Lego Love

One would think that since all the wedding planning is behind me now that I'm a Mrs, that I would have lost interest in all things wedding related. If anything my interest has peaked and now that my own wedding day has passed by, I enjoy perusing forums and offering help, which definitely puts the fun back into wedding planning, crafts, DIY ideas and everything in between!

As one half of a nerdy couple chez Ree, we're big fans of all things Lego (off the top of my head, we have Creationary, a wall of Lego made by our wedding guests, Lego Marvel Superheroes, a big Legoman torch, the list goes on..)

Our happy Lego wedding couple - Zombified!

So you can only imagine how inspired I got by creative couples making their own wedding cake toppers out of Lego. The only limitation is your imagination. Here's a few ideas to get you thinking:

Create your doppelgangers out of Lego

Team it with a ruby red love heart?

Why not team Mrs & Mr Pacman (not pictured) with Lego?

And that's just ideas for Lego fans, there are plenty of creative options which I've written about that might work for you. Check out my top wedding cake toppers here.

Paperwork, Invitations and Attire, oh my!

We have officially been flat out here chez Ree. The WEDDING DAY is looming, well not looming exactly but it's fast approaching!

Friends of ours had advised us to get all the small jobs done as even they will stress you out closer to D-Day. This has now left me in the position of comparing swatches, trying to decide between wooden or paper boxes and Google has been completely exhausted with wedding related searches. (Sorry Google!)

If Google was a cat

Last week we registered our intent to marry, so the State is aware that we're intending on having our nuptials in Ireland. (With Alpacas! But more about that later)

I was convinced that I would forget something when we went to meet the registrar. Even though they had kindly sent us out a letter with a checklist, I still got my long suffering parents to rifle through the family files until the right birth cert was found. (Who knew there was more than one type of birth certificate? I didn't!)

After we had all the correct paperwork, off we went to the Registrar's office (and somehow managing not the 'stray' into the Science Gallery!) We then went upstairs to wait with some other couples. While we were waiting to go in, a couple were called forward and a third man joined them. It set my mind racing! When did plural marriage become legal in Ireland? How did I miss this? How modern and risqué! Mr. Ree was quick to burst my bubble and point out it was probably a translator. Even still, people watching and creating wild back stories for people will continue to be a hobby.

The Registrar we met with was lovely and very helpful. She went through our paperwork and wanted to check that we were in no way related. We assured her that we were definitely not swimming in each other's gene pools. She took photocopies of our passports (which contains the most horrific picture of me. Seriously!) All in all, the whole process took about 10-15 minutes and was relatively painless. For a list of all the bare necessities, click here.

It's all real now!

A very good friend of ours has also agreed to make the invitations for us. We went to a Wedding Fair earlier in the year and hadn't been blown away with the selection. I have never had any particular affinity with doves, flowers or birdcages* before, so I didn't see the point in including them in our wedding day. Cue an email of video game imagery, cartoons and toys being sent to our pal, and to his credit he didn't flinch. Probably because he knows what nerdy things we're into. With some wedding suppliers we have dealt with, they're not sure how to deal with more 'specialised' requests and tried to steer us down the more traditional routes. Needless to say, we didn't go down those garden paths.

* As an aside, I always thought the symbolism behind a birdcage and linking it with a wedding was bizarre. Wedding doesn't equal entrapment surely? Or perhaps I'm overthinking this..

The last thing we need to work out is what everyone is wearing on the day. I have to hold my hands up and admit it's the one can I've been kicking down the road. I'm at the point where I don't mind what the bridesmaids wear, as long as they're comfortable. Ditto the lads, but the only rule I have is: No gold, and no pink! Although I've been asked by guests if there are colours they're not allowed to wear. I find it shocking that some brides tell their guests what the can and can't wear. The mind boggles! Needless to say, I quickly quashed the questions (Mm.. Q alliterations!) regarding colour schemes. I think the only way I could be upset is if someone wore a big flouncy wedding dress, tiara and arrived in a carriage. I have my gúna almost a year now and I'm pretty sure no one will be wearing the same outfit. If there is, I'm not getting changed!

For more up to date wedding related giddiness, check me out on Twitter @LisaOree

Wedding Invitation madness

I'll be the first to hold my hands up and admit I have taken my foot off the pedal recently when it comes to wedding planning. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to marry Mr. Ree and have a fun filled day surrounded by our nearest and dearest as we say our vows as man and wife. But there's only so much enthusiasm one can muster for 'wedding talk' beyond a point.

Time is ticking on though so I have to pull myself together (which is no mean feat when you're working two jobs and trying to fit in time for family, friends and Mr. Ree of course!) Apparently we're meant to send out 'Save the Date' alerts to our guests. I'm not entirely au fait with this, I just presumed we told our friends the wedding date and sent out an invite. Badda-bing-badda-boom, done!

Or not.

I have learned that 'Save the Dates' are important, so it's another thing on the ever-growing to-do list. Whilst researching all this, I checked out a few websites and stumbled upon something else that I had overlooked.

Wedding Invitations.

*Cue Dah-dah-DAAAAH! music*

We were at a wedding show recently and there was suppliers for everything you can imagine, seriously..

Wedding balloon people, it's a thing now.

I had a look at wedding invitations there and didn't like any of them. They were all pastel, diamantes with a bit of ribbon. I don't like pastel. I really don't. This got us thinking about what we DID want. Step forward Google and it's every-expanding wisdom.

Here are some of my favourite wedding invitations which I hope to pull some inspiration from:

1. Mario Wedding Invitation -  The attention to detail on this one makes it my favourite. Such a clever design and nostalgic to boot. What's not to love?

2. Comicbook Invite - Anyone who knows Mr. Ree and I knows how much we love our comic books. (It's only a matter of time before we buy another much-needed bookcase) The fact that the graphics are customised just makes it cooler in my eyes.

3. Pacman - Waka waka waka waka! Now it's in your head, you're welcome.

4. Photobooth Invite - Granted these have been out for a while, but think of all the fun you could have with the concept. You could do it in costume, get friends and family in on it, get some fun props that show off your personality. Your imagination is the limit!

5. Ouija board invite - This is something a little darker, but it'll definitely be something that your guests will remember!

6. Viewmaster - This doesn't strike me as something that would come cheap, but if money was no object... Really cool idea, and who didn't love playing with these when they were kids? (and beyond!)

7. Ticket invites - This is an idea we were mulling over when we first got engaged. Let's face it, for a festival/carnival themed wedding, you won't get cooler invites than these!

8. Scrabble - Always a favourite chez Ree, think of the fun you could have with this concept? Plus it wouldn't cost the world to do either.

9. Message in a bottle - This is a fun idea for a nautical themed wedding, not sure if I'd have the patience to get the note out without being tempted to break the bottle though. Patience is a virtue...

Bonus Invite - OK, this one made me giggle. I love movies, love movie posters and fair play to the couple for recreating it. But I just don't think these work, unless you either go all out or have some fun with it, a la Bride of Frankenstein or something.

In short, looking around at different types of wedding invites ultimately left me a little more confused. I think the most important thing is to choose invites that you both like. They might not be everyone's cup of tea, but mine sure as hell won't be pastel.