Times change and so must I.

I am beyond excited to tell you the wedding photos are in! Lina & Tom have done an absolutely marvellous job, and if you’d like to view our wedding in all its glory (including an incredibly attractive face from me…I won’t tell you which photo, but it’s near the start of the ceremony section), you can visit their website: http://www.linaandtom.com/carrie-ann-and-chris/.

So, we have the photos, the cake has (finally) been eaten, the cards are down from every available surface and in a nice, neat pile (at least, they were until the cat got involved), and all that’s left to do is put all the crockery and the cut-out dalek on eBay.

And, sadly, I think that’s it for this blog as far as the wedding goes. I’m not saying I’ll never post about it again – it truly was one of the best days of my life, and I’m sure there are things I’ll want to revisit every now and then – but, without wanting to sound a bit pompous, the time has come for me to focus on being a Mrs and all the other things I love (except my iPad. I should love that a little less, I think).

Of course, should you find this blog while planning your own nuptials, I still ruddy love a wedding, and will quite happily talk to you about yours for as long as you like, or until I need to go to sleep; I’ve re-discovered my love of nana-naps now my brain isn’t working at a million miles an hour.

But, for my final, dedicated post of wedding frippery and nonsense, I’d like to offer some advice for those of you planning a slightly off-centre wedding (or any event really). As well as the usual suspects (etsy, eBay and the like), I urge you to check out local suppliers and Facebook pages – check out some your friends like or Google what you’re looking for – you might find a gem. And don’t forget to ask friends and family, you never know who’s been hiding an incredible talent! Here are most of the companies (and individuals) we used for the wedding, with handy links in case you want to investigate further…photos can be found in the lovely Lina & Tom gallery mentioned above.

Artwork for guests to sign – created by a very talented friend, who doesn’t take commissions yet, despite us telling her how awesome she is and it’s a shame not to share her brilliance with the world. Hopefully this will convince her!

Band – the incredibly talented and also very lovely Daughters of Davis.

Board games and vintage photo booth – Pip ‘n’ Mix.

Bride’s bag – Vintage Styler.

Bride’s corset – What Katie Did.

Bride’s hairpiece – Rosadior.

Bride’s jewellery – pearls and rings from family, earrings from Olivier Laudus.

Bride’s nails – Polished – Nails by Lucy.

Bride and groom’s shoes – Agnes & Norman

Bridesmaids’ dresses and boleros – Little Wings Factory and etsy.

Cake topper – The Pigeon’s Nest and eBay.

Cake – my sister, who sadly doesn’t take commissions. Yet. We’re working on her. I mean…it.

Car – Allerston Taylor & Regency Carriages.

Centrepieces – teapots from friend-of-a-friend’s mum, books, lace and flowers eBay.

Crockery – so many charity shops and car boot sales that I lost count.

Doctor Who bookmarks used as favours – Quotes and Prose, etsy.

Flowers and buttonholes – Paper Flowers by Lily Belle Keepsakes

Guest book and pen – Silly Love Crafts on etsy and Forbidden Planet.

Hair and make up – the incredible ladies at Dollie Mixtures.

Invitations and table plan – my very talented graphic designer cousin, It’s Kirsty.

Order of service – Chris’ also very talented designer chum.

Printed paper signs – Dragonflyprint on eBay.

Printed wooden signs – Vintage Uniques.

Photography – Lina & Tom.

Rings, groom’s pocketwatch – Freeman’s jewellers in St.Neots (if you’re in the area, I cannot recommend these guys highly enough, they were brilliant).

Venue – Heatherden Hall at Pinewood Studios.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read my ramblings during the planning process, in the final run-up to the wedding, and in the past few weeks. Your lovely comments have meant the absolute world to me, and writing everything down kept me sane (hey, I could have been worse), during the wonderful, tumultuous, frustrating, awesome experience that is planning a wedding.

I’m still not entirely sure where this blog is going to go (prepare yourselves, I think it might be a bit vintage), but as it regenerates into something that looks and sounds quite different but feels a bit familiar, I think it’s appropriate to close with this:

“Before I go, I just want to say you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.”