Wedding wine

Last night we had our wine tasting evening. Two of our friends came round, and we managed to drink the three bottles that were possible wedding wines - plus two more bottles as well! It was a great night, although everyone except Gadget got a shock when we realised it was 2am!

To help with the decision making I made canapés to resemble our wedding menu. Smoked salmon blinis, tomato bruschettas and mini lamb burgers (with eggplant for the veggies). It worked really well, as the Riesling tasted better on its own, but the Pinot Gris was better with the salmon. The Syrah was good on its own and also good with the burgers.

Our 'tasting' wines

So our wedding wines will be Lindauer Sparkling (probably Special Reserve Blanc de blancs), Mud House Pinot Gris and Babich Gimlett Gravels Syrah. Two are from the east coast of the North Island, where we spent Easter (Gisborne for the fizz and Hawke's Bay for the red), with the other coming from  NZ's renowned Marlborough region where we'll be spending Christmas. My plan is to put this information onto luggage labels and attach them to the bottles, so everyone can appreciate our careful wine selection.

Now I just have to work out how many bottles we need. I think 12 red and 12 white should be fine - our guest list is currently 54 adults, but two don't drink wine and a few may be driving, so we should have around half a bottle per person. Then if we add the same amount of sparkling wine for arrival drinks and toasts, everyone should have a good time!

D-I-Mac?

What is it called if your DIY involves a MacBook Air rather than paper and glue? I have no idea, but it doesn't feel like real DIY to me. It'll have to do for now though, as I'm on the other side of the planet with none of my usual craft supplies. I don't even have superglue here (when my headphones broke I repaired them at work with skin glue!). By the time I get access to my scissors and stamps again, the wedding will be less than three months away. So anything that can be done-by-mac (i.e. done now) will be time saved in February.

This week I've been busy with my track-pad and Photoshop Elements. I've done the first drafts of both the menu cards and the table plan cards (my dad is - hopefully - working on the background that the cards will be attached to). I'd also done an icebreaker card, but after an exhausting conversation with Gadget we're not sure it will work for our small wedding, so we've scrapped it.

Sticking with our non-themes of travel and New Zealand, I've hopefully managed to add a little fun and personality to the stationary. The menus look quite good, although I'm sure there will be several more drafts before they're finished. Even if we change nothing else, our custom artwork (whilst making excellent progress) is far from finished, and it's hard to judge the balance of a page when there's a key piece missing. I also firmly believe that you should view things as you intend them to be seen; if you're going to view it on a screen then you can approve it on a screen, but if the end result will be printed then you need to print it. For wedding purposes, that means I have to print everything, as some people will need to receive an actual invite (rather than an evite). So glad I have colour printing at work...

I've also done the umpteenth draft of the invites. I've mentioned the invites before, but finally I think we're getting somewhere with them. Having thrown out the original plans and used Gadget's new idea, the invites look completely different. They also feel different - they are modern, uncluttered, bold and have a couple of secret ingredients on too! Today's changes include a slight wording alteration that allows us to write our guests' names on the actual invite - as we don't have envelopes and are limiting the numbers I think this is quite important. Gadget is uncertain of the new layout though, so I may have to seek a third party opinion. Thoughts please Dad!

I've also started the postcards that will make up the reverse side of our table names. This was actually really easy - I just created a postcard template in Photoshop, added the stamp from our save-the-dates and then adjusted the text until it looked right. Now I just need to select the photos for the front, and maybe add a frame. And as these don't contain any secret ingredients, I can put them up here for all to see and comment on!

The name card for the top table
Not sure there will be a frame on the real thing, had to add it for ease of on screen viewing 

Next on the list is the Order of Service and signposting for the car park. The thank you cards are already in progress, as are the place cards. It looks like the place cards will be the most labour-intensive stationary item - but also the most handmade. We may need to stamp and emboss the names onto each card individually; at the very least they'll need to be handwritten. Add this to the fact that the cards themselves are going to have to be hand-cut (we can't find a punch or die-cut big enough) and you'll understand why I'm doing everything else so early!

Honeymoon wardrobe

I've been considering this post for a while, and rock my wedding's packing post yesterday has spurred me into action.

I am a pack-light-and-wash-your-clothes type of packer. I'm also a plan-it-as-far-in-advance-as-possible packer - Gadget, unsurprisingly, is a do-it-all-the-night-before type. There are always lists - actually there is a master list on the computer which I print out and adapt to each trip. I based it on this list which you can download (it's actually from the University of Sheffield, and whilst not perfect is one of the best I've found). Itchy feet (an outdoor retailer in the UK) also do lists for specific trips which are worth looking at through their website.

So I start with the list, then I lay everything out on the bed. Then comes the key part - I work out what NOT to take. The temptation to add things at this point is huge - I promise you don't need them. We've just been to the pacific with 24 kg of luggage between us - 8kg checked each and 4kg hand luggage. This included four bottles of sunscreen, 2 snorkels and masks, an iPad and a DSLR camera - and we still had too much stuff.

Now for the part I think is the trickiest - working out what clothes to take that serve many purposes, go with everything, are light-weight and quick drying and don't make you look like a tramp/gap year student. Particularly important for your honeymoon, when you actually want photos of you looking nice. Rohan do some good items for those of you in the UK - they look like regular clothes but are high tech so are lightweight and crease resistant. (I've got my eye on their cardigans at the moment, but I'm not sure purple is the right colour to get.) I usually have to settle for half-way decent with holiday pics, but I'm working up to 'nice'!

This recently discovered post should help. I tried putting this into practice on our pacific trip, and I think  it worked. I took neutral bottoms (skirt, shorts and trousers - one of each) and brightly coloured tops, plus one dress. I left my dressy flip-flops in the UK though, so had to just use my comfy casual ones - they were fine for the no-dress code pacific (much as they are in NZ).

I also took a very minimal amount of make-up - lip gloss, mascara, coloured kohl eyeliner and a mini mousse foundation that works as a concealer too. That added almost no weight, took up very little space but was enough to make me feel dressed up. Because I felt more confident, I smiled more, and that's reflected in the pictures.

This post (provided by a RMW commenter) has some good ideas on packing toiletries and electronics. I think even I would struggle to pare down my toiletries as far as she has, but you definitely do not need the whole bathroom cabinet. 200mls of shampoo will last two people 3-4 weeks, 50g of toothpaste not quite as long. This stuff is heavy, and there's very few places you go where you can't replace it.

If you like to read, I have to recommend you go electronic. Get a kindle or sony e-reader - then you can take six books (or sixty books!) without any extra weight. I'm not going to talk about packing electronics, because I live and travel with a gadget freak and we take way too much. I'm working on it!

Finally, do not scrimp on the essentials. Make sure your passport is valid, check visa and entry requirements (do you really want to be fined £200 because you didn't know you can't bring food into NZ?) and get yourself insured. Then you can sit back, relax, and hopefully enjoy your honeymoon upgrade!

Sneaky flight charges and the wonderful Expedia

I can't give advice on booking package holidays, as it's not something I do much of. When it comes to booking flights (and hotels/rental cars/trains etc), however, I have quite a bit of experience. We currently have thirteen flights booked - maybe I should book one more to avoid the unlucky number?!

None of these are for our honeymoon, but some of the places we're going (Fiji, San Francisco) would be great honeymoon destinations. Some are with multinational airline alliances (BA/Qantas/One World), and some are with budget airlines. I'll fly with almost anyone, as long as the price and the time is right. The exception to this (apologies to those of you in the US) is some of the American airlines. We're flying BA as the alternative was United, who have consistently failed to deliver. Having said that, I was also unimpressed with Emirates, and they tend to get good reviews. On the flip side, I've yet to have a really bad experience on a budget airline - obviously you get what you pay for, but what do you really need on a 2 hour flight?

Budget airlines get notoriously bad press, either for being late (tight schedules) or for sneaky charges. Whilst the charges are annoying, just play the game and they can be minimised (check in online, take only carry-on luggage and pay by debit card). NZ's budget airline JetStar does much better than EasyJet or Ryan Air for the latter - you can pay by internet banking which is fee-free. It works really well for flights originating in NZ, but I've just discovered that it doesn't work for flights originating elsewhere as you have to pay in the currency local to where your journey begins.

Enter Expedia. I often read reviews of new flight comparison websites, but none of them seem to work as well as Expedia. I've used them since 2002, and although I shop around every time I book a flight, over 50% are booked through Expedia. They don't charge fees, have consistently good prices, good customer service and an easy to navigate site. This time they have even managed to trump budget airline JetStar on their own prices!

They're also great for hotels, and link in to Trip Advisor's rating system. I've used expedia.com, expedia.co.uk (you can spend and receive nectar points here) and expedia.co.nz, and can highly recommend them. And before anyone asks, they haven't paid me to say this!

The purpose of insurance

Two topics in one today, because most people need two lots of insurance for wedding-time - actual wedding insurance, and then travel insurance for the honeymoon. We currently only have one of these, but I've bought a fair amount of travel insurance over the years so I think I can talk about that too!

Insurance, as Gadget is fond of saying, is there to cover you in case you can't afford to sort it out yourself. Whilst it's great if you can claim for your stolen iPod, it's not essential. If you have a scooter accident in Thailand, your insurance company may have to fly you home for treatment. As this costs more than the average wedding, it's not something most people can afford to pay for. If you don't have insurance, your alternative is taking your chances with the Thai hospitals. I know what I'd prefer...

Yet thousands of people go on holiday every year without travel insurance. For Brits travelling within the EU this is less risky, but I still wouldn't recommend it. (Make sure you have an EHIC card when travelling within the EU - apply via the Post Office.) Outside the EU not having insurance is crazy - particularly when you can get annual insurance for about £50, and two weeks for about £30. If you travel twice or more in one year, get an annual policy.

I'm now going to sound like a boring geek and say please check the small print and make sure you know what you're covered for and how to claim. Take your policy documents with you, plus a copy, and leave a copy with a trusted friend or relative. It sounds like a hassle - but better than having trouble the day you have a problem.

Wedding insurance works on a similar basis. Yes, it probably covers damage to your mum's hat, but that's not why you buy it. You get it in case the venue burns down and everything has to be moved or postponed. Judging by the price of insurance (ours was £34.99) this does not happen very often - big sigh of relief! As it is so cheap to get insured though, you'd be crazy not to. Ideally buy it before you start signing contracts and paying deposits, although some will cover deposits that are already paid.

We got ours from Wedding Plan Insurance, I think we got the second level of cover (up to £10,000). This may not be the best for everyone, but some policies excluded us because we currently live overseas, and others would not pay out if we got injured skiing. Our other choice was Debenhams, but it's the same company underwriting as with Wedding Plan, and Wedding Plan were cheaper.

Honeymoon drugs

I am not talking about anything illegal, or even anything hippy/herbal. I'm talking about essential drugs for awesome destinations.

Depending on where you go, drugs may be easily available (Europe), available but expensive (USA), available but dodgy if you don't know what you're doing (most of Asia), or not available at all (Pacific Islands). Before you set off on your honeymoon you need to know this.

Start your health planning at least six weeks before you depart. Some vaccines need more than one dose, or time to be fully effective. See your healthcare professional (GP), but you can get some idea of what you might need before then.

The NHS website fit for travel is great. It covers all the bases, tells you about precautions, vaccines and recommendations. I think it lacks information about one key area, and that's what I'm going to talk about. Malaria prophylaxis.

As a travel junkie and healthcare professional, my friends often ask for my advice about this. Prophylaxis means prevention, and that's definitely the key. It's all out there, and it's not rocket science; try to get bitten less. Cover up at dusk, wear mozzie repellent, use nets and coils in the room at night if needed, if you have a 'proper' room keep the door shut when the light's on. If you're like me, you'll still get bitten, so drugs also have a role.

There are a variety of drugs, and not all will be effective where you're going. For Vanuatu (where we're going in August) the NHS advise Atovaquone/proguanil OR doxycycline OR mefloquine. This is the question I get asked - how do you decide which to take?

Doxycycline is cheap, but it's an antibiotic. If you're on the pill, it's not the right choice. It can also irritate your stomach and make your skin more sun sensitive. Having said that, it's what we'll be taking and we've used it twice before. Mefloquine (Lariam) can rarely cause serious side effects such as hallucinations; if you've never taken it your honeymoon may not be the time to try it! Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil) has the least side effects, but is expensive (prices are comparative based on the UK). That's my 'key facts' summary - the decision is yours!

Your GP will give you a private prescription (not an NHS one), so don't just go to your nearest chemist, shop around and get quotes from a few places. In my experience independent chemists or Chemist Direct are a lot cheaper than Boots.

The hard part is remembering to take them, especially after you come home (continuing for a month after leaving the country is common). I suggest putting them with your toothbrush!

Honeymoon headache

Given that the title of this blog is bride around the world, and my "about me" piece says I'm a travel junkie, you're probably wondering why there's no travel posts on my blog. There is only one reason - I've managed to get enough wedding stuff sorted to blog about it, whilst the honeymoon planning has barely got off the ground.

An amazing honeymoon is on our priority list. For us it is one of the most important parts of the wedding. The problem is we can't work out what exactly makes it a honeymoon.

I know this might sound silly - a honeymoon is the holiday you take after the wedding. Whilst this is basically true, it also fulfils another purpose. It should allow you to relax and enjoy the start of your married life, and it should also be a trip to remember. That's where we got stuck.

We travel a lot - last year we had 2 one week holidays, a two week one, a three week one and several long weekends. We are also active relaxers - we're not good at doing nothing, if there's something to see or do we're there. We don't like staying in one place, we'd rather see the country and really experience it.  So what can we do to make this trip stand out from all the others?

We tried the big picture approach that we used for the wedding. It was much more difficult, as we approached it from opposite angles. We agreed that we didn't want to move about as much as we do normally (it's unusual for us to spend 3 nights in the same place), and we didn't want a tightly packed itinerary. I think we also agreed on "somewhere that would be warm and dry in May." That's where the agreement ended.

Gadget was trying to work out what activity we would enjoy, and then find the best place in the world to do it (e.g. we could scuba dive, where is the best dive site?). I wanted to find an amazing country that was small enough to see in two weeks, so that it became a 'once in a lifetime' visit, not somewhere we would go back to. I also wanted to avoid traditional honeymoon destinations; I don't want to spend our honeymoon with other honeymooners, or in the same place all my friends went. I don't really know why, but I don't.

Ruling out all the usual suspects, places we've already been, anywhere that has monsoons/cyclones in May plus countries too big to see in two weeks doesn't leave much. Hence the headache.