It's Real Folks

"IT'S REAL FOLKS"

My favourite part of a wedding is the time leading up to the event. I build up so much excitement as I try to guess the couples colour scheme, if there will be a theme, what will their first dance song be and all of the wonderful "weddingness" in between. 

I am the worst at keeping things I am excited about to myself so I haven't posted in a while, purposefully. Let me try catch you up without giving away too many details - that will be for post wedding day blogs :)

 What a wonderful and busy month it has been:

• Invite Sending

• RSVP fixing (I guess my Appy Couple instructions weren't that easy to follow after all. LOL!)

• Bridesmaid Dresses: Lost in the post; then they suddenly appear out of nowhere; then not sure of the combination chosen; then added another dress to the mix; then finally decided on the colour palette and then finalised which of my beautiful bridesmaids wears what dress

• Designing the menu, seating table chart and place cards

• Taste testing our way through the menu

• DIY arts and crafts 

• Wedding Playlists

but the reality that I was getting married in less then two months hadn't quiet felt real... 

Until Wednesday. 

Mom and I both had our first dress fitting... In the midst of finalising her MOTB (Mother of the Bride) dress, being measured, oogling at my beautiful fabric and prancing around in the shoes I will be dancing the night away in with my handsome husband, it  suddenly dawn on me.... and it all got real folks! 

I am a bride-to-be!

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #57 days 

# 28: WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW

The 28th May-Photo-A-Day-In-July: "What you're doing now"

When I first stumbled upon Terence, one of the main reasons we became friends was our mutual passion for film making. This also happened to be the reason for our first encounter - as I was moving to Cape Town he offered to share with me his film industry contacts in the Mother City. By the end of our evening I knew I had met my best friend and my mother knew, after sharing my fun filled evening with her, that Terence would be the man I would marry.

 A year and two months later he proposed.

So, what are we doing now? We are planning a wedding of course and we have just finished creating the invitation and wedding website - I can't wait to share this once my guests have received them. We have put an enormous amount of time, love and laughter into creating them and so happy with the result. 

We have also been very busy setting up Orpen Film Making Co.: 

Wedding films | Documentaries | Your story in Film 

The incredible couple duo, Dylan and Emma Harbour, from Lad & Lass Photography have been a tremendous help and created the opportunity for us to shoot our first wedding film at the beautiful Netherwood in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands Meander.

Orpen Film Making Co. - Link to First Wedding Film

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #73days 

Fun: "Here comes the Bride. Everybody hide."

"BRIDEZILLA"

"Here comes the Bride. Everybody hide."

 This could make a great movie title and catch phrase, LOL. 

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #80 days 

#26: FAV THINGS TO DO ON A SUNDAY

The 25th May-Photo-A-Day-in-June: 

"FAV THINGS TO DO ON A SUNDAY"

Sunday's are possibly my most favourite day after my Birthday Day of course as it is a day filled with all of my favourite things like:

• Spending the whole day with Te
• Adventuring around Jozi
• Trying out new places
• Drinking lots of coffee
• Visiting our families
• Watching a series or two - right now We are loving Downton Abby
• Catching up on design work

And this Sunday was pretty spectacular as it just happens to be the day before my favourite kind of day! 

Today Te and I spent the day making and drinking coffee from our new Bialati  and frother set that we received from my mom for a joint birthday present and multi-tasked between working on the edit and grade of an Orpen Film Making Co. wedding video and our super fun wedding invitation. 

The Bialati 4 cup and frother is probably one of the most awesome and useful gift I have ever been given! We made an early morning coffee stop at 4th Avenue Roasters to purchase and grind our beans and then hurried home to test out our new toy.. 

The coffee was delicious and the 4 cup Bialati is perfect for us as Te prefers a stronger, shorter styled drink with little milk and more foam, where I am a classic single-shot cuppacino but picky on the foam kind of girl. The frother works wonderfully and creates the most silky smooth froth, just the way I like it! 

Bialati and Frother from: Bean There

Handsome Roasters Coffee from LA: read more here.

Ceramic Robot and Owls: Citizenship Linden

 Since tomorrow I reach the half way to 50 mark and no one at work believes that the Mom-boss can be domesticated and find her way around the kitchen, she decided to make me cupcakes and banana bread like she did when we were younger for the office tomorrow. We spent a fun afternoon in the kitchen baking, reminicing and of course there was wedding talk. I even received a baking wound: cooling rack + high shelf = what goes up must come down... onto my eye. I now have a lovely bruise forming around my eye.

These look just like they did when we were kids.

It was so worth it as the cupcakes are scrumptious and I love how home made try look. I decided to experiment and baked Te and I each a special cupcake - a hidden jelly baby in the middle.   

My lovely MOH and her fiancé came for a visit, a cup cake and to see my expression when I opened my pressebt just to see if I Really liked it - and I did! And that is why she is my MOH! Thank-you Chlo and Kerim, so very spoilt! 

(They have mastered my famous deer caught in the head light look - as seen below!)

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #84 days 

# 30: TOOLS

The 30th May-Photo-A-Day-In-June: "TOOL'S"

There is nothing better than tools, except when they don't work - especially tools that haven been around for centuries like Postal Services. 

The internet has opened the world to us and now when you dying for a taste of Handsome Roasters Coffee but can't afford an air ticket to LA. "POOF"! Two packets of delicious freshly roasted coffee beans and one custom designed Reg Barber Handsome Roaster Tamper arrived just in time to spoil the then-boyfriend-now-fiance for an anniversary... and that is why he is making me his wife - "POOF!" and all his hearts desires come true. 

What about all my awesome wedding app's that are helping me keep track of all my tasks and notes, helped me create our wedding website and app as well as has become my trusty countdown (you can read more here) so when people ask: "When is the big day?", I am able to respond in the appropriate fashion, like a cool-excited-wedding-nerd should:  "88 Days, 0 Hours & 37 Minutes!"


Now according to WikiAnswers - I left that specific encyclopedia at home this morning.. The first postal service was the Royal Mail, founded in 1516 by Henry VIII and the first post offices would have been very informal, and probably associated with coach houses. The General Post Office was introduced by Charles II in 1660. 

So... if the Royal Mail has been around for 497 years... how can they not have managed to co-ordinate the simple delivery of my three bridesmaid dresses to South Africa safely??? The world at our finger tips but someone else's finger tips are now probably holding my lovely dresses. Let's hope that the next attempt will be more successful - thank goodness online stores are aware of this 497 year old hindrance and will kindly replace the missing dresses.

Holding thumbs!

Dresses are blurred and colourless purposefully ;)

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #88 days || 0 hours

# 31: FOUR THINGS

The 31st May-Photo-A-Day-in-June-the-12th-to-be-exact: "FOUR THINGS"

Thing #1 (Most Favourite Thing):

Last week we reached the 100 Day mark to becoming Mrs Orpen! Officially in the double digits with 94 days to go!

iphone App (AppyCouple): Countdown Timer 

iphone App (WedHappy): Task List & Countdown

Thing #2:

I cannot live with out my to-do lists (plural) and calendar reminders as I have the memory span of a gold fish! Right now I have 3 notebooks assigned to certain aspects in my life: Day Job, Wedding and Freelance.  

Due to sleepless nights I have now combined every wedding note and task scribbled in each of these books into one gigantic and detailed spreadsheet. Each task is noted, then briefly described, given a task status, a due date and then highlighted in pink if it is a DIY task and if it is completed.

Thing #3:

I have always wanted a cow-shaped milk jug, with the cows nose/mouth as the pouring spout. I haven't been able to find one...

 Until now at the Entrepo in Sandton City! But this cute little jug was not declared in the bride-to-be budget for the month so I hope he will hold out until July..   

Thing #4:

It was Te's birthday yesterday and for the first time we got to celebrate it together in the same province, city, suburb, street and home which was a real treat as I LOVE BIRTHDAYS! It happens to be my most favourite kind of day. 

We had decided that we weren't going to gift presents this year as our wedding day will be the gigantic belated present. So I found the most awesome card for Te instead. Normally the good part of the card is inside but this was not the case - the good part could be found on the back of the card... as it is because of the birthday boy that I get to experience the "love like they do in power ballads, you know like on a cliff with the wind in your hair and your eyes shut, knowning you'll never love another like this...". 

I laughed so much as I recreated the picture in my mind and the reaction one would have to the "watch out" part.

I couldn't help not gift the handsome something on his special day but I knew we made a promise of no birthday presents - instead I "treated our house" to these floating glass and black frames from Country Road and printed two of our favourite photo's from the Orpen Film Making Co. website shoot.

Lad & Lass Wedding Photography: Double Exposure layered faces || Symmetrical Bridge.

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #94 days 

TFMO: Wed-edia

TheFutureMrsOrpen AKA TFMO

Presents Wed-edia: Our World of Wedding in Social Media

Jeepers! June snuck up on me... 3rd of June already - I fell right behind on the May-Photo-A-Day posts and have a lot to catch up which I will do in due course but for now let me begin a new series of posts about my most favourite topic...

We now have #103days until #TeMarriesDe: 

Some of you may be asking as to why I end off each post with the strange hashtag countdown as well as why I have given our nuptials the hashtag name? It all has to do with the forever evolving technology and social media that allows us to document and share our special day with everyone beginning with Instagram. 

Instagram is photo sharing application the can be downloaded to any android and iPhone device as well as can be viewed on your PC, where the purpose of the hashtag (#) is to categorize the images and make them searchable therefore we created the #TeMarriesDe title to preserve our wedding build up and the actual event in the land of social media forever. 

#TEMARRIESDE

Follow me on Instagram: webelieve11TFMO

Follow me on Twitter: DerrynSmithTFMO

Next in the #TeMarriesDe we have decided to use the easiest, most cost effective and tree saving way to communicate with our guests. 

Our DIY Save the Date has already been emailed to our guests:

 Save The Date

Our invitation will also be emailed along with a link to our wedding website. Our guest will be able to RSVP as well as be kept up to date via our wedding website we created using "Appy Couple" - we did pay a small sign up fee but this was the preferred option as we get both a wedding website and a matching wedding app our guest and us can download to our phones. 

 Wedding Website: #TEMARRIESDE

 iPhone App: #TEMARRIESDE

There are plenty of free wedding websites you could use instead - I have tried both of these: Wedding planning with You & Your Wedding, Official Wedding Website App - mywedding.com

They are both pretty awesome as they are not only a wedding website but a great planning tool. They are able to monitor RSVP responses,  give a breakdown of important details such as meal requirements as well as provide charts to assist you when formatting the seating arrangements. There are so many great tools, sites and apps that can make planning and sharing a breeze these days. 

Do you have any tools, sites and apps that have helped you?

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #103 days 

# 23: "PJ's"

The 23rd May-Photo-A-Day: "PJ's"

There is nothing better than coming home in winter, having a piping hot shower and putting on a clean pair of matchy PJ's and slippers. A clean pair of PJ's every night results in LARGE PILE of washing every week. 

The problem is Te and I haven't purchased the necessary washing machine as yet as we have no place to hang our washing up to dry. Therefore when we make the purchase we will also have to purchase a tumble dryer but why prioritise these non-essential household machinery when we have the most magical car boot! 

Once a week we fill my cars boot to maximum capacity with everything that needs cleaning: washing, muddy shoes, handbags, you name it! Then a couple of days later, my boot is suddenly filled with squeaky clean "you name it items" - see told you it is magic! 

Or perhaps it might be the lovely fairy-mom-boss?? Either way it is AWESOME!!

The only problem is... the magic stops in the boot as once the "you name it items" enter the home they don't pack themselves away and they make ME do this. 

I figured out the other day: 

I am an OCD-Cleaning-Freak! 

When we moved into our apartment, I went through 3 bottles of disinfectant kitchen and bathroom cleaner. My OCD stops at cleaning as I despise packing away.

 Dishes = Squeaky Clean but they will remain in the drying rack until Te packs them away. My clean, ironed, no longer wrinkle free clothes will remain in a piled state on the bed which will then be kicked to the floor until I run out of clean PJ's.

iPhone App: #ABeautifulMess

 The NEED for clean PJ's results in a packing spree as it so just happens that the other half of my chosen PJ set will be hiding right at the bottom of the pile.

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #109 days 

# 25: US

The 25th May-Photo-A-Day: "US"

Te + Me = US 

+

Orpen 

=

TheFutureMrsOrpen

The beginning of US is thanks to the "Tweety Bird" below...

How about I tell you the best part of the our story so far? 

The night I became TheFutureMrsOrpen... This is the mail I sent to my MOH:  

December 26, 2012:

We are having the most magical time in Paris! We have seen so much in the short time we have been here. We went on a five hour, 25km walk on Christmas day and saw the Eiffel Tower, explored the Champs-Élysées, the Kings palace (we think it was), the Place de la Concorde and stumble upon hidden gems as we explore the streets. I am in dreamland with all the delicious pastries and desserts - still have not found a decent cup of coffee... But we are getting closer. 

Te and I decided to get dressed up as we not only wanted to live the Parisian lifestyle but look the part too  - jeepers, these Parisians can dress. We walked past a trendy restaurant called Germain (street: Rue de Buci) and decided we should have Christmas Eve dinner there as we were not too sure what would be open on Christmas Day.

Germain (street: Rue de Buci)

We chose to have our favourite meal for Christmas Eve Dinner: tomato sauce with a side of a gourmet cheese burgersand "frites", accompanied by a good bottle of red wine. 

After our meal the waiter brought the dessert menu. Te decided that this was a good time to go to the loo as I was taking my time deciding what dessert would be fitting for Christmas Eve Dinner. Our waiter stopped by to see if I was ready to order and accidentally dropped (more like threw) the salt cylinder he was holding onto my foot. Distracted, he sneakily removed Te's phone off the table without me noticing. 

Te returned and sat on the edge of his chair as "his back was sore and he needed a stretch". I proceeded to tell him about the waiter who practically threw the salt cylinder onto my foot for no apparent reason. Laughing, he then said to me: "I want to ask you something" and knelt down. To which I responded: "What are you doing?" - not sure  as to why he was on the floor. Te pulled out a box and revealed the most beautiful ring (that he had so cleverly snuck into his pocket while I was in the same room as him at the apartment) and asked: "Would you be my wife!".

Only after I shrieked YES did I realize the waiter had been taking pictures of us, with Te's phone he had sneakily removed earlier.

Midnight mass was the most spectacular experience at the St. Sulpice church. We had goosebumps throughout the time we were there and lit  candles as we were think of our families. It was very special experience as we went there straight after Te proposed. I can't stop giggling and smiling.. It was the most beautiful moment in all of my life.

St. Sulpice: Midnight Mass 

St. Sulpice: Merry-go-round

We were far to excited to keep quiet during the entire midnight mass so we left early and strolled through the streets of St. Germain enjoying every moment of the night Te proposed to me.

xxx

TheFutureMrsOrpen: De

#TeMarriesDe #112 days