Updates, questions and excitement!!!

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!

I've been counting the weeks since last blog! 5 or so right? Despicable, i'm treating you terribly. But of course that means that there is more news.

Let's talk flowergirls! I have three of the prettiest, sweetest little ones that you can imagine. I've always loved the idea of having lots of little ones in my bridal party. But as I got older I realized the potential for disaster. Children cry, get sick, get shy. But these three are precocious, intelligent and make Andy and I laugh with their crazy antics and witty banter.

No photos, they are young and I do not want them plastered all over the internet. The world has become a strange place and children are often targeted for the wrong reasons. But I can tell you their names are Kendra, Asia and Neriyah. Kendra and Neriyah are cousins, and my cousins specifically and Asia is my goddaughter. No word from the groom on whether we are doing a ringbearer yet, but if not, we'll just omit that step.

Can I tell you, Anderson Bowen is getting excited. More and more I'm hearing, Hun, for the wedding or, did we discuss... I'm super excited too and NERVOUS especially about the photos. But as long as I have Andy there and THE BEST TEAM in the world for support along with my my mum and family and Andy's family, it's all good. He picked out his suit, and he has a special, secret colour he's accenting with. Blow me down. No best man chosen yet though, it's gonna be so hard for him. Lots of people he loves and they love him back, I do NOT envy him :( But I know his peeps will understand.

This guest list is ever reducing, more and more the monkey is climbing and the tail is being exposed, I love it and so does our pocket! Boom! No budget busters up and through here homies!

No more travelling this year, but  I DO need some advice, where should we honeymoon, we kinda already decided but it's still early days, so input is welcome!

What do you all think about a post wedding photo session, would you want to see the photos? It will save time on Wedding Day since I have so much family and I know everyone is gonna want photos with my handsome groom, I mean who wouldn't? Oh yea and of course with me, the bride (teehee).

My mother,  future mother-in-law and I are in talks re: their outfits. My mother's nickname is Sweetsteps, because she walks in heels like she's barefooted. Elsa Klench boy. She's a trip. And she is the ULTIMATE dresser. My mum is known for her classy dressing and really good style . Now Mrs. Andria Bowen She loves to dress up, and she dresses well. But this is the last going down for her, Andy is her baby, and I need her to be beat and snatched. My mummy is the mother of the bride and MUST also be beat and snatched for the gawds! So I'm just making sure that they have it together. No wardrobe malfunctions or regrets over here. Any bride worth her salt knows, everybody has to be on
point. Photos are forever huntys!

Onto today's topic, KISS. Keep it Simple Silly/Stupid. I am a big thinker, I love to do things OTT (over the top). Andy gets a bit miffed, especially since I get these random notions and MUST try to at least get parts of the 'projects' done.

Case in point. I am NOT a DIY princess, I am more of a go and BUY princess, so this friend of ours says, 'Oh Heidi, for your programmes, you could make fans or, if you decide to do bookmarks, you can draft them on the computer and offer them as favours.' bahahahhahahahahaahahahahhahhahahah *tears* In the words of my FAVOURITE celeb Tamar Braxton, 'uh uhhhh She tried it.' She, me, her Heidi is NOT sitting down drafting NOTHING.

Let me tell you about WHY brides get stressed out. They take on too much and impose way too much pressure on themselves, and for WHAT? Are they happy during? HARDLY, most of our brides are usually SUPER glad the event is over when we ask if they enjoyed it. Scuse me? After all the time, energy and effort, you better at least be telling me it was all worth it.

The night that Andy proposed was soooooo happy and so much fun. He made it so that we were alone (which is rare for us), and intimate and sweet, and then after when my Auntie came and picked us up and started FLIPPPPING out cause we had just got engaged, we started talking about how he did it and what my reaction was.

Well I was GENUINELY surprised and felt like I was floating for the next two days for sure. Earlier that day I had been moaning to my mum about how I just wanted to go home and SLEEEEP. I had just had surgery, my stomach was sore (I have four scars now, photos to come), flown 9 hours to Germany, another train ride for 2 or so to Munich, dropped off luggage none of which I could lift :(  straight to meet the designer off the train, then a few days later we drove to Austria, two days later shot the video, drove back to Munich, spent a day there, took a train to Paderborn and THAT was when the relaxation started. Whirlwind trip right? So I just wanted to breathe. I CAN tell you I woulda been plenty disappointed if I hadn't taken my mum's advice and not gone to dinner with Anderson.

As soon as I realised what Andy was doing that night, I paused. We talked about it after, and we laugh about it now, cause Heidi pauses for nothing so big man was in a state of panic for a minute. I paused because I had always promised myself that if ANY man asked me to marry him, I'd take a minute or two before I said yes, let it process a bit and marinate, and then give my answer. Sounds simple right? Well it's not, if you don't get a feeling of calm assurance when you take that time to think about what you REALLY want, back the hell up honey, cause this thing right here called marriage is the long haul, the big leagues it's the real deal and SHOULD NOT be entered into for frivolous reasons.

In that moment all the joy, happiness, love, hardtimes, grief, pain, euphoria came rushing back. I remembered the first time I really looked at Andy, when he met my mum, when he helped me with my thesis, when I helped him decide what career choice to make, our first trip together, my dad's death which came soooo soon after we got together, when he called me to ask if he should buy his first car, when he took me to meet his grandmother. Our likes, dislikes, our love for God and our love for each other is what flooded my mind and I knew that I HAD to say yes. It was what I wanted and what God wanted for us.

So that is how I want our day to be. Simple, sweet and elegant, but well thought out and organized. Fun and a little bit flirty but SIMPLE. I don't want fanfare, a HUGE expense, or a show off occasion. What I want, is what we want, memories. In the end that's alll we have, time is fleeting.

Just like our proposal and engagement, we want to simply enjoy what God is doing in us. The works He is perfecting in us. Our greatest success on our Wedding Day will be us leaving our former individual selves behind and embracing our oneness. But we are going to do it, simply, not QUIETLY now. Just nice and easy.

How was your wedding day? And what would you do differently now. Or If you're not yet married, what would you include to make your day unique to you?

xoxo,
Heidi.

Kadooment done... wedding planning FULL SPEED AHEAD!

We are over the Crop Over hump!!! And that means FULL ON WEDDING MODE.

I hereby promise NOT to go POSTAL or Bridezilla for longer than half hour each time.

Sooooo, happy August everyone. Christmas will soon be here and then Andy and I have little to no time to get everything ship shape for dum da dum dum.... Andy and Heidi's Wedding Day.

Two revelations for you!!

Found two prospective florists. And my bridal bouquet design is already in the works!!!

The DJ is onboard!! Hope he keeps the date open!!

So yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!

Moden Makeup provided makeup services for a bridal party on Saturday at our reception location no less and the blooms were DELIGHTFUL! Conceptualised by the bride and executed by the designer.

Pretty flowers!! 

Floral design is HUGE. I am not a flower lady, but I am acutely aware of the importance of choosing the right ones to set the tone for the day. So I was over the moon when the gentleman walked in with the flowers and they were sooooooooo gorgeous EVERYONE remarked about them and the bride shed a few tears. It was such a beautiful touching moment that nobody expected but God certainly provided at the best possible time.

Flowers were provided by Petals Paradise 

Petals Paradise - Floral Design

Oh and one super enormous very important allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll women know about in detail. 

I found a dress!! 

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I am super shocked, I have three options, but as soon as I saw this one I called Mummy, Auntie, Nana and a bridesmaid and they all agreed with me it's Heidi right through. 

Clothes and me? WE don't always see eye to eye. But this dress is MINE. I am not naive however, Say yes to the dress people allllways see a dress they like online or in a magazine and they change their minds once they have tried on a different type of dress. That aint hot. 

Here are some of my favourite styles: 

Message me on Facebook or leave a comment down below and tell me what style you can see me in, or you chose for your Special Day.

Love,

Heidi xoxo

Name..changer

Hi Family!!

WE hit a bump in the road on 6th July. One of our dear friends passed :( He was helping us with the home renovations and had become a part of our family.  He was looking forward to the wedding with almost as much excitement and anticipation as me. He had great plans for the house, our gardens, even the children he wanted to enjoy. So we are going to miss our David A. White. (Aboab  inside joke) But God knows best. There will be a special place for him at one of the locations for Wedding Day 2014.

So what does my title mean this week? here we go folks, the roller coaster ride continues, where is the time going?? Lord slow it down just for us PLEAASE! LOL 

To change or not to change, that is the question of the day. I LOVE my name. Heidi Rene'e Aboab. it flows beautifully. My godfather, Uncle Nigel named me Heidi and then he and my dad came up with Rene'e. My father wanted our initials to be the same. So our nickname is/was HR. He was Hutson Randolph. The Aboab was alllll Mummy. The name of her father and his father and his father and we could go on.

MARCH 2010

It should be pronounced uh bow ab. But we prefer uhbobe. It is Jewish, and yes we are descendants of actual Jews. My great grandad Conrad Aboab was Jewish, down to the nose ;) His family arrived here from Portugal in the grand days of old and we've been here ever since . If you visit the synagogue in Magazine Lane, you will most definitely find one or many gravestones or tombs marked with the name Aboab. 

My name is important to me. At Lodge I was teased incessantly about it, until one day I owned it and said, yes that's my name, and get it right. There are still a few people who call me ridiculous names like Aboobee and Abode (fatherinlaw to be included, apparently it's funny). But I get very angry when people bastardise my name. It is mine and I don't walk around going, oh your name is Jacobs hahhha how white. OR Wait, wha sorta name dah is? So respect mine. Thank you very much. 

Andy understands this and we have reached a compromise. He wants me to keep my name professionally, but bills, passports whatever else will bear the Bowen Moniker. I am very proud to become Mrs. Anderson M. Bowen, but I always will be Heidi Rene'e Aboab.

What do you all think about the name change?
The Real - Name Changing

Your party or your guests party?

Well I'm glad you're all still following because life is happening FAST!

I love unique, anything that seems even remotely unusual or odd is for me. I am officially marrying Mr Conservativo. Bae (like the slang?) LOL, is pastel and I'm neon.

However as you may have surmised from our last entry, we are different with similar tastes in extracurriculars and hobbies. Board games, wii, pawn stars. Also, we are music lovers. So quality entertainment for our beloved guests is a must. Thank God my family can sing, rap, act and dance. So we are set. A few poets too! Countless wedding receptions we have attended and few stand out. They are all memorable because they were family and friends of course. But we have to be us and make sure that guests that attend ours, have that unforgettable experience in a good way.

And soòoooo fun is the aim. An old friend of mine recently suggested (and please feel free to offer suggestions as you wish via the comments section, fb or email), a kissing menu. I was clueless! He explained that instead of the old cheesy clink glass with fork at various intervals throughout the evening or after requests, the couple would kiss. For example, a guest requests the mike or signals to the mc (it's all scripted and timed so there should be no rowdiness,) and offers a word of advice like don't go to bed angry or have breakfast together once a week or the family that prays together stays together, and the couple would kiss.

Sweet right? So after the third suggestion I done wid dat, I'll kiss my new husband whenever I please on that day and any day cause no clinkingglass people are dictating our pace!

I also love the idea of a family tree , each family or friend member should write on a piece of paper provided their relationship with the bride or groom and paste it onto a tree, which will be framed at a later date. Totally cute and different  without being ott or difficult right?

So keep the Ideas coming we greatly appreciate it, great food for thought and great suggestions! Never know! One may make it into our Day Of Calendar of events ;)

Love,
Heidi xoxo.

Loves, here's an update

Well my loves, T-3 hunned n somink days!! Less than a year until Andy and my biggg day! Talk about countdowns! So here's the low down on the show down.

I've been travelling with the future in-laws ya'll. It was fun, and I advise any fiancee or girlfriend who wants to become a fiancee to do it! Get to know the family you are marrying into. My mother always says come live with me come know me. I can honestly say, I love Anderson eeeeeeeeven more now! At the end of the experience you will either love your man soooòooooooo much more, or run as far and as fast as you can. I love Anderson Bowen and I am so blessed and happy to be becoming his wife. Yaaay us!!!!

Welll now!

We have our colours, I have my bridesmaids (ahem). Most of our overseas relatives have the dates, we have our venues, food, drinks, cake sorted, we have a house, a car, God is gooood!

So what is left? A whole freakin lot! The music to us is suuuuper important! It sets the tone for the whole shabang. We want a worship session before the ceremony for sure. Then for the reception, we love the Lord, and we love Gospel, but we also love, rap, rnb, hip hop, reggae man we jes eclectic!

I cannot wait to see Andy on the dancefloor.  He is Mr Reserved Chill, bust a move in private. But he saaaaaays he's gearing up to drop it like it's hawt! BOOM! My babe gine mash up de place!!!!

Invitations and save the dates. I may have changed my mind. People keep forgetting the date. Maybe a magnet... (Pyoni....)

Photos: Waaaaaaade and Jazz Apple! Come on party people it's about that time! Collabo, concept execute. Andy loves a good photo and so do I but posers we are not! So the big guns Jazz and V-ann have to step in!

Hair: suggestions PUHLEEZE. Mine is growing and I think I want a chignon or cascading sidesweep with a swoop, but then Andy likes when I wear a ponytail or just pull my hair back. Help me family!

Weightloss! This for me is huge, I feel soòooo much better than I did a few weeks ago! I started Bios Life Slim on the 14th, I've lost 5lbs. I am overjoyed! I'm trying to eat better, up my water intake. My energy levels are way better and I'm sleeping well too. I'd say that's an improvement.

Honeymoon: I'm good with Carnival Valor, but we have to book soon, Time has flown and I think the European tour is our Anniversary trip now. I 'm just excited to travel with Andy, this man is a SUPER shopper. And let me tel you, this man love a piece of clothes hear? I too love my Kins. Sooooo much fun and tries on everything he buys!
Well stay tuned for the continued saga. Wedding Day 2014!

That's all for now.

Sooo sorry I wasn't around for the last 2 weeks! But net access was limited.
Thanks for sticking by us. We love you all!

Love,
Heidi
Xoxoxo

Novelties or money burners....

My lovely friends! 

Hope you have been well. Andy and I have a dilemma. 

Now, my mum went to a wedding years ago where the couple left cameras on every table for the guests to take randoms that they would later include in their album. Even the best photographers miss some of the most fantastic candid shots. So I'm toying with the idea of springing for the same. i think it would add a really cute element to our reception. Andy says no, it's a waste. I'm not totally UNSOLD. So....

Disposable Cameras are usually a hit and encourage Guest Interaction. 

CONS: The people dem LOVE to tek up tings. De disposable cameras aint worth wha paddy shot at, so de flim might not get developed (Film spelled incorrectly on purpose). It is another expense. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. So what do you all think?

Aisle runners - I love the whole princess thing red carpet, white carpet, purple carpet. Whatever. But I can envision myself tripping on this contraption and flying head first into the altar. No bueno. 

They do add a certain something but are they NECESSARY? 

Then there is the decor. Feathers and boas and vases and stones and shells and all that jazz. Or a simple centrepiece. Something timeless and elegant. Classic. 

Is this over the top.com? 

And what about the guest book? isn't that concept a bit dated. I mean we have photos to remember who came. Video maybe, and if ya have decent guests a card or two with a piece of change, just keep the card as a memento and spend the money. I'm sure we will remember the few generous ones around us on that day. o_O

Guest Book too 1980's? 

So are these things necessary or should we just take the foodie approach?  Everything in moderation. 

Onto my dress dilemma. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram (Moden Makeup). You'll see I have wedding fever, but I'm still not quite there. I am VERY excited about getting married. But I don't like to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Cording to de sayin, I holdin it down. I don't want to get overly excited or go far with the planning and then BOOM. My plan falls through, devastation isn't the word. But I know I do have to put things in perspective and then in train.

So when it comes to the dress I'm stumped. I'm also stumpy, so while I love the ball gown, it has to be fluffy not poofy and not too heavy either cause at 5 feet I'd look like an Oompa Loompa on steroids. So I am open to suggestion, but I'm still gonna wear what I want and what looks good on me and is comfortable. So doan get vex!

I MUST have these or the bootleg version, either way they are FLY!!!

Today officially marks 370+ days til wedding day. Dear God. Where is the time going? So I'm scouring the net trying to find styles I like that are within or without budget. And you know what my main problem is. I consider myself to be a bit of a trendsetter. I do NOT want what everybody else had. But reinventing the wheel isn't my endgame EITHER. So God willing next year the hunt is on for Mummy, Auntie and I to find THE perfect dress for HEIDI RENE'E. 

We've decided the top is gorge, the bottom not so much! 

Now pray tell, where in Barbados does one go to purchase a wedding dress besides the shop in Wildey? Jayson's? Hide n Chic? I am in AWE absolute AWE!! Wha I want to startup a bridal shop allllll now. Seriously? Unless I'm a bit slow or uninformed. I do NOT like the idea of not trying my dress before purchase, so ordering online and then hoping for the best isn't gonna cut it for me. But Brides of times past, how the heck did you get around it? This is indeed a quandary. 

Finally, this month marks six year that Andy and I have been together. Now THAT time just breezed on by. I remember the day after he asked me to be his girlfriend. I went straight to Wedding Day in my head. And I decided then that I would enjoy it, for however long it lasted, because he made me very happy. And that has not changed. Andy still makes me laugh EVERY DAY. He makes me WANT to be better and do better and enjoy life because he finds the good in everyone and everything (unless they are supremely irritating). So thanks Andy, you're the most splendiferousness! And what makes next year as our wedding year even more special is that we would have been together for seven years. Completion. 

At Tara and Andre's Wedding. 

2008.

This was actually 2007/10/27 - The day  I graduated from UWI. 

So pray for us as we pray for you. Thank you for staying with us 5 months into the journey. I have been PESTERING him to write his blog and he claims to be working on it. But i'll get behind him a little more just for you all.

Talk soon, and tell me exactly how a guest does find it in dem to invite somebody else to ya wedding, when dem invitation doan even say +1? ;) Next week vibes!!!

P.S: This couple made me laugh, timing was a little bit bad S SOON as the.. man watch it, maybe for the aisle walk but it made me LOL http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152909810125298 

Love,

Heidi 

xoxo

It's the little things that add up!

People of the blog!

So, tomorrow officially marks 300 plus days til Our Wedding Day (silent scream ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh). I am BEYOND excited. This year makes 6 years that Andy and I have been together and we enjoyed a good chunk of it. WE fought and loved hard, and by God's grace we won. Next up, enjoying a long, fruitful, prosperous MARRIED life, with hardship and difficulty of course, but God is and always will be good!

Alright, lewwee cut to the chase. Flowers, favours, bookmarks, programmes.

We need to start becoming concerned about our environment and going green. PLUS Printing ain't cheap.
So we go and order invitations, save the dates, gift cards, thank you cards, name cards, programmes, bookmarks, the list goes on. Already several reasons why you should NOT spend a HUGE amount of money on these add ons.

Bookmarks? really? In the Kindle/Galaxy/iPad age? Pointless. Email them a bookmark, save yourself the money.


Bookmarks?? No thanks!

Flowers, Andy says he wants them. So be it. As long as we don't go over the top with a lot of bush and greenery that looks really pretty, but costs more than a bomb.

Favours: Give me something meaningful, I want something that I can look back on and remember happy or crazy or funny moments at the couples' nuptials. My friend Shanna gave everyone at hers a framed photo of her and her husband, still have it. Our friends the Jones' gave everyone metal measuring spoons that had cute little sayings on them like a teaspoon of love and a tablespoon of sunshine, still have them. Tonya, our other friend sat down and MADE fans and I still have mine!

Love Beyond Measure - Spoons, Cute huh?

Some people put alot of love goes into these items and we take them for granted. So trust that ours (oh please help me to get through with them Lord). Will be worthwhile and MEANINGFUL keepsakes like the ones I mentioned previously.

Jordan Almonds are NOT meaningful!

From the get go Mr. B said he didn't want any table names. And I had been having the same thought. Tables 1-100 or whatever and lewwe guh long. It's toooo much! So I have to remember the names of the tables and get names printed blah blah. No please. How about The Shepherds, Table 6, The Mark's Table 8 etc. Make life easy for us and our poor ushers who it seems will be dealing with some crashers. (check out this blog in future for my take on Wedding Crashers)

So now we have the programmes. I don't want ANY! Hear dis, you go to a funeral and the congregation, people across the street, EVERYBODY knocking ya down for one, then they're gonna say,wait wait wait gimme 2. My sister coming, or my friend on she way, she gine need one. It's a Bajan epidemic now.

But for a wedding? They couldn't care less. How many of you keep the programmes you receive at the weddings you attend and peruse them months after? FOR WHAT? When something called a projector is there? You must be joking. Get with it. The congregation doesn't NEED a programme to see what's happening next. Weddings have a fairly standard format unless the couple have special additions to their ceremony. So SAVE SOME MONEY. Unless it's an outdoor wedding and your friends and family might not know your hymns etc.

Wedding Programmes. meehhh. I don't think they are necessary, what about you?

So that's my take on those 'incidentals', think carefully about where you can cut costs. I don't believe cutting the guest list is the only option ;)

Coming Up: Groom Gifts - Andy is SO HARD to shop for yo!