Jay will be marrying Tom on 24th November 2018 at Hyatt Churchill, London, UK. Click here to read all Jay’s planning posts to date.
THREE FACTS: Jay and Tom met on Tinder (Tinder For The Win!) (2) These two are planning a big fat Jew-ish wedding (Jay is Jewish, Tom is not) but in Jay’s words: “Tom was brought up in Edgware and has more of a love for chopped liver and bagels than I do!” (3) Jay is a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor and Tom works at Facebook.
The End is in Sight
As the big day gets closer, I have been feeling every different emotion under the sun! I have loved every minute of planning this day and will be quite sad when it is all over, but at the same time I have been overwhelmed by it all. The wedmin doesn’t seem to end, every day there is something else to tick off my to do list. As I have mentioned previously, I am a bit of a perfectionist and sometimes make things harder for myself!
That being said, there may have been a few sleepless nights but now everything is coming together, and I am looking forward to passing it all over to the Function Band, who will be coordinating the day in addition to performing.
Image by Jon Bird from Haley and Boston‘s wedding
Food tasting
I think the highlight of the wedding planning so far had to be our food tasting, I had been told by numerous people not to eat too much in the run up so I was prepared to go all out! We are using the catering from our venue, the Hyatt Churchill, and I can honestly say the food was exceptional. The taste, the presentation, just the whole experience – it blew us away.
I took the approach of just trying a mouthful (or two) of the food; however, Tom (my fiance) and my dad went all out. Safe to say they truly indulged! It was so enjoyable and just took our minds off the stresses of juggling work, wedmin, and day to day life.
A little tip for any brides: just enjoy every minute of it and eat what you like. You only get the tasting experience once… And don’t worry, your dress will still fit you!
Image by Grant and Laine Daniels from Rachel and Paul‘s wedding
Choosing Our Rings
We recently bought our wedding bands from Regency Jewellers on Hatton Garden, where Tom bought my engagement ring. We knew Gemma through a friend and she has been amazing at helping us choose the right rings, and made the whole experience so easy and personal.
I have chosen to have a band made to match my engagement ring, and Tom has gone for a plain platinum band. We are both having the wedding date engraved on the inside of our bands.
Image by Miki and Sonja Photography from Lisa and Alexander’s wedding
An unforgettable weekend
My mum had decided to take my sister and me on a little spa break for some girly time. I won’t name names as this is not Tripadvisor but the whole weekend was a bit of a disaster. It was so bad it was actually hilarious!
If we didn’t laugh about it we would probably have cried, but we made the best of a bad situation. It was at least nice to get out of London and spend some quality time together!
Last Bits
My parents go away next week, so it has all been a bit crazy as my mum wanted everything more or less sorted before stepping on the plane. I am relieved to say we are on track!!!
I just want to give a massive shoutout to Katie from The Perfect Wedding Shop. My mum stumbled across her business on Etsy and she has been an amazing help with endless little bits and pieces. She lives locally to my mum, which has been very helpful.
Otherwise, we need: a few final amendments on the last bits of stationery from Simcha Invitations, a final shot list for Paul Toeman Photographers, and a few switches on our table plan. Then I think we will be pretty much good to go!
Minus my dress, that is… I still have one last fitting with Sharon Cunningham. We have decided to hold out to as close to the wedding date as possible to ensure the dress fits to perfection.
Image by Haim Afriat from Hannah and Josh‘s wedding
It’s Time To Celebrate!
Everything is so close now. I don’t want to rush these next few weeks. I want to continue to enjoy this time, and to soak up every single second of our special day.
We actually start the celebrations the week before with at Marylebone Town Hall, where we will be having an intimate civil ceremony followed by dinner with our immediate family.
Then we have family flying into London from various places, so lots of family time over the week, and then a big Friday night dinner the night before the wedding at the Chicken Shop. We have hired it out for a very casual dinner for all our family – and an early night for us before what I hope to be the best day of our lives. Roll on the 24th November!!!
Image by Lilian Haidar from Marina and Gary‘s wedding
Click here to read all Jay’s planning posts to date.
Jay & Tom’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Videography – Denee Motion
Band – Function Band
Flowers — Funky Flowers
Photography – Paul Toeman Photographers
Venue — The Hyatt Churchill Hotel
Bride’s dress – Sharon Cunningham
Invitation – Simcha Invitations
Groom’s suit – Anthony Formal Wear
Rings – Regency Jewellers
Decor –The Perfect Wedding Shop
