Saturday 28 July 2012

From this day forward...


I cannot believe that The Day has finally arrived! I have scheduled for this to post at 3pm today as that is the exact time that our darling daughter is getting married. This is our sweet girl in the Summer of 1987, happily playing on the beach on holiday. This really makes a lump come to my throat just looking at her aged 18 months.  She has grown into the best woman (and Doctor) you could meet. So kind, funny and generous  and I love her so very much.

 Yes after getting engaged in December 2010, amongst all the snow we had at that time, the months have flown by and here were are ready to see Milly wed her beloved Tom. I am so happy for her as she has found a soul mate in him. I have always dreamt of this for my own girl as I married my soul mate too in July 1981 and we celebrated our 31st Wedding Anniversary on Wednesday. It will be a very proud Dad who is giving away his darling daughter today. I shall watch with so much love and pride. Our son is an usher so we will all be a big part of her special day......4 peas in a pod ;0)


At this very moment Milly and Tom will be saying their vows and I will be standing in my outfit wearing these................




They are grey satin and I love them. There is nothing like new shoes and of course if a girl has new shoes then she just has to have....













a new bag of course.

This is my clutch bag, it's tiny and will just hold a few essentials; the tissues will be in there just in case.






You will have to wait until next week when I get a chance to sort through my photos until I can show you a few photos of the day but I thought I would take this opportunity to share my very last sneak peeks, as I could not risk them being seen by anyone in advance of today.

These are a couple of pieces I made related to the  wedding jewellery. If you have not read about my wedding jewellery the posts are here and here
Milly wanted a bracelet to wear which matched in with the bridesmaids necklaces. The photo below shows  what I made. I used one medium and 2 small sized  beads, the same design as I used in the bridesmaids' necklaces. I used the same freshwater pearls too and finished it off with a heart toggle clasp.


I decided that it would also be lovely to make a keepsake for the bridesmaids and also for Milly. As you know I love making bag charms and I had one of those light bulb moments in bed one morning that I could make them all a bag charm with one of the necklace beads in. So I did and here they are...

The one in the middle is for Milly the other 2 are for Megan and Laura, the bridesmaids. I do hope they like them.

 When the beads were being made by Laney we had to decide on sizes. Laney sent me 3 different sized lentil beads and we decided to use the smallest beads for the necklaces and one medium for the middle of Milly's bracelet. It did mean that I then had a large and a few medium sized lentil beads spare. I thought the large bead would make a great pendant for Milly as she really loves the bridemaids' beads. I thought a pendant necklace would be really different for her to use after the wedding. So this is what I will have given her yesterday when we spent a whole girlie day together at a hotel spa, her last day before her wedding.



I really hope she likes it. I bought a really good quality sterling silver chain to hang the pendant on.

So the only pieces of jewellery you will not have seen yet is her own necklace and earrings. We decided to keep these very simple indeed and to go for classic freshwater pearls. The pearls  were selected  for me abroad by a seller I have known for some time and they are just stunning.
Pearls are graded by their size, regularity of shape and lustre and these ones are just gorgeous. A+++ quality. They are quite large for pearls (8mm) and all I did was put some crystal spacers between. We both LOVE this necklace and she will enjoy wearing it after the wedding too.





It has a simple heart toggle and was made with lots of love by me for my girlie. Here is a group photo with her pearl stud earrings in too.

 

I also made her a lucky horseshoe which I will give to her after the ceremony. Her bridesmaids are carrying sunflowers and she has ivory roses and bright gerberas in her bouquet so this is a little of both.

I attached it to an ivory ribbon. It is a wooden horse shoe and quite traditional over here to give something like this to the bride just after she has said her vows.

As she will have been seen by all now I will give you one tiny sneak peek of the back of her dress......ready.........



This was taken at the second dress fitting so all the little beads have been tied off now and finished. This lacing takes some time to do but looks stunning. Milly wanted a dress that looked good from both the front and the back and she really did find it. You will have to wait to see the front ;0)





I will also share a photo from the practice hair day  to show the gorgeous flower hair comb we had made. We saw the maker at a wedding fair last year and just fell in love with her work.











This was taken at Milly and Tom's house in May. It just compliments her hair and her dress so well.













So now my last sneak peek just has to be their card which I have shown at the top of my post. That showed the box I made for it, here it is in all it's glory taken out of the box.
It's one of my easel cards and this is the front. I have used flowers to try to match Milly and her bridesmaids' bouquets, there is a bit of both here. I used lots of lace, punch cut vellum butterflies and lashings of glitter on the flowers to give them sparkle. It's hard to see in the photo but the backing paper I used is lovely matt shiny silver card.


I used my beloved Lili of the Valley Bride and Groom stamp and again used some of the colours that will feature at the wedding. I carefully coloured it with Promarkers.


I also used my recently acquired
calligraphy skills to write the sentiment inside.





There is something special here too - the white flower in the centre (and also on the lid of the box and the far right hand side of the front of the card) is taken from my headdress from my own wedding day. The headdress was broken and unusable but I cut out some of the flowers and used them here. It was wonderful to be able to use them in this way. It really is a card with a lot of love inside.There are 2 rings for the card to "stand" on.



Here is the easel standing up and also a view from the side.

 I would like to enter my card into the following challenges; (I will put up the links on Monday).

4 Crafty Chicks Wedding
Whimsey stamps challenge 49 Summer Fun
Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes
Dream Valley #37 Summer
Make it Monday  linky party 100
I love Promarkers #127 Gold, silver or bronze
The Stamp Man Challenge Blog Anything Goes
Coffee, Chocolate & Cards Challenge blog Rainbows and butterflies #18
Lili's Little Fairies A touch of romance


I know that you will all be thinking of us today.  I have been so touched by all the emails, comments, cards and even presents that you have sent. Thank you all so much. I find it hard to put into words how much our families are looking forward to celebrating Milly and Tom's Wedding Day today. I am so very proud of my Girlie and I wish her and Tom a lifetime of happiness together, full of love, from this day forward........

I shall raise my glass at the toast and toast all my blogging friends too...cheers!

(I have also not forgotten that my 2nd Bloggerversary was on Thursday. I shall be back with a post soon and a little celebratory giveaway. I am sure you will forgive me for being late with that, there was rather a lot going on at the time ;0) Thanks for being such a positive force in my life).

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane  (the Mother of the Bride)   ;0)
x

31 comments:

  1. I hope you are all having the most wonderful time as I type.
    So many beautiful things Jane!!
    The dress, oh my the dress is just gorgeous!!!
    The jewellery as always is simply stunning, how lovely to have a pendant as a momento for after the day and the cute little bag charms too and of course the amazing bridal jewellery, wow!!!
    I love the fact that you have used some of your own flowers from your wedding day too.
    Continue to enjoy your day.
    Best wishes to Milly and Tom, happy anniversary to you and M too and oh happy 2nd bloggiversary as well.
    Much love,
    Vivienne xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  2. Many congratulations to the happy couple! Hope you are all having a glorious day!
    Victoria xx

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  3. I loved, loved, loved this post, dear Jane, it's the most awaited post for this summer (if not whole year?), and everything is even more breathtaking than I imagined! I am stunned by the beautiful jewelry you've created, those will be treasured for years to come. And of course I mean OF COURSE you needed new shoes&beautiful clutch, they're just stunning too! And that beautiful bride...I am reaching tissues here even it was just a little detail we saw *sniff*

    That card you've made just sums up the love, care and happiness you've put into Milly and Tom's special day. You are one amazing MOTB...no, wait, it's Mother in Law now, dear!!!

    All the best to all of you, enjoy!

    Yours,
    Mia

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  4. Dear Jane, how very clever and thoughtful of you to prepare this post and have it sent out to us at the moment of the wedding! I enjoyed reading and seeing each thing.. your daughter's dress is simply amazing, I can't wait to see the front! And I love how the jewelry will be able to be worn and enjoyed in the future, not for one day. Congratulations to the whole family.. you have a wonderful future ahead of you all! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  5. What a treat, Jane to be included in the preparations for Millie and Tom's special day. My family is toasting yours today!!
    Love the dress and the pearls! Laney's beads look lovely. Can't wait to see more photos!

    Here's to their new beginning.....

    Annex
    PlumCreek22

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  6. Ih hunnie you willl be dancing the night away now, Ihop eyou have had a brilliant day and thankyou for sharing the beautiful picutres too, I do love looking at your photographs, have a wonderful time swwets dying to see the front of the dress, ooh and the card is wonderful too xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  7. Jane, I am sending wishes for the best you and your families could hope for on the Big Day. Your daughter's dress looks amazing. Looks like it has all come together beautifully. I can't wait to see the photos that you will show us. Stunning hair accessory as well.

    Lovely card, and I can feel from your writing just how special it was to add those flowers from your headdress.

    My daughter is getting married early next year, very low key event, barefoot on the foreshore of the beach where they live but none the less a very special occasion.

    Sending hugs

    Cheers,
    Kasey ~ in Oz

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  8. With so much love and care put into each detail, the day was bound to turn out beautifully! Looking forward to hearing all about it, along with the pics, of course! Congratulations to you and your family! May there be many more happy occasions for you to celebrate! :o)

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  9. Oh Jane, I started reading this yesterday and then my husband came home from three days away and so I never got back to you. I thought about you all day and was hoping it was a wonderful wedding, what gorgeous pictures and I can't wait to see you in your wedding outfit and the front of that gorgeous dress. I bet you cried buckets!! I am wishing the bride and groom much happiness in their married life and to the mum of the bride big hugs xx

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  10. What a lovely idea to post this at the time of the wedding! I loved all the bridal sneak peeks shown here, so many interesting pictures! And what a delightful baby photo of Milly...so gorgeous! I hope you all had a wonderful time yesterday, and send Milly and Tom my very best wishes for a happy future together.
    Helen x

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  11. Oh sweet Jane, Oh I did think of you all day on Saturday and I always had a smile on my face. Oh with all your sneak peeks I can see what an absolutely beautiful day it must have been. EVERTHING is just so lovely, thought out and perfect for your darling girlie! You must be so proud and you should be she is such a lovely daughter. I know how reasurring it is to see your daughter so happy and with her chosen soulmate. It just makes the heart sing and the soul be peaceful and joyful. I am so happy for all of you. I love all your beautiful jewelry items and card.
    I know you will look stunning too and can't wait to see your next post.
    xoRobin❤

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  12. This is SUCH a generous gift you give to all of us out here, Jane..what a treat that you thought of advance posting as you experience and enjoy one of the most blessed events in your life and your family's lives! The joy and love in this post fills me up with such happiness..I mentioned to my little ones about "the lady in London who made my amazing seashell necklace" and how her daughter was getting married on Saturday. They were thrilled for you and your family..and they had a lot of happiness for you too. We celebrated my eldest's 13th birthday on the 28th, and my mother-in-law's 72nd on the same day..what a blessed day! Wishing Mily and Tom a most joyous and happy union..I know that all of the details of your beautiful jewelry, card, ring box, the special details of your own wedding flowers all make this one of the most important and happy events in their lives. Looking forward to seeing your pics of the next post but do take time to enjoy and savor all of this! SO happy for all of you!!

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  13. What a wonderful post! Wishing everyone the best that life can give, and wishing Millie and Tom a long and happy marriage. Beautiful wedding gifts. I'm sure they were received with as much love as they were given :)

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  14. You are so eloquent with your words Jane and I think you should be an author...just another feather to add to your bow of many talents! I hope you had the most fabulicious day. Milly's dress (from the back anyway) is stunnalicious as are all the precious jewelry you've made for everyone. I LOVE the little charms. Milly's necklace is beyond beautiful :-D I can't wait to hear all about your day and of course see the pictures!! Lots of love to you and your family...you're now a MIL!!!!

    Kerry xx

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  15. Thank you SO much everyone. This is just a quick hello from me to say that we had THE Perfect Day....I am walking on cloud 9 and cannot stop smiling. I will be back later in the week with a post and to share some photos of the amazing time we had. The newly weds are flying out of Heathrow as I type!!
    Back soon, I felt so much love from you all,thank you again :0)
    Jane xx

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  16. saw this on MIM and wow how wonderful, everything looks perfect and love the pics you have shared. The dress is stunning...stay on cloud 9 forever lol....love is what you make of it...luv n hugs, aussie annie

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  17. Beautiful card with lots of thought in its creation! Hope your weekend was a wonderful one! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at the Simon Says Stamp challenge! I enjoyed all of the pictures you shared.

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  18. Hello Jane, Mother of the Bride!...Such a lovely post and now I know that your day was everything you had all hoped for and today you are having a lovely rest soaking up all those very special memories.
    I'm so looking forward to your next post Jane and wish Milly and Tom a wonderful life together...Ah, beautiful dress, shoes, jewellery...everything just perfect!
    Susan x

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  19. Beautiful!!! And congrats to your daughter and son-in-law and to the family! Thanks for participating in our Chocolate,Coffee and Cards challenge this week! Hope to see you again next week!!!
    ~DEANNE~

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  20. Well, never mind your card. What a super post. Your photos are fabulous, so is the jewellery. The dress is stunning and what a proper cutie she was as a baby. I hope you've had a wonderful day.

    Finally, Thanks for taking part at I ♥ Promarkers this week lol.

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  21. Beautiful card and Fantastic Pictures of your daughter and her wedding gifts..I saw these on MIM..Loz

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  22. wow what a wonderful array of makes ...the dress,headress and jewellry are just divine i am sure the bride will look absolutley stunning,
    i have really enjoyed reading your post so thanks for sharing and it is lovely to see the pic of your happy smiling daughter as a child..have the most wonderful day and thanks again for sharing
    thanks for joining us at MIM and good luck
    Remember, to be in the running to win the prize from our sponsor this week just leave a comment for another entry. Be sure to mention you saw them on Make It Monday. The more entries you comment on the more chances you have of winning!

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  23. I saw your card on MIM and had to hop over for a closer look... I enjoyed your post and the photos where a added bonus that I wasn't expecting...wow what a card and im pleased you had a great day,Im looking froward to coming back to see the pics. the attention to detail and personal touches such as using flowers form your own wedding are awesome im sure the happy couple will treasure it forever.thank you x

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  24. Wow! Everything is beautiful!! The card, the jewelry, your shoes and bag and that dress!! Gorgeous!!

    Congratulations!! I hope her day was lovely!!

    Thank you very much for joining us this week at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog!

    Hugs...
    Melissa

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  25. Wow!! Stunning card and box and your photo's are gorgeous, i hope you all had a fabulous day!! Thanks for sharing at I ♥ Promarkers and good luck in the draw!!
    Hugs Hazel xx

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  26. Thanks for playing our Wedding challenge at 4 Crafty Chicks, fantastic job!

    Leanne DT 4CC!

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  27. Beautiful, beautiful jewellery, I especially love the pearls, so special. Heck now shoes and bags are a must for the MOtheB, and those are lovely! Bethx

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  28. I saw your beautiful creation on Make It Monday and had to visit and take a closer look. Gorgeous! TFS! My entries are: #84, #129, #91, #157, #158 and #277.
    I would love to have you visit my blog!
    Hugs,
    Julia

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  29. Thanks so much everyone for your lovely wishes to Milly and Tom. They really mean a lot!
    Jane x

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  30. Hi Jane, I came back again to tell you I saw your card posted at MIM. It IS worth a second comment too!

    I saw you at MIM #100. I am entry 300 this week, I'd love it if you dropped by.

    Cheers,
    Kasey ~ in Oz

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  31. Jane, there are so many beautiful things in this post. That I really just don't know where to begin! Btw, I saw you on MIM.

    Lots of joy,
    Corrinne

    PS - I welcome you to play with us at Tuesday Alchemy http://tuesdayalchemy.blogspot.com for our current challenge - We have TWO prizes this week :)

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