing" by Keith Urban

"Magnificent" by U2

"Man of the Hour" by Nora Jones

I can't wait for the weekend to begin...

Those who know me well know that I love to dance. I'll admit - If I could get away with this at work, I'd do it (minus the stripping lol):



Which got me thinking about dancing at the wedding. The Office Groom and I are both outgoing people with a great sense of humour, and a lot of our friends are expecting us to do something unexpected for our first dance. I think they will all be surprised when they see us dancing like a normal couple in love to our song. There will be many other opportunities to surprise our guests, but our dance is just for us.

However, that doesn't mean that I still don't get a huge kick out of some of the most original wedding dances I've seen online! Here are a few of my favourite. You never know - you might learn a few new moves for your dance :)


The Evolution of Dance


A Light Up Dress?!



Hip Hop Cuteness

Wedding Trends 2010

I consider myself to be a good balance between classic and trendy, and hope that this will translate for the wedding. While there are some traditional elements that Office Groom and I both want (Church ceremony, formal attire, full dinner reception and dancing, etc), we also wanted to add in several not-so-traditional elements (a party bus for our "limo," a dinner reception...in a brewery, a photobooth, and a garter surprise near the end of the night teeheehee).

I was interested to see what other trends are becoming popular at weddings, so I used good ol' Google and typed in "newest wedding trend 2010" for my search.

I found an interesting article at Get Married. I was surprised to find that without intentionally doing so, we are apparently doing a few other trendy things for the wedding, like...

Comfort Food - Cupcakes and cookies for dessert all the way!

Wear Again BM Dresses - Although I've asked the girls to use a particular designer and colour, they can each pick their own style! I figured there was a better chance they'd be able to wear their dresses again if they chose them.

Blogging - And all this while I was just doing this to get wedding talk out of my system, lol!

Personalizing - I was suprised to see this one on the list, because isn't every wedding suppose to be personalized? Then again, looking back at some of the cookie-cutter weddings I've attended, I guess not (errr...except for yours)! Everything from themes that tie in common interests that a couple share, personalized guest gifts, and DIY projects, the list is endless on how to make your wedding personalized!

Would you consider your wedding traditional or trendy, or a mixture of both?

If Office Groom & I could afford a million dollar home...

...we would definitely avoid getting a railing and fence that look like phallic symbols.

Just sayin'.

(Pictures were taken on one of our walks in the ritzy part of the city)

Nothing says "Love" like "LOST"

I was MIA yesterday because of Family Day (relatively new holiday in Ontario, Canada). It was an awesome long weekend! On Valentine's Day, the Office Groom and I celebrated with some tea, chocolate, an extra large pizza (eaten over the course of the day) and a LOST Season 5 marathon :)

We took couch potatos to a whole new level...and yes, we did finish the entire season! Apart from working out our first draft of the invite list, we kept the wedding talk to a minimum, just for the sake of taking a break from all of it. And of course because there wasn't time for it with all the LOST drama, lol.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day too!

My Cup of Tea

1. I love tea sets. My mom would buy me toy sets whenever we travelled and I have a collection that spans anywhere from the USA to Germany.

2. I love miniature things. The smaller it is the more I love it. I also developed this love through my mom, who collected the Red Rose miniature ceramics.

So when I stumbled on this little gem on Etsy while searching for a thank you gift for my mom, I knew I had hit the teapot :)



How adorable is that?! Not only that - it also looks like a miniature version of my mom's Royal Doulton China (which I posted about last week)!



While it may not be the most adult gift or not necessarily something to wear for the big day, I think the sentiments behind it outweigh everything else. I use to love eating off my mom's Royal Doulton plates and hoped for my own set one day. And last Friday, my mom overwhelmed both me and the Office Groom when she bought us our own set as a wedding gift! It was a great afternoon with just the three of us, and there were a lot of hugs and thank you's afterwards :)

I'm hoping she'll know how much we appreciate her generousity and help throughout this whole process with this little token of love!

BM Gift #2 - Swarovski Crystal Jewellry

My bridesmaid jewellry came in the mail yesterday!!! I had ordered them almost a month ago but due to an mailing error (not the sellers fault) it was delayed by another two weeks. On the plus side, because of the delay, the seller reimbursed me $15 which was really nice of her to do.

So - here they are!

Already packaged in a box, ready to give!


Swarovski crystal necklace and matching earrings


I was really intent on getting the girls Swarovski crystals because I think they are both beautiful and classic. My dress also has Swarovski crystals beaded along the bodice, so it ties in nicely.

When I first started my search, both on-line and in real stores, I was surprised to see that "Swarovski crystals" were available everywhere! I was always under the impression that they could only be purchased from the actual Swarovski store, but as it turns out, this was not the case - as long as you were actually buying the real thing.

Thinking about getting Swarovski, but can't tell real from fake? First you need to avoid the confusion between the name itself. Swarovski, the brand, uses crystals known as Austrian Crystal Beads. So technically it's the type of crystal you need to look out for, not the actual name Swarovski. However, there's more to it than just that. According to Your Swarovski, "there are some who try to sell the far lesser quality glass beads as Swarovski." So if you're a stickler for details, you should look out for things like weight and color. Associated Content has a good article that you may find useful. Regardless, for Budget Conscious Brides this is a great alternative to the actual Swaroski product line without paying for the name.

I have to admit that I didn't do as much research as I could have, since I was addicted to Etsy at the time of my search. I ended up going with Whitney Lynn (formerly Wynn Studios), who not only has a beautiful collection of jewellry but has great feedback from past buyers. So I guess I took a chance buying it, but I'm so happy I did!

I can't wait to see my girls open their little boxes and try them on!!

A Stress-Free Registry - Yes, it's possible...

When it came time for me and the Office Groom to start our registry, we were both really looking forward to it. The idea of walking around a department store, scanning whatever our little hearts desired tickeled our fancy.

That is, until we actually started the process. Stress levels gradually heightened as we perused the store. There were too many coffee maker options, disagreements between this pot and that pot, and the sudden worry that we were asking for too many things...and too many expensive things. After only an hour of scanning we were done for and ready to go home and deflate.

Sound familiar?

How happy was I when soon after that experience I learned that this is common for most engaged couples? What is suppose to be a fun experience somehow turns into a chore - but it doesn't have to be this way! After that first hour of registering, the Office Groom and I learned some valuable lessons which made the second visit (and third, and an upcoming fourth) a breeze.

So grab some paper and a pen from your top drawer, and take some notes on how to have a stress-free Gift Registry:

A good excuse to buy another magazine
If you have some room after purchasing a dozen so bridal magazines, pick up a few new ones with a home decor theme. Look through it with your partner and the both of you should point out details and items that catch your eye. This will hopefully narrow down styles and avoid any surprises on each others' style preferences once you hit the store. The internet is also a wonderful source for ideas! Check out Kitchen & Bath Ideas for some inspiration. Nothing beats a classic like Better Homes and Gardens. My personal fave is Fresh Home Magazine which has great DIY projects and more contemporary styles.


Lists are your BFF
One big way to avoid the stress is to come prepared. Now that you and your partner have a sense of the style you want for each room, you should write up a list of items you would like / need on the registry. Walk around your place(s) and make note of which essential items are either missing or need to be replaced. When I first moved out of my parents place, I bought an inexpensive "kitchen in a box" at a grocery store that had every needed kitchen item. However, most of the stuff was either plastic or just down right poorly made, so a lot of it has to be replaced for the future home. Divide your lists by room: Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, Living Room, Dining Room.


Rome wasn't built in a day. Duh.
So don't expect to get your registry done in one session either. Pick a room and focus on that for the day. Trust me - on average couples work on the registry over 3 to 4 visits. It'll give you a chance to organize better and revise anything along the way.


Photo from Fortune Cookies By Gyda

Miami tickets - Done & Done!

Guess who purchased her tickets for a fun filled girls weekend in Miami last night?!?!

Wooooooooooooooooo!!!!

While there was some intrepidation (Zing! Big word for the day!) on my part about this trip, mostly about money, like everything else I gave it some thought over time and gradually became more and more excited about it. It also helped that the Office Groom was my biggest support for this trip and really encouraged the idea (then again, he's also going to Vegas with his guys so his urging may have been fueled by guilt lol)

The thing about me and trips - and anyone who knows me well can back me up on this - is that I never really get excited until I'm actually on the plane. It doesn't really *hit me* until I'm seated in that tight little space, buckled up, and ready to have some plane food (I am one of those freaks that LOVE plane food).

However I'm excited nonetheless that we've purchased the tickets (I'm going with 3 out of my five BMs) and being an Office Bride, you can bet that I've already started on some internet research. I've heard from girlfriends who have gone there before that Miami is the IT place for Bachlorette parties. Although the girls and I have decided to just call this the "Girls Weekend" (an official Bachlorette will happen in the summer at home) I'm sure a cheesy Bride-To-Be crown will surface at some point during the weekend, if not only to get us a few free rounds at the bar :)

Thinking about doing a Miami girls weekend? Here are a few places I've heard of and checked on the good ol' www.

Nikki Beach - According to one of my single ladies, this is where "dreams come true" lol. Whatever that means!

Mansion Club For a night of dancing at a very fancy shmancy club.

Little Havana - One of my adventure seeking BMs found this. I said I was all for it as long as there was substantial beach time lol.

Photo from Go and Groove.

I'm officially an Adult

Today, after work, the Office Groom and I will be meeting up with my mum to officially enter the world of adulthood.

That's right. We're shopping for Fine China today.

If you had a similar childhood, you'll remember your parents pulling out a beautiful set of dinnerware during the holidays. They were stored for most of the year in the china cabinet, along with all those crytals bowls and candle holders that were also rarely used.

When my mum first brought up the idea of China, I didn't think much of it. O.G. and I live in a modest rental apartment so there isn't really any room to store or display (do couples my age even have china cabinets?!), and we don't have fancy shmancy dinners at our place very often (does a Crockpot dinner count?). It also didn't seem very practical keeping a set of plates that would only be used once or twice a year. We've been eating of Ikea plates and we haven't noticed any difference in the quality of our meals :)

However, my mum pushed the idea, ensuring us that some day when we owned our own place and had our own family, we would find a use for it.

I let the idea sink in for a while, and I gotta admit - I got more and more excited about owning our own set of Fine China. SOUND THE ALARM! The Office Bride said WHAT?! Honestly, it was the flashbacks of my childhood that sold it for me. I can recall admiring the Old Country Rose pattern on my mum's Royal Doulton plates and feeling...well...very much like Royalty eating off of them.



While I love the pattern and secretly hope that we'll end up picking a set from Royal Doulton, it's just not us. I had a look at the Royal Doulton site today, and they have a great selection of plates that are a bit more modern but still classic and timeless. Yay! So this evening, I embrace my new badge of adulthood, and will enjoy picking out a set of fancy shmancy dinnerware with O.G. I also look forward to eating off our Fine China in about 5 years when we can actually use them :)

Sharin' the Love

Over this past week I've had a chance to check out some new (to me) blogs, and I gotta say - there are some very talented and dedicated writers out there! This morning I was listening to some Vampire Weekend on the way to work, and feeling pretty good about life, so I thought I'd share some more blog love today with another handout of the Best Blog Award :)





The rules of this award are as follows:

1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.
2. Pass the award on to approximately 10-15 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great!
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here is the list of whom I'm passing on to:

1) Fashion Under $100: Great looks for under $100, and she's done all the research for ya!
2) Mooney on Theatre: If you love theatre as much as I do, you'll appreciate this blog.
3) Keepin it real...Organized: I think she and I would get along in "real life." She loves shoes. 'Nuff said.
4) Patrina does the Globe: Sigh, I want to be on a beach right now...(psst, Patrina, Office Groom works in travel part-time!)
5) Fashion Toast: Love her style and photos!
6) Just Another Day in Paradise: Love her writing style! Very funny!
7) Coastal City Bride: A very dedicated blog on everything Wedding related.
8) Shanna Leigh: Beautiful photography blog!
9) Meagan gets her MRS: From weddings to weight loss, Meagan's blog just celebrated its 1 year blogiversary yesterday!
10) Happily After All: Great blog for easy (and yummy) recipes.

Snow Day!

Remember the good ol' days of waking up in the morning to find a thick blanket of snow covering everything outside? And better yet - finding out that your school has been cancelled for the day?!

Sigh... I wish work would do that.

Nonetheless, being a Northern dweller, I've been a bit disappointed by the lack of snow this winter season, until this morning that is. I opened the bedroom curtains and there was snow everywhere! Absolutely beautiful. While some may groan, I think that snow can be an instant facelift to an otherwise drab and grey winter day, and I think anyone celebrating a special event should consider themselves lucky, if only for the amazing pictures they will be able to take.

Here's what I found on the good ol' www...

Why don't you Marry Me In Colorado?




Sadie and Loc celebrated their wedding on New Years Day, and Grazier Photography was there to document their special day.



An unexpected snow storm didn't stop this couple from having a winter wonderland wedding.



The perfect combination of tradition, season, and colour. LOVE her traditional Chinese red dress!!!

Classic Love

I was on the subway this morning, crammed inside the train with all the other 9-5 commuters, when I saw something that put a smile on my face. An elderly man leaned forward and kissed his wife on the forehead and then put his arm around her back. It was such a simple gesture of love but because they were an older couple, it had a deeper meaning to it. I imagined that they've been together for many years; throughs ups and downs, lost jobs and new jobs, apartments to houses, children growing into adults and eventually having children of their own.

At that moment I hoped for myself that I would be able to have that with Office Groom. Sometimes we get so caught up on planning this one day, that we forget what it's really all about - a lifetime of companionship, compromise, and love.

Witnessing that simple gesture this morning reminded me of my new all time fave move - "UP." If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly urge you to rent it tonight! My co-worker watched it with her husband the other day after I told her about it, and she came to work the next day with nothing but good things to say about it. For anyone who has had love for a long time, or is on their way to having one, this is the movie for you. While it will have you in tears within the first ten minutes of the film, it says a lot about the special bond that you build with your significant other.

Back to that couple from this morning. I wish them many more years of love and happiness, and thank them for proving that love can last :)



Photo from Felixsaysno

A September wedding means...

Ok, the truth is out. I am a well educated, career minded woman who enjoys reading horoscopes. Daily. In fact, it's probably the first thing I check for when I'm reading the newspaper. Do I believe in them? Sometimes. Should I believe in them? Probably not.

I can't help it. There is something about reading a paragraph that sums up my day or week that fascinates me. I even read other people's horoscopes, and then e-mail them about it.

I am that person.

So when the Office Groom and I were having lunch one day with an equally horoscope loving friend and his wife (yup- HIM not her), and he told me what our wedding month meant astrologically, I put my latte down and gave him my full attention. That was a while back and I vaguely remember the details he gave us, so this afternoon I decided to look it up on the good ol' web, and this is what I found on one site:

Virgo Weddings (August 23 - September 22)
For those who want to celebrate the bounty of their love while the weather is still ultra-pleasant, the Sun's visit to earthy Virgo is a great time for weddings. The energy of this time is about re-organizing after the laid back months of the hot summer. Pushing toward the practical will give the Virgo wedding a strong focus and allow for the smooth execution of plans. A Virgo marriage will be characterized by the sense of duty that supports the love and passion between two people. When it comes to lifelong commitments, taking responsibility for one another is simply the right thing to do.

Vague, positive, and deliciously appetizing, isn't it?

What does your wedding month have in store for you? Check it out here!

And please feel free to comment on any other sites you find!

(Photo from www.bestmediablog.com)

The Honeymoon delay

I blame it on the movies. If it wasn't for "Father of the Bride" or "My Best Friend's Wedding" I wouldn't have it in my head that a newly wed couple are suppose to head off on their honeymoon right after the wedding. You know the scene:

All the guests gather at the front door of the reception near the end of the night. An uproar of applause, Have fun's, and We'll miss you's erupt among the crowd as the newly weds make their way out the door, luggage in tow. The beaming bride waves one finally goodbye before emerging into the white vintage car. Cue the fireworks as the car makes it way down the driveway...

Picture perfect isn't it?

It is until the reality of the situation kicks in (Damn you, reality). While leaving for your honeymoon right after the wedding is romantic, it may not always be the most ideal option. At least is isn't for me and the Office Groom. We had both initially wanted to leave soon after the wedding (a couple of days to re-energize, check out our gifts, and say our good-bye's to out of town guests), but a few factors such as possible bad weather at our honeymoon destination and vacations days through work made it difficult.

So when O.G. suggested that we wait it out until December - 3 months after our wedding - to go on our honeymoon, you'd think that reasonable ol' me would be jump on the bandwagon, right?

Wrong.

Back to the whole blame-game on wedding movies. While I wasn't so keen on leaving right after the wedding, knowing that I'd be a zombie for the next two days after the wedding, the idea of waiting out 3 whole months until we could go on our honeymoon didn't sit well with me. Can you imagine if they did that in movies? Talk about an anti-climactic ending.

My reasons (or "Reasons that made sense to me at the time")
1. We wouldn't be "newly weds" anymore.
2. It might just feel like "just another trip"
3. We're suppose to leave right after wedding...right?

We had a sit down one night, and I got it all out of my system. That is, not before warning O.G. that my reasons may sound silly but they were worries nonetheless. And once I did, I realized that I had never applied the "suppose to" rule in anything I did, so why should it be any different for a honeymoon? He reassured me that our honeymoon would feel like a honeymoon, regardless of when it happened. And that after the wedding we could still go away for a couple of days out of the city, like the Niagara wine region, just to get away and be with each other. I was sold.

This past weekend we got together with on of O.G.'s groomsmen and his wife, and it was such a relief when I found out that they had done something similar! They said it worked for them because they were able to take it easy after the wedding, plus they had something to look forward to in the coming months. I was reminded of other stories from brides who had commented that they were sad after coming back from a honeymoon that happened right after the wedding, because it felt "over." I definitely didn't want that feeling. They also brought up a good point about honeymoons. Back in the ol' days, a honeymoon was a means for a newly wed couple to get away and *wink wink nudge nudge* consumate their relationship. And typically, this would be the first time that the couple were on their own and travelling together.

This was definitely not the case for me and O.G. and for many modern couples today. We've been together for almost five years (tomorrow!) and living together *sharing a bed* for almost 3 years. We've also been on a number of trips that have taken us anywhere from the Caribbean to Europe.

So, a decision has been made. We will enjoy every minute of the wedding planning, the actual day, the days after, and the days leading up to the honeymoon. And of course the honeymoon. And unlike the movies, that never show you what happens after the bride gets into the vintage car, the most important thing that we will enjoy is our new bond for the rest of our lives :)