Can't believe that it has been 2 months since we last blogged - it's a cliche, but time really is flying by.
The invites have all gone out as of last month (although one or two had to be remade and resent as certain people had given us old addresses... naming no names!) and we are in the process of waiting for responses. There are around 14 people left to respond who we have no idea if they can make it but hope to add them to the 'accepted' list soon. Deadline is 30th June to RSVP to us and please do remember to let us know of any dietary requirements or if you'd prefer the vegetarian options - if you don't, we can't make arrangements with Hogarths.
Talking of food, we are going for our menu tasting evening tomorrow, trying three lovely courses each to decide what you will all be having on the day. It was tough to narrow down the choices and depending on our thoughts after tomorrow, we may need to go to a second tasting evening in early July to make ur minds up. What a pain that would be!!
With just over 3 months / 104 days to go, everything is on track. The suits need to be sorted in the next week or two and I need to confirm the make up artist for mum and I, but other than that all the key things have been booked. It's just a case of making the final payments to everyone and with only three pay days left for us, don't be surprised if you don't see a lot of us pre-wedding!
One addition to our plans we have made is a videographer. There will be two of them on the day so between them and the photographer, no-one can escape(http://www.silhouetteweddingvideo.co.uk/)! We just wanted to have a record of the sights and sounds and overall feel of the day plus by having a video, there will be lots of things that we ourselves will have missed (such as seeing the bridesmaids walking down the aisle before I arrive). Another great thing about this is there will be time between the ceremony, reception and evening party for you to leave a message to camera for us if you should so wish. We will also have notecards on your tables if you want to leave us a written message (which we will then be putting into our wedding scrapbook) but if you want to be immortalised on film, than be sure to grab the man with the videocamera. Don't be shy...
Whilst most of the arrangements have been confirmed, we have a number of decisions to make this month. We are currently choosing our music for before, during and after the ceremony itself plus the reception meal and we will soon be meeting with the registrar to hand them our 'ceremony brief' which will tell them who is going to be doing readings, what vows we want to say etc.
Whilst it feels like this wedding has been forever in the planning, we still can't quite believe that the day is nearly here and we will soon be married. We don't anticipate that things will change greatly after we say 'I do', but seeing the list of all our family and friends who will be there on 18th September has really brought it home what this day means to us. I just need to find out a way to stop myself from crying (tears of joy) during the important parts. After all, if I do blub, it will be caught on tape. Eek!
Just like most twenty, thirty, forty and fifty something women, I was unbelievably excited about the second Sex And The City film. Having been a fan ever since my teens and knowing each episode word for word (much to the annoyance of my other half), the prospect of enjoying another two and a half hours in the company of my surrogate friends, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, was one I have looked forward to for months.
From the trailer, it looked set to be a girlie romp in the Abu Dhabi dessert, a glamorous combination of camels and cocktails. With the tease of a wedding and the reappearance of fan-dividing past-love Aidan, it seemed that this film would have a lot to offer.
As the familiar theme music began, I couldn’t help but wonder… was this film going to be fabulous, fashion-overload or a farce?
Sadly, I was not the only person in either of the two cinema outings I went to over the launch weekend to audibly sigh with disappointment into my popcorn when the lights went up. I had refused to listen to the critics beforehand who poured scorn on this second cinematic outing; after all, any time in the SATC world would be a fun time surely?
However, to my mind, there were two clear problems with the film; a lack of real story for each of the characters and a rather disconcerting feeling of it all turning into a modern day Carry On film.
The ever questioning Carrie worries about becoming ‘too married’, with itchy feet two years on from marrying her true love Mr Big. So, when she meets Aidan in the Abu Dhabi market, everyone was on the edge of their seat anticipating a steamy affair. Alas, this twist was reduced to just a kiss, and after confessing all to Big, she is rewarded with a black diamond to remind her she is married. What a tough penance to pay.
Meanwhile, Miranda struggles with a new boss, Charlotte struggles with a crying two-year old and a braless nanny and Samantha struggles with the menopause by taking ever pill and potion know to man. It may sound like this is quite a lot to cram in but none of this is explored at real length and don’t even get me started on the men, who share a few meagre lines between themselves with the exception of Big.
However, this lack of depth all pales in comparison with the uncomfortably un-PC representation of Abu Dhabi and the country’s attitudes to women and relationships. Now, I know that being ‘politically correct’ can often be a bone of contention, but the way in which this culture is depicted is often stereotypical and the reaction of our four favourite women to the rules of the country verges on insulting (particularly when Samantha waves condoms in the faces of Muslim men in the market and simulates having sex. A touch too far perhaps?) Yes, the other women look suitably concerned with the predicament they are in, but when they bump into a group of women who hide their designer label clothes under their burkas, the film then transforms into a complete farce (I was willing to turn a blind eye to Liza Minelli singing Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ at Stanford’s wedding at the beginning of the film) . To flee the maddening crowd, the SATC girls disguise themselves in burkas, at which point I honestly expected Sid James to pop up.
Instead of exploring the facets of each character, all four ladies are turned into caricatures of their former selves, with costume changes averaging every 3 minutes, turning the film into a fashion show. I was more anticipating the next outfit than the next witty remark and this is a letdown because it means that every person who rolls their eyes when you say you are going to see Sex And The City is right about the stereotype.
For me, SATC was a sharp, witty and refreshing TV series and a fun, fabulous and emotionally wrought film and will always be dear to my heart. So much so, I am having Carrie’s ‘He was the end of her endings’ poem read at my wedding and will be going on the tour in New York on our honeymoon, with a picture of me sitting outside her apartment waiting for Mr Big to pick me up due to have pride of place in my hallway.
I have no doubt that the film will be a commercial success, which will no doubt lead to Michael Patrick King rubbing his hands together at the prospect of a third cinematic outing for our favourite four leading ladies (after all, how many films stick at just two? Most are tempted to become a trilogy). If this were to be the case I no doubt would succumb to my SATC addiction and rush out to buy my tickets.
However, as much as it pains me to say this, I think I would rather leave Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda in New York now, ever wondering what real love means over a cosmo or two.
Talking of food, we are going for our menu tasting evening tomorrow, trying three lovely courses each to decide what you will all be having on the day. It was tough to narrow down the choices and depending on our thoughts after tomorrow, we may need to go to a second tasting evening in early July to make ur minds up. What a pain that would be!!
