Diary of a Boho Bride – Jo & Paddy, Entry 5: Time to Say Goodbye

This week has absolutely flown by!  I love these 4 day weeks.  We need a bank holiday every Monday.  How amazing would that be?  I hope you are all well this Friday and are ready for the weekend.

Today we are back on the blog with our regular Boho Bride feature and I would like to welcome back Jo and Paddy.  Last time on the blog Jo talked all about 3 weeks to go and today she is here to say goodbye!  (sob) Kelly H and I have really enjoyed having them on the blog and we would like to wish Jo and Paddy the very best of luck for their wedding day.  We can’t wait to share it here in the near future for all our Boho Readers.

I’ll pass you over to Jo and Paddy

Time to say goodbye…..

Well we have got back from another beautiful wedding of some close friends that will be involved in our day. It was certainly nice to attend this in between my sisters and ours and enjoy all of the details which the bride and groom take so long planning and boy was it amazing.

Image Source via Rebecca Prigmore Photography

So as you read this, we will officially be married today – that’s the legal one that we aren’t allowed to celebrate!! Apparently I’m not allowed two anniversaries. As our best man who will be our witnesses along with his wife pointed out. So let me get this straight you are getting married, legally, then both heading back to work. Yup you got it, we are busy people and our true celebrations and ceremony are next week (OMG that’s a scary thought) with our friends and family. This is what we are looking forward to, listening to Jenny (celebrant) really personalise our day.

Image Source via Binky Nixon Photography

We are still busy pulling everything together for our day and the wedding bomb has certainly gone off in our house, there is sooo much stuff literally spilling out the front door. Choosing the DIY option was great for us with doing our own BBQ (don’t forget Paddy is a chef!) and wanting a relaxed day however it has meant it comes with a lot of planning, organising and stuff. Yes stuff! I can’t quite explain what we have and how much we have, just there is lots of wedding stuff all over our house!

I’m loving receiving the last few parcels

• Knitted bride and groom (they are a surprise)
• Handmade material heart wreath
• Mr and Mrs Smyth jigsaw puzzle key rings
• Digital camcorder
• Love Letter balloons

And of course bringing my dress home after alterations. This was done by the lovely Lisa at Simply Alterations. She has fantastic experience and made me feel comfortable. I totally trusted her with my dress.

If you’ve read our previous blog’s you will know we are getting married in a barn and planning a quite rustic day to fit with Paddy’s theme of tree surgery (he does this too!) so pulling the venue decoration together has been easier with its own theme. It’s just been really taking the time to explore photos and think about the look we are after on the day. Tree stumps will line the isle with jam jars and candles and tin cans and flowers.

One of the blog’s I didn’t get time to do was about the signs. The signs are still in progress and in fact not long started!! Paddy’s list has remained pretty static throughout the planning process due to the hours he’s been working, he assures me all will be fine. We are making our own wooden signs to place around the nature reserve, on entrance and around the venue. They are looking pretty professional so far so let’s hope the writing / stencil part is easy.

Image Source via Green Glass Photography

I’m trying to be as organised as possible and not leave everything to the last minute so last weekend I put batteries in all the lanterns, filled the toiletry baskets and I also put together some bags for the bridesmaids, flower girls and best man. These contain any essentials they need for the day, handbag, shoes, ties, hipflask along with a thank you card and a little gift. The day will be so manic I wanted to make sure this was done and not forgotten.

We have Thursday and Friday to set the venue before however I don’t want to be rushing around as I’m sure there will be last minute panics or forgotten bits and it would be nice to relax with my girls before the big day.

Just a few things I have learnt over the planning process, it has been short (8 ½ months) and gone very quickly

• Pick your theme, colours and wedding party early on. Give yourself time to plan in your head and really visualise your day.
• When you’re putting trust in friends of friends give them plenty of time, I’m afraid some will let you down and you need time to re arrange
• Keep lists on lists on lists. Track your guests, purchases and payments. It will go crazy!
• Sit down with your partner regularly to catch up on bits, discuss ideas and respond to suppliers. (getting 5 mins to talk to Paddy is hell and it’s one thing he would change)
• Don’t be afraid to get stuff done, you can never be too early!
• Don’t sweat the small stuff – people will let you down, things won’t exist that you really want but it all happens for a reason.
• And most of all enjoy it!

Image Source

It’s sad to say goodbye, I have enjoyed writing and sharing my experiences with you all and hope you love reading about the day itself!! I have saved a few surprises for you all!

Much Love

Jo & Paddy