200 and some odd days

I..  ahem.... "we" found the wedding photographer.. Here's hoping we here back from them and they are interested and available...


Cross your fingers and hold your thumbs..

http://brollopsfotouppsala.se/ - Here is the website
http://www.astfotograf.com/blogg/  - and here is the blog with more photos to look at..


Now we need to find a reception site!

200 and something days..

A guest list...

Harder than you think...

And just as I wrote down it was finalized... Olov says "is it".....

"le sigh"

Back to the drawing board!

292 days

Want to know where we are getting married??

Vaksala Kyrka..

The church was built in late 1100's  and is awesome... I'm trying to find a link in English. 

We are officially getting married on August 20th at 15:30 or for you Canadians 3:30pm

295 days

Most sincere apologies for becoming "that" blogger...   Or lack there of!

Things are really kicking off next week..

Monday we can officially book the church.. So that's huge, but bad news the churches reception area is apparently not built for dancing "see footloose" so if we want to dance we need to go else where..

Luckily there are a few other places we are looking at so it's not exactly a Crisis.. YET!

Next week we will book the photographer.. Olov I'm looking at you,... We are booking the photographer.

And we are going to put some time and effort into the what menu we want.. yes we have decided on a caterer.

The Cake we think will be done by an up and coming bakery owner..  A friend of a friend who makes the most incredible cakes i have ever seen.. I will get her blog on here one day soon.

Cake flavor.. I'm going for red velvet... mmmm  we will see what Olov thinks, but I'm pulling for it. Are there rules for cake flavors.. What does it say about me for wanting red velvet?

anyways so next week is a BIG OLE week..  And I am excited... oh yes. Now can I just get Olov to sit down with me and decide on a reception area....  Cross your fingers for me people..

till next time which I am assuming will be Monday! 

327 days

I'm not sure what's happened but everything is at a stand still.

November 1st feels like the date when things will really start happening for us in the whole get your shit together world of planning a wedding. You are probably thinking why November 1st.. Well that's the day we can book the church/reception area. So it's really holding things up, that and we are being lazy. Like it should not take a year to plan a wedding.

Yes PAST SELF a year feels like to long to plan things out. Or maybe I am being a time optimist and then we are all in trouble.

Okay FUTURE SELF! hope you're not getting screwed over by me....

A tiny unrelated rant

The other day I was watching an American "reality" show and it was a woman talking about how hard it was for her when she was apart from her husband. FOR A WEEKEND!!

At first I had nothing to say about it but the more she went on the more I wanted to reach in and slap her. Who are these people who HAVE to be around the other half all the time.

What the heck is wrong with them? I love having me time, and considering Olov is gone usually all summer and for a month or two during the spring I think I have my fair share of alone time plus some that I don't want but I sure as Hell don't need to have him around all the time.

I don't think we would ever last if we were. Where does the individuality go when you revolve your whole life around another person?

So I would just like to say that I am extremely thankful for the fact that
a) I have a job which means I come and go all week.
b) I have friends
c) I have a boyfriend who has friends
d) We have active lifestyles that don't necessarily involve each other but always can
e) we enjoy time apart from each other and even ask for Alone time if we are around each other too often


I think it's heathly and normal and I am truly truly thankful that I am not an empty shell of a person if he is not around.

Even if a little piece of my heart is missing when we aren't together!

362 days and a little more calm

Okay okay I've had some time to get over the mass spam of my account with Wedding this and wedding that..

I could rant a little more actually but I won't.

Olov and I are starting to get things going, We called some caterers and a cake shop.. YUMMM Cake tasting!!!

We called the reception hall caretaker only to find out that he is currently on vacation.. Hey even care takers need a little vacay right!

I've decided to go with pre made free invitations (thanks Merium) and will be sending out some "save the date" cards ASAP!   so umm don't be too disappointed, it's not going to be fancy.

We've agreed on budget, we've agreed on flowers and color and decorations.

We've agreed that Olov needs dance lessons.. Well maybe we will just dance together a couple of times a week.. We do not need a fancy dance (althought I kind think it would be fun) but then think maybe it's a little over done.. Who knows.

I've put some MAJOR thought into my wedding dress and completely changed my mind on what I want like a thousand times. I guess I will just have to get into a wedding dress shop and try something on.. EVENTUALLY  yes I'm putting it off.

It's exciting and scary and since I have no idea what I am doing it's even more scary.

there are questions like

do we want a religious ceremony? keeping in mind that Olov's family is religioius and mine is not

what kind of traditions do the families have?

blah blah blah blah...

I'm going to bike home now to my fiance and talk about our days and enjoy some time together and think about this another day. When we can both sit down and talk about it.

Who says the Bride has to do it all!   

1 year... 365 days....

So it's officially one year until we get married. and Everyone keeps asking me if things have really started kicking in with the planning. But the answer to that question is "Should they be" We got one thing out of the way, we discussed that one of us should call the keeper at the reception hall so that we can go look at it. And we printed out all the things that sites list that you have to do during the year leading up to your wedding. My god there isa lot of crap they tell you, you should do....  For instance, Hire a wedding coordinator. I'm not royalty and we are not rich so I guess that's out make bands and dj's try out for you.. HAH like I have that kind of coin/ time. fantasize about your perfect invitations.. PFFT the more I look at all the things I "have" to do the more I think that this whole " wedding business" has gone WAY WAY over the line. Who ever thought that a show called BRIDEZILLA was a good idea or Rich bride poor bride or any of the those annoying bridal shows should get a swift kick to the ass from the people who acutally want to plan a wedding and have it be a fun, relatively inexpensive and joyful experience. Well Ladies and gentlemen, Olov and I are doing it our way. We are going to make it fun, and we are going to make decisions based on what we want not what we think other people will approve of. We're going to get things done in an appropriate amount of time and within budget. So I know i've gone on a bit of a rant here, could me pms,, could be that I am fed up with emails about how i can save 10 dollars on invitations if I buy bulk or wedding favors that will only cost you an arm and a leg but are a must have for the season.. UGH! Breath Suzanne Breath....  It's going to be great anyway we have it.

380 days..

Okay... It's just about a year.....   A year. that seems like no time at all.. One year until Mrs Eriksson...  Wow It's so exciting, I can barely think about it. So much to plan and to do and so many decisions to be made and all for one day..

One awesome 24 hour period that is dedicated to Olov and I....  I don't even care about the little things. I don't care about the food, or the music or the drinks or the photography... or the dress...

I'm just bursting with giddiness at the fact that we are going to be married.

June 2010, Nokia D90

Taken July 2010, with Hipstamatic for Iphone

410 Days

Okay so I finally took the advice of "these people" and stopped thinking wedding wedding wedding. But now I can't make myself start again.

I am sure there are a tons of things I could be doing.

But to say that we want a simple wedding is an understatement.  I don't see a need for lots of Fancy smancy decoration. A few simple decorations will do the trick. I don't need an amazing expensive bouquet.. A few pretty flowers will do.

I don't need to hire a dj because a toast master will do just fine announcing our first dance or any funny games that might happen and music will be provided lovingly through either Itunes or Spotify. Done and dusted..

Photographer is a question mark. I think it's important to have some professionals done, family, Olov and I, a few candids or the ceremony. But the rest.. well that should be taken care of since we will provide some camera's on the tables.. Too bad they didn't have cheap one time digital cameras... Actually just cheap decent digital cameras would be nice.. Anyways moving on!

We don't have to pay for the Church (it's a swedish thing) and the reception area is seriously cheap. It's $347 for 12 hours.. Pretty sweet right! Now we just have to hope we can book the church and reception area for the day we want..  Crossing Fingers tightly and hoping....

So where are the big expenses....

The dress - but I don't want anything fancy and insane anyways
The tux - Okay they are expensive but probably not as expensive as the dress
The cake - it's covered.. Thanks Grandma S
The food - pretty expensive ....  
The Invitations - I'm doing them myself, and they will be great but probably not too fancy.. Calligraphy anyone?
The hair and Make up - okay questions mark. I'm guessing expensive! damn!

I feel pretty good about this. Granted there are a lot of questions still like.... for instance will we book the church we want. and do we have a fall back idea. But There's time Right?

400 and some odd days..

Lately people have been asking me why I am thinking about my wedding with it being over a year away..  I keep thinking... PFFT;; ummm because there are a lot of things to think about and I am marrying a man who for the most part does not seem that interested in planning at all..


Olov's contributions..... we should have good food, and drinks.. and I want cake!
Suzanne: okay hunny that's really good! (staring away wide eyed wondering WTF am I thinking)

Any hoodle... I've been looking around and most websites, magazines and occasional wedding show say that 12-18 months is okay. I don't think about it everyday, I don't stress about it.. (for the most part) But I think it's a good idea to get ahead of yourself.

Slow and steady may win the race some times but when it comes to booking your caterer, your venue, your church, your photographer and DJ.. I am cut-throat!


I don't want to be stressed out and bridezilla like months before the wedding I want to know I've got it all taken care of. Easy Breezy.. cut throat... life!

452 days

I've got my Wedding back on the brain again and I'm desperate for Olov to help me.

Somehow I feel like pulling teeth would be easier!

Things to do this week...

1. call to the reception hall
2. call to catering company
3. call to Uppsala wedding dress place.

My last trip out to try on wedding dresses did not have a geat result. I'm more nervous now than I was the first time but I'm trying to suck it up. A few weeks back I bought myself a dress which came in the mail on my birthday.. YAY ME! It's white, it's knee length it's exactly the style I was looking for in my wedding dress except shorter.

And while I liked the way it looked on me, one thing became apparent, I am going to want a little more fitted dress. Or I am going to need to lose more weight!

Not the wedding dress

On a side note: I started jogging last Friday and my second run was yesterday. I'm running at the baseball field since it doesn't hurt my shins...I run the the outside of the field and instead of doing the whole run walk thing people usually do I realised I could skip that part and go strait to jogging. I'll add that I have never been a runner in my whole life. Always hated it, always got winded pretty early. But now it's better something about the clean swedish air perhaps.

Day 1 =  6 laps
Day 2 =  8 laps

My goal for day 3 is 10 laps and keep pushing myself until I am running for 60 minutes then I will take my jog out of the baseball park and venture out into the bigger better parks around the apartment.

455 days

The reception at the church..  Well what we saw of it (which wasn't much) it wasn't big enough..  hmmm

We're trying to get a hold of someone so we can go in and look at the facility as a whole. The building is new but the outside still needs some work.

The deck is being built still and there are gardens and path ways that need help.  It's a disaster at the moment to be honest and Olov and I are thinking we should look at different areas just in case.

OKay I am thinking we should look at different places.

Men.... 

464 Days

Another week comes to an end. It's a Red day tomorrow so it's time for rest and relaxation on this wonderful 4 day weekend.. I can feel myself unwinding already.

This weekend Olov and I will visit the reception area..  It holds 80 people so I guess it's a good thing I have a small family and not so many friends because Olov has a huge family and lots of friends. Okay I Kid, I have friends, NO seriously I do!

I keep trying to get Olov settled on a guest list, or a first dance song, or on whether we will have a dj or just do the music ourselves and last but not least Catering.. If I could pull my hair out sometimes I think I would. I fully understand why most women turn into Bridezillas and or leave their future husbands in the dark about the whole thing.. 

Hey Baby... You don't want to give me all creative control..

On the upside, it looks like we know our budget.

But there is a small part of me that thinks, I could spend this money on a car, maybe a new couch, a 48 inch flatscreen tv, a new computer..... 



Well I'm going to head home and have a Rum and Coke on the deck with Olov..  Put my feet up and perhaps even have a barbeque.....

Have a great weekend everyone!

472 days... The First dance.

How does one choose that first song, that first dance as Husband and wife and just how important is it.

Ugh...

There are too many to choose from, and I have a list.. A little help please..

First off we will begin with a little Marley. (stir it up)

Then on to a little Frank, Well the link it's frank but hey it's the song that counts. (The way you look tonight)

Next on the list P. Gabriel..  I'm already ashamed of this. Let's just decide on this now and vote NO

Ray makes an appearance and he's at the top of my list so far. ( Come rain or come shine)

Over to Etta for an timeless classic and my teenage dream of dancing to it (At Last)

Cold Play for how much Olov has changed my life. But can we dance to it... (Fix you)

Shania because the song really does connect with us (You're still the one)


Marvin keeps it cool, but perhaps this song is better as a LAST dance.. (Let's get it on)

Frank makes a repeat appearance on the list. (Young at heart)

Jamiroquai keeps it lovely and lively (I'm in the mood for love)

Alright that's the first part of the list. Would love your opinion on the songs. In the end of course it's up to us but still... 


He's home tomorrow and last night I only got 3 hours of sleep..

                                                   Today I am looking and feeling ROUGH!

479.... and 8 days until he gets home...

And I'm really starting to miss him.... But who wouldn't miss that face!

484 days.. But only 13 days until Olov come home

Only 13 days left until Olov comes home, I can't say I'm not excited but 13 days.. God it feels like a life time.

It's never been this tough before when he's gone away, it's different and it's horrible. I can't stand it, I think a big difference is we're not talking as much, sure we have skype (but not everyday) and we can use chat. But with such limited time to speak and problems with connection (mostly on his side) it's quite hard to carry on any sort of conversation.  I am not doing as well as I would hope to do.

So anyways... The grand opening of the reception building of the church we like is this weekend. Do I go or wait for Olov.. I think I will have to wait. 13 days... UGH a life time.

Be honest how sad is it that I miss him this much......  I think Kaya misses him too...

All by myself.....

Olov is gone for 4 weeks to play Volleyball in Spain.. Kaya and I miss him terribly and can't wait till he gets home.

A little something extra..

I added a page with some details about the wedding and things to do around Uppsala..

You can click HERE to get there or just look on the side bar at the Pages section

Enjoy and comment

Oh and we will continue to update the section with information as it comes.

495 days and a nice story

Olov and I rented a car 2 weeks ago and went to look at churches then book one. YAY.. okay well I think we found the one..

The only set back is that you can't book the church until the 1st of November. Booooo.

The pictures are as follows.  (click on the pictures if you want a bigger version)
1. The outside coming up to the door. It's very very tall
2. The outside bottom half of church
3. The inside and where Olov and I will get married
4. The church Organ
5. The coolest door ever and the reason why I voted yes, Olov voted yes long before me
6. The outside and side of the church and some original brick work
7. Finally, me saying do we really have to see another? ya okay but I like this one for the record!

495 Days.. and a story or two

People can be such assholes.

My friend and I went to try on dresses, not because I am going to buy a dress just yet, I have lots of time and I am still on track to lose weight. I just want to see what looks good on my body type. It's not going to change all that much.

SO the guy, yup guy who is working there is totally unhelpful. We have not even taken out coats off and he's asking me what size I am. I say I'm not sure it's been a long time since I measured myself. (let the record show I am not so overweight. I still have a flat stomach but I have hips and an ass. and some extra all over) Anyways without even looking at me or taking my measurements. This guy says and I quote "you're too big for our dresses, then he proceeds to take the picture of the dress I wanted to just look at and tell me it's not right for my body, I would have to have a flat stomach for that and it wouldn't be right for me. He pulls his own shirt to his body and says you have to have a stomach like this...

Then he takes me over to a hideous dress and says this is what would look good on you.. It's terrible. (on ya I still haven't taken off my winter jacket or big warm sweater yet.)

He then basically tells me I need the type of dress that will cover my problem areas and starts flipping through a magazine instead of showing us what he has in stock.

I left in tears and spent the next 3 hours crying and drinking at a pub.. It was 1 in the afternoon when I left the store.

I guess wedding dress shopping is off my list of things to do for a while, I can't bare to have that happen to me again. My confidence is gone, I can barely look in the mirror these days and it's all because some asshole decided to make me feel bad.

513 days

This months check list of things to do has come in and while we have already checked a few off.. The list is big

1. Begin envisioning your wedding style and wedding colors -- formal, eggplant-and-gold hotel reception? Or a modern, black-and-white loft? Colorful, tented, backyard barbecue celebration? Or exotic, orange-and-yellow beach wedding? - UMMM Purple.. Maybe..

2. Decide on a wedding budget and hash out who's contributing to the wedding. The Knot Hint: For a quick and easy way to determine your budget, use The Knot Wedding Budget Tool. - We really need to nail down a budget this month

3. Begin interviewing wedding coordinators (if you'll have one) -- look online and ask family and friends for local wedding coordinator recommendations. - N/A

4. Brides: It's never too early to begin thinking about your wedding dress. Start by figuring out what wedding dress style will look best on you. - CHECK first dress testing set for the 9th of April

5. Start taking better care of yourself. Get in wedding day shape by eating right, joining a gym, and/or even hiring a personal trainer. - Check, signed up with WW and working out regularly

6. Hire a wedding coordinator (if you're having one) and sign the wedding coordinator contract. - N/A

7. Interview wedding caterers look online for wedding caterers in your area and ask recently married friends for recommendations. - Haven't even started looking. YIKES


In other news, I spoke with a recently married swede and she mentioned how expensive it is to have a wedding. But gave me tips on places that would help us budget wise.

Weddings! Happy Go lucky balls of stress!

528 days

We picked our rings up last Thursday, mine fit perfectly, but Olov's was a little snug...

Turns out his hands were swollen. Whew.

Wedding stuff has stalled a little, we have to book the church and we have to book it ASAP..


AHH Olov... Churches!!! It has to be done!

537 days

It's Sunday, mid afternoon, Olov is away picking up a new charger for his laptop and Kaya is passed out on our bed.

We've already had such a busy day, a walk this morning with Kaya and a meeting with some of the neighbour hood dogs to get them all tired out.

I'm sitting and refecting on things, music and churches, dresses and tuxedos, bridesmaids and groomsmen, family meeting for the first time..  YIKES!

537 days feels a lot shorter than it looks.

On the up side of things we bought our rings on Thursday and they will be ready to pick up on Thursday next week. We decided to get simple gold bands for our engagement rings, So that our wedding rings can be a bit more extravagant.... I like it!  But the process of choosing a ring was long and felt like it was never going to end.

On the one thing we should probably agree on we could not agree... How is that?

But it's Sunday and we went to Ikea this weekend, our apartment is looking super fly at the moment and I can't help but enjoy this my last day of the weekend.

540

Okay a little wedding a little not.

Olov and I were thinking about what would make the reception a little funny and decided on a little game for when one of us leaves the room..

If I leave the Dj is going to play: Chesney Hawkes – The One And Only

And if he leaves the room the Dj is going to play: P!nk – So What - Main Version

now you have to listen to them and know the back story a little. So for Olov's song it's because he has a tendancy to sing this song randomly. We could anywhere doing anything and all of a sudden.. "I AM THE ONE AND ONLY!" Hilarious... and my song well it just has a funny beginning

And what about an exit song.... do we want a slow song... or Marvin Gaye – Let's Get It On




Oh and we are going to get our rings

548 days

The days are counting down and I can already tell I'm a little wedding'd out. I think the excitement of the engagement and everyone being so excited has worn me out a little.

That and the intense working out I've been doing, I'm tired..

Valentines day has come and gone, I don't know why there is so much hype about it, I think it's better to express your love for someone all the time instead of saving it up for one day.

Although Olov told me that a guy he knows bought his girlfriend a star.... Oh to be newly in love!

I think I'm happy with this slower pace of wedding planning, we plan on renting a car after pay day to drive around and look at churches together and have a quiet day together. After that we can look at reception halls, but perhaps the church will have a reception hall now that would be perfect.

Anyways.... slow and steady, there is no rush. calm and enjoy it all. that's a better way. RIGHT?

The churches we are looking at:

Gamla Uppsala Kyrkan



vaksala kyrkan



and

Uppsala domkyrkan

558

Where is my Mom????

These are the moments when I wish I was living in Canada, somewhere close to my Mommy if not in the same city.

I want to do girly things like look at dresses with her, and do other wedding related things. I want to have someone who will go to the gym with me as much as I want to and encourage me to work out even when I don't want to.

I miss my Mom today..

559.2

I've been thinking a lot about being happy.. What does it mean to be happy to you?

Is it a big ring, your family and friends, diamonds, lovers, money, a man????


To me, happiness is family, friends, Olov, happy music, my dog, and being healthy...


I don't think I actually need anything else.

Diamonds aren't this girls best friend.

559

A meeting with Orietta at our favourite pub Duvel and a stack of wedding magazines from America and England.

Going over almost every aspect of the wedding and chatting about the perfect dress and music and walking down the aisle, what is our first dance song, are we going to say our own vows?

so many questions and thankfully so much time to answer them. I don't envy people who get married within a few months of a proposal. It must be stressful and hard.

I don't want to leave things till the last minute. I like the ease at which things are going now, slow and steady.

Oh yes and I got my wedding planning book in the mail yesterday and I am sure it's going to be incredibly helpful, I can see it will be my right hand bitch for the next 559 days..

My bottom bitch if you will.

564 days

Theme Song day.

Olov - Today his theme song Status Quo – Safety Dance

our dog who really is woman's best friend and as much as it makes me lame sometimes when we are out on our daily walk I am singing this song in my head.. The TV Theme Players – The Courtship of Eddie's Father (My Best Friend)

Me: Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur

568 days until a life time...

Not every post has to be about wedding stuff... I guess after listening to some classically mushy music, I'm reflecting a little on how lucky I am.

I look forward to seeing him everyday, and miss him every moment he's gone, he makes me laugh, he thinks I'm funny, he gets me and I get him. We are totally different, and still have so much in common.

plus the most important thing.... He loves me just the way I am.


568 days for a life time. But 8 years of learning everday why I'm going to love him for the next 60 years!




Currently Listening to: Shania Twain – You've Got A Way

568.2

The wedding cake....

I like the idea of a small cake for Olov and I.. and then individual cakes for everyone else. It's a no fuss no muss kinda thing.. I'm going to look into it.




Also thinking of what song we should walk down the isle together to..... I can't get this feeling that the best song truly lies in the vocals of Bob Marley...

BUT WHICH ONE???

Bob Marley & The Wailers – Stir It Up - Original Album Version

Bob Marley & The Wailers – Three Little Birds

Bob Marley & The Wailers – Is This Love

568

The days seem to count down slowly and quickly. Last night Olov and I looked at wedding magazines and talked about colors and have decided on Purple.. Which shade of purple is another story.

Why do there have to be so many?



Currently listening to: The Beach Boys – God Only Knows

571

The days go by... And today I am thinking of music....

What will we dance to on our first song, is there going to be a father daughter dance? is it necessary?

What music will we come in to the reception?

Bob marley? He is a favorite of ours.

hmmmmm...

I would like our song to be unique, nothing cliche'

574 continued

Another day, another thought runs through my head. A chat with my Mom about dresses, I sent her to see a dress for me and she vetoed one already.. But the other two she liked, although I'm not settled on them because I want to be able to try dresses on to see if the style I am choosing will look good on me and I need to drop a few before I get to that stage.

Mom says I should have atleast 6 months before the wedding to choose my dress, just in case something should take to long.. I am only waiting on the search for my dress because like I said I need to drop a few pounds...

I also asked my Sister to be in my wedding party.. and of course Sequoia my adorable little niece as our flower girl. YAY

and now some gowns

Front

Back
other option

574

One of the dress ideas. Nothing is settled though

purple flowers.. okay i'm not 100% set on purple but I'm leaning that way.

575 days

It's been 21 days since Olov purposed to me on the hill in the snow in a mini snow storm. It's been 21 days but I'm still getting way ahead of myself.

I've heard though that in Sweden booking your church, your reception area, your minister on the day you want can be tough so booking a year ahead is the best thing to do..


I'm pretty sure I've picked out my dress, I think I know what colours we want to us.(but it keeps changing so)

We're almost there with the budget.. Almost!

We've decided on a church wedding and having the reception in a place where we can be both inside and outside. Unless we can rent some tents and have the whole darn thing outside. It could be an option.

It's only been 21 days but these things are starting to go through my head.