Mega Meal Prep: Chicken & Mushroom Rice

Hellooo!

Welcome back to another meal prep blog.  I hope you're all going well!

This week, we head to a recipe we discovered recently on Pintrest.  We were looking for something we could make in the oven, as well as something we had never made before.

This is the original post can be found here.

I took this recipe, doubled it... & then totally ignored the steps to freeze the ingredients before baking to order haha.

Here is how we did it.

First, we mixed white rice with black rice, along with all of the spices.

We topped this with the veggies.

Lay the chicken thighs on top of the rice & veggie base.

Rub the marinade on the chicken.

After that, pour the stock over everything & bake!

Oven Baked Chicken & Mushroom Rice | Serves 12

Ingredients
1 chopped onion
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 stalks celery, chopped
1kg chicken thighs (about 8 large)
1 cup marinade (I used 2 tbsp Dijon mustard mixed with olive oil & garlic)
4 cups brown rice
1 cup black rice (wild rice also works)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoons dried thyme
1 litre low-sodium chicken broth (note I did not double this ingredient!)
Salt & pepper

Method

Step one: mix the rice & spices together in an oven safe tray

Step two: spread the onions, celery & mushrooms out over the rice

Step three: arrange the chicken on top of the base, then spread your marinade over the chicken.  Season.

Step four: pour the stock over everything.  I actually didn't double the original recipe on the stock to 2 litres out of necessity... because my oven tray wasn't big enough haha.  But it actually didn't need it.

Step five: cover with foil & bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about one hour.

Step six: uncover the dish & return to the oven for a further 30 - 45 minutes, until the rice is soft, the liquid is absorbed & the chicken is cooked.

Step seven: leave to cool fully before portioning

This one is so delicious - definitely one of my favourites from this round of prepping!

See you next week!

Hx

Wedding Wednesdays: 10 Things Your Guests Don't Care About

Hellooo!

According to a survey run by Bride To Be magazine in 2017, the average cost of a wedding in Australia is $65,482.  I don't know about you, but that just sounds outrageous to me.  If I am not in a position to be putting a deposit down on a house, I am certainly not in a position to be spending $65k on one party.

Sure, the day should reflect you as a couple & you should get to have whatever you want.  But if you don't have the money to spare, just be mindful on where you spend your money!

The harsh reality is that a lot of the things you want for your big day will go unnoticed by most of your guests.  You have gone to such huge effort to make the day perfect, so be sure to spend your time & energy (& money) on things your guests care about!

Here is a list of 10 things your guests do not really care about.

By all means, if you want these things for you, then go for it - but if you are looking to cut things out, definitely start here.

Pic from freepik

1. The invitations

I completely understand the desire to go a bit old school with the wedding invites (I am one of those people who does have paper invites), but you don't need to go all on on something which the majority of your guests are going to throw out.  Hard back invites, multiple pages, snail mail RSVPs with stamped addressed envelopes, custom designs... just remember that most of these are going to end up in the bin, so spending upwards of $3-8 (or more) on each invite is just burning money!  If you have 120 guests, you're creeping towards $1000!  Don't even get me started on custom envelopes, stamps with your photo on them, stickers to seal the envelopes...

You can get some gorgeous free templates for invites on many different platforms.  You can even purchase some super affordable templates from Etsy.

If you are really sure you want to go paper invites (which I do), try & stick to 1 page double sided & print somewhere smart!

I ordered mine from Vistaprint, custom A5 design on linen paper, with the free included envelopes for less than $100.  Pro tip: if you leave your designs in your cart for a few days, Vistaprint often sends discount codes to you!  Or just wait until they have one of their many sales - I actually bought my invites worth $95 (inc. shipping) for $65.

2. Your flowers

You love flowers, you want flowers, you want go big & grand with arrangements all over the place.  But chances are your guests aren't actually going to notice them, so put them where it counts!  Your bouquet will be the most noticed, so splurge there, but there isn't a need to put them on every table & hanging from the ceiling etc.

Again, if you want to, by all means.  But there is a high chance you won't even have a photo of your centrepieces (at least not guest-taken ones).

If you want to cut costs on flowers, put them where you will enjoy them - after all, they are there for you!  It might also be a nice idea to have a big piece that guests will want to get a photo of/with - think mantlepiece, or photobooth backdrop.

3. Menu cards & programs

Another piece of stationary that will just end up in the bin!  Guests literally don't care about these things.  Pop your runsheet up on your wedding website ahead of time.  If you want to share the menu, you can also pop it on the website, but you can also go for a chalkboard on the tables.

4. Linens

Yes some tables need linen & it makes the room look polished.  But your guests are not going to notice the type of linen or the colour!  I'm actually going for no linen for mine, because my tables are stunning, but if I needed linen, I would take whatever the venue included for free.  There is really no need for custom coloured tablecloths.

If you want to inject colour into your table settings, go for a coloured napkin.  Some venues can get them, some can't.  I actually ordered mine online & purchased them, because it worked out cheaper than the venue supplying the white linen napkins for me.  Do your research & do whatever works for you!

5. Your dress

Yes guests will look at your dress & tell you that you look beautiful, but they don't actually care about it!  As long as you look happy, that's good for them.  They certainly don't care if you spend $100 or $10000.  Your dress will not affect their experience at your wedding.

6. The colour scheme

Another thing that is of no consequence to your guests.  This one is all for you - the guests experience will be the same regardless of the colour of your bridesmaid dresses or flowers.

7. The cake

If you want a $3000 7 tier monster of a cake, then go for it!  But just remember that your guests will look at it, maybe take a picture of it & probably won't even eat it.  Especially if you have dessert as part of the menu.  As long as theirs food & booze & music, your guests are good, so no need to go over the top on the cake!

8. Favours

It has become such a tradition to give your guests a little gift to take home with them.  But you will find that half the guests don't even take them.  They didn't come to your wedding for the gift!  If you are going to give favours, don't spend too much on them, & have a think about what your guests might actually like.  Do they really want a pen with your names on it, or a succulent, or a shot glass... think about your guests & do something that makes sense for them & you.  After all, you are going to be stuck with all of the favours that get left behind!

9. Your first dance

If you want to put on a big show for your first dance, then go for it.  But your dance isn't going to make or break your guest's evening.  They don't care that much.  Sure, it's cute, but if you aren't dancers, don't feel like you have to do one.

10. The bouquet toss

And the garter toss for that matter.  This does not need to happen!  Guests do not care if a bunch of flowers comes flying at their head or not. :)

As with everything, do whatever works for you - as long as it makes sense, go for it!  But these 10 things, if they were all missing from your wedding day, your guests probably wont't notice!

Join me next week for the 10 things your guests actually DO care about!
Hx

Mega Meal Prep: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Hellooo!

Happy Sunday :)

The first recipe is our butter chicken recipe.

We have made this one before, but not for a while.  I think the last time we made butter chicken, we incorrectly 'doubled' the recipe & the sauce to chicken ratio was all out haha.  I'm not sure where we got this recipe from... I imagine we found it on Pintrest.

We cooked this one in Tara's slow cooker.  It's one that you can pop on the stove, so it's really great for browning meats first.

This is the only picture I have of it... haha.  Even though I don't have a finished pic, this still looks delicious.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken | Serves 16

Ingredients

· 80g butter
· 4 tablespoons (80ml) vegetable oil
· 8 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
· 2 onion, diced
· 6 cloves garlic, minced
· 4 teaspoons curry powder
· 2 tablespoon Indian curry paste
· 4 teaspoons tandoori masala
· 2 teaspoon garam masala
· 280g tomato paste
· 30 green cardamom pods
· 2 x 400ml tin coconut milk
· 2 cup plain yoghurt
· salt to taste

Method

Step One: Melt the butter & vegetable oil in a large frypan (or in your stove safe slow cooker) over medium heat. 

Step two: Stir in the chicken, onion & garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent.

Step three: Stir in the curry powder, curry paste, tandoori masala, garam masala & tomato paste until no lumps of tomato paste remain. 

Step four: Pour into a slow cooker & stir in the cardamom pods, coconut milk & yoghurt. Season to taste with salt.
Step five: Cook on high 4 to 6 hours, or on low 6 to 8 hours

Step six: Put your slow cooker back on the stove (or transfer into a pan) to reduce the sauce to your desired consistency.  This is a new step we added because the sauce just wasn't thickening up in the slow cooker

Step seven: remove the cardamon pods before portioning

*Pro Tip: tie your cardamon pods to string so that they are easy to remove at the end!

We serve ours with rice & naan bread - give it a try, you won't regret it!

Hx

Book Club 2019 #1 - Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak

Hellooo!

I hope you are all doing well!

Today, we turn our attention to a relatively new thing in my life - my interstate book club.

The beginning of 2019 marked the beginning of a book club, curated by 2 of my friends, who had a desire to read more (one of them you all know & love - my meal prep buddy!).  We are a group of friends & friends of friends who live in different places around Australia, who come together online to read the same book over a period of time & then discuss it at the end of the designated time.

And I actually love it!

Aside from the social aspect that comes alongside a book club, I love having the drive to finish a certain book by a certain time. 

Our first book of the year was Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak.

You might know this Australian author from The Book Thief?

Now, I actually haven't read The Book Thief, so I had no expectations from this new book of his.  I know some of my fellow book-clubbers did, although I'm not sure if that expectation influenced any of their opinions.

I won't go into too much detail about the book, in case you haven't read it.  But there may be some spoilers, so consider yourself warned!

The synopsis of Bridge of Clay is:

Let me tell you about our brother.
The fourth Dunbar boy named Clay.
Everything happened to him.
We were all of us changed through him.

The Dunbar boys bring each other up in a house run by their own rules. A family of ramshackle tragedy - their mother is dead, their father has fled - they love and fight, and learn to reckon with the adult world.

It is Clay, the quiet one, who will build a bridge; for his family, for his past, for his sins. He builds a bridge to transcend humanness. To survive.

A miracle and nothing less.

Markus Zusak makes his long-awaited return with a profoundly heartfelt and inventive novel about a family held together by stories, and a young life caught in the current: a boy in search of greatness, as a cure for a painful past.

- Source: www.panmacmillan.com.au

It is a book that received a lot of praise, as a strong story of love, guilt, loss, betrayal & family.

But I didn't get it.

And neither did anyone in my book club!

We aren't literary experts.  But none of s enjoyed it at all.

I, personally, found it really hard to digest.  Content aside, I like my books to paint a picture so I can visualise the story in my head as I read.  Bridge of Clay provides very few visual clues to be able to do this, so right away I struggled to connect with the story & its characters.

Below are some screenshots from our discussion (forgive us - we are new to this whole book club thing, so we aren't super sure how to do this whole book club discussion thing properly.  Please leave us hints below if you are a book club veteran!).

Have you read Bridge of Clay?

If so, what did you think?

Until next time.

Hx

Wedding Wednesdays: Venue Checklist.

Hellooo!

I talked about choosing the right venue for you a couple of weeks ago & in that blog I mentioned that it was a good idea to go to the venues with a checklist of all of the questions to ask.

This is that checklist!

Whilst, of course, you don't have to prepare & you can expect the venue to lead you into the right direction of everything you might need to know, I think it's a good to have an idea of what you want to know.  It is likely that you haven't planned a wedding before (or at least not that many) & so you might not know what you need or what to ask.

Before you go to your shortlisted venues, you should already have an idea of what you want for your wedding; add these things to the checklist before you go & check that they are allowed.  For example, I wanted fire at my wedding - that is a huge one to ask rural properties before I fall in love with a venue, especially if it is a deal breaker for me!

You can see all of the things I recommend asking below.  It is, by no means, an extensive list; it is a great starting point to find out the main things about the venue before choosing it for your wedding.

The big ones definitely are:
- Maximum capacities & minimum spends - no-one likes surprises later!
- Packages & inclusions - again, no surprises!  Make sure the inclusions give you what you want, whilst also don't break the bank
- Catering - where is it coming from & what are the house rules surrounding this.  If you have to source your own caterer, make sure that the venue doesn't have a list of preferred suppliers first & also consider that this might bump the cost of your wedding up!
- Alcohol - also where is it coming from & what are the rules. Licensing laws in NSW/Australia can be quite strict so be sure to ask if BYO is allowed, or what the license for that venue is.  If spirits are on your list of must-haves, ask about those now too - not all venues provide spirits.
- Terms & conditions - know what you are getting yourself into upfront & know what the payment & cancellation policies are.

Also think about logistics - try & get a picture in your head of how your day will run & where everything will happen.  Ask about wet weather plans (if outdoors) & rules surrounding signage, noise & decor.  You don't want to plan an elaborate day only to find your can't do these things later.

Asking the venue about what they have onsite first is also a great idea; you can try & plan your room setup & decor around what is already onsite to save on costs there.  Just make sure to ask if anything costs extra (I have heard horror stories about these types of hidden costs!).

And that's it!

I hope you find this useful & it helps find the best venue for you!  You can pin the below image, or contact me for the PDF version.

See you next week.
Hx

Mega Meal Prep: An Intro

Hellooo!

How is everyone going?

Last year, you might remember the giant meal prepping Tara & I did?  If not, check out the blog here.  Essentially, for the last 3 years, Tara & I have meal prepped together, to save time & money, whilst also ensuring we eat a healthy meal for lunch or dinner each day.  Even when Tara moved to Melbourne, we still kept it up!  Which is insane, I know.  But it is so good!

Our last cooking day was in January of this year so, yep, that's right, another meal prepping series is coming your way.

This cook was actually the biggest one to date!

Last time, we made 312 portions of food - so 78 days worth of food for 4 people... which actually fed Mack & I for 6 months (factoring in eating out, takeaway, camping & other days we were out of the house).  I literally didn't cook between March & September 2018!

This time...  well... perhaps we went a little overboard...  Haha.  We made 93 days worth of food for 4 people.  That's 372 portions of food.  If we were cooking for 1, we would not have to cook for more than 1 year.  Outrageous!!!

This cook almost found max capacity of my freezer!

Now, last time, I went through how the weekend looked for us & our processes, so I'm not going to talk about that again, because we have a pretty good routine & we did it basically the same again!

Below is the list I curated last time, of the things we have learnt from our time meal prepping:

- set timers for each of your slow cookers!
- use ziplock bags (or vacuum bags) where possible to save space in the freezer
- clean as you go
- make some kind of plan at the beginning of the day of what order you will make the recipes in
- have labels ready to go for the Tupperware/bags - you think you will remember what everything is, but I promise you you won't always be able to tell what it is once it's frozen.
- MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY EAT FOOD!

What is interesting to me is that, this time, we didn't set timers & we didn't have a plan at the start of the day of what to do first.  But everything went super smoothly.  I can only put this down to experience!  Tara & I have such a great rhythm when we meal prep together & I think a lot of the processes are second nature now.  That being said, I would still recommend doing these things haha.

A few new things for this time around.

1. Why on earth were we spending money buying label tape for a label maker when we could have been using a roll of masking tape & a Sharpie this whole time.  Seriously.  Haha.

2. I curated our shopping list on a Google doc for Tara to take shopping before our weekend began (when we go to Melbourne, she shops, when we cook in Sydney, I do it).  Turns out a consolidated list is much easier than 16 different recipes & adding things up on the fly.  Who knew.  #amateurs hahaha

3. We dabbled in the idea of filming our cooking days.  Now.  I am no video editor.  But I do think that vlogging our meal prepping & starting a YouTube channel could be a thing for us.  We filmed a couple of things this time around just to test the water... I didn't hate it, but we definitely need practice haha.  Also... this was our tripod...

4. A fast slow cooker (Choice review) is a game changer.  I bought one of these for Mack's parents for Christmas last year & I borrowed it for the weekend.  So impressed.  We whipped up some Mongolian beef in one hour. ONE.  A recipe that took upwards of 4 hours to make previously.  I am aware that pressure cooking is different & results in different food qualities than slow cooking, but the difference with this was so minimal, I don't think it matters at all.

So.

What did we make this time around?

We made 16 different recipes.

Some of them we have made before, some were new to us.  I have linked the ones you have seen before below; the rest will follow, every week Sunday 9am (AEST) :)

Lamb Rogan Josh
Butter chicken
Mongolian beef
Vegan chilli
Minestrone soup (note: we put the pasta in before freezing this time... it might have been a mistake)
Chicken & mushroom rice
Chicken & chorizo risotto
Roast veggie bowls
Chicken spring rolls
Garlic, chicken & veggie pasta
Tortellini primavera
Beef ragu
Moroccan spiced chickpea bowl
Chicken schnitzel (was also supposed to be veal but I forgot to add veal to the shopping list...)
Marinated chickens
Pulled pork
Apple pie bites (such a delicious snack!)

_______________________________________

And that's it!  Welcome to another little insight into the crazy that is our meal prepping system.

Before I go.

Something that comes up every time we cook like this is people asking us to teach them how to do it.  I love that.  But I think that is hard to grasp just how much of a system we have in place.  This isn't normal cooking, it's a lifestyle.  One which I love to share with other people because it literally changed my life.

This outrageous cook sparked a conversation of just how we would like to share our prepping world with everyone.

We have narrowed it down to a few things (that's not really narrowing it down is it...):

- a YouTube channel (which I already talked about)

- A meal prepping app (there are already lots of these, but none do what we do...)

- A website (this is probably the pre-cursor to an app if I'm honest, based on the tech skills Tara & I have)

- Sessions & workshops (wouldn't it be cool if we could make a business doing this?)

I think all of them are awesome ideas.  They all just require a lot of time & energy & patience to set up.  So keep your eyes peeled for some of these ventures!

In the meantime, Sunday 9am, Sydney time.  Recipes from this year's first meal prep.

See you there!

Hx

Wedding Wednesdays: Choosing Your Bridesmaid Outfits

Hi there!

How are you?

Welcome back to another Wedding Wednesday.

This week, I turn my attention to choosing the right bridesmaid dresses for you.

Small disclaimer before I begin: now, it's becoming much more common for the roles of the wedding party not to be dictated by gender.  I know you might have boys in your bridal party!  In this post, I will be referring specifically to girls & dresses because that is my experience.  You can obviously adjust to suit you if you have to factor in boys!

So let's get into it!

Traditionally, bridesmaid attire all matched - same colour, same dress, same shoes, same everything.  Whilst various trends come & go every year, one thing is for sure - mix & match wedding party outfits are here to stay!

And it makes so much sense (to me anyway) - what's the point in forcing your girls into a dress of your dreams, when it really doesn't work for them.

Choosing your bridesmaid dresses should not be stressful either.  I think so much pressure is placed on weddings in general (that is definitely a topic for another time) & the wedding attire is no exception to that pressure.  Mix that with the opinions of each bridesmaid, & sometimes even the mother of the bride or other miscellaneous people & you have a nightmare on your hands.

Here are my 6 tips for finding the right bridesmaid outfits for you (& your girls!).

1. Use Pintrest for inspiration

I have talked about Pinterest before; whilst it can be a curse & cause more stress, it can also provide valuable ideas for different bridesmaid looks that might work for you.  I pinned quite a few different ideas for mine (I will make this board public after my wedding so keep an eye out for that!) before settling on my favourite option.  It is a cool idea to share this board with your maids to see their thoughts on the situation - it is a great way to start talking about an option that is perfect for all of you.

2. Ask your maids for their opinion

Yes, it is your wedding.  But you can actually see in wedding photos if someone is uncomfortable!  And I don't know about you, but I'm not keen to look back at my photos in ten years time & see that one of my maids looked unhappy.  For example, my maid of honour does not like wearing pink or yellow.   It's a hard one if those are the colours for your wedding (which is a problem I don't have), but I would, if that was the case, go out of my way to find a dress in a colour I'm happy with but also she is comfortable in.  It's all about compromise!

None of my girls were keen for a strapless dress - again a super easy compromise to make sure everyone is happy!

I'm not saying do whatever your maids want.  Don't be a pushover (especially if you have upwards of 5+ maids with differing opinions) & sacrifice your vision to accomodate everyone else, but definitely find a place where everyone is comfortable with the arrangements.

screenshot from my bridesmaid Pintrest board

3. Price does matter

If you are paying for your maids attire & money is no object, then go for it - anything goes.  But if you expect your maids to pay for their own (which is generally the accepted practice) then you need to take budget into consideration.  Your maids agreed to stand by you when you tie the knot; with that does come some financial commitment, but it doesn't have to break the bank.  Money can cause such an argument & whilst it is your wedding, you also want to keep your friends after the day is over.  Don't put pressure on them if they can't afford something you like - there are plenty of affordable options out there.

4. Think about body shape & colouring

Not everyone is built the same, so the chance that you have 3 - 10 girls in your life who suit the same dress is SO slim!  This is definitely the reason the mix & match trend came about!   One that I think should be the norm, to be honest.

I have 3 girls in my bridal party; one of them is tall & slim & one of them just had a baby, so the chance of me finding a one-dress-fits-all was near impossible!  I'm sure, if it was a deal breaker for me, they would have tried to find one for all.  But for me, it comes down to what makes my girls comfortable.  And, actually, what would they wear again (I am also not big on wasteful purchases, so I would never choose a dress that will just sit in the closet later).

This, again, comes back to yes it is your wedding, but do you want to look at unhappy, uncomfortable maids?  Probably not!

5. Think about the weather

I think it is a no-brainer that you wouldn't select a tea length dress in winter, or a heavy full length gown in summer - but it happens so often!

If you are having a summer wedding, pick a light summery dress that fits your vision, but is also cool to wear.  If it's winter, think about how the girls are going to stay warm.

I'm really not keen on having my maids shivering at the alter haha!  For one, I want them to be happy but 2. it shows in your photos!  I feel like a broken record now.  But in being a little bit considerate, you will have a much better experience (& it will show!).

6. Start shopping early

Do not leave this until the last minute!

If you are looking at purchasing through a bridal boutique, the wait time can be just as long as purchasing a wedding gown (3+ months).

If you shop online, factor in alteration time, because you have no idea if these dresses will fit (or worse.. what they will even look like.  What if they are awful & you need to shop again?).

Just give yourself time, is all I'm saying.  I am aiming to have my maid's outfits ready to go 2 months out, so that I'm not stressed about them not being here, or not fitting or anything else that might happen.

________________________________________

What was your process to selecting your bridesmaid outfits?

Did you have an easy time?

What were the trials & tribulations of your experience?

You will have to wait until after the wedding to see what I chose to do for my wedding... will update this in a few months so you can see (yes I went for a mix & match option...).

Until next week.
Hx

Wedding Wednesdays: Choosing the Right Venue

Hi there!

I hope you guys are all doing well.

This week, we turn our attention selecting the best venue for you both.

Choosing a venue should be one of the first things you do once you get engaged - you can't set a date without a confirmed venue!

Your venue should be the driving force for all of your wedding planning decisions - it should set the scene for the day.  And it should make your life & wedding experience as stress free as possible.

I'm based in Sydney, Australia & there are literally HUNDREDS of wedding venue options, just in the metro area.  Once you get out to the mountains, the south coast, the Hunter Valley & many other regional areas, there are hundreds more!  It's insane. It's so easy to get swept up in all of the excitement of planning a wedding & into all of the wedding packages that you get from all of the prospective venues that you forget what you actually want. Or worse, how much money you are working with.

On top of the extensive options, you also have to consider what you are signing up for.  I have worked in hospitality & events for a long time now & I love it, but holy shit are there some places that give my industry a bad name!  You need to make sure your venue's event planner has their shit together (& is responsive to your emails & calls), that the catering is good, that the decor suits you (& in some instances that the venue doesn't imply the decor is included in the price only to find out that it isn't closer to the date), that the expectations from both sides are clear, plus many more things. As well as all of these considerations, you also must factor in that there is a high chance that you haven't done this before & could probably do with some guidance haha.

There are so many variables & every couple is different so it's hard to find a one size fits all approach to finding the perfect location.

Here's how I recommend choosing the best venue for your wedding.

1. Talk about what you want

I talked about this in my first wedding checklist - if both of you write down your top 3 requirements & then discuss to create the ultimate top 3, you know exactly what you are looking for in a venue.  With these in mind, you will notice that you eliminate a lot of options.  For us, I was looking for somewhere that would allow us to have fire (if you are from Australia, you will know how much of a mission that would be!), a venue with a country view (ruling out everything in a city) & a venue that was all inclusive for the most part, but allowed us to personalise it to fit us as a couple.  As an additional thing, we wanted to make sure that it was accessible for our guests & accommodation was close by for everyone.

In doing this, you also know what vision you have & what venue you need to do that.  Whether that be a vineyard, a church, a farm, a harbourside restaurant, a beach.  Refine your search to only venues that fit this vision.

2. Have a rough guest list before you start getting into venues

All venues have a max capacity, so know a rough number before you start shopping venues.  It would be so heartbreaking to find the perfect space for you & then realising that you have 300 guests in a venue that can only hold 100.  I am a huge advocate for a small wedding, but if a really big day is more your style, then make sure you know that going in.

3. Shortlist to no more than 5 & visit all of them

Noone needs to shop around more than 5 shortlisted venues.  You have already picked your top venues based on your requirements, so trust those instincts.  That being said, be super critical of every venue when you go & visit.  Have a checklist (my checklist coming soon for this) & ask the same questions to every venue.  Make sure you aren't going to be blindsided later by hidden costs you didn't ask about upfront.

I would also strongly recommend getting a quote from your shortlist before you visit them.  Ask them all for exactly the same requirements so their quotes are comparable.  It is good to pop all of this info in a spreadsheet so you can see everything at a glance.

When you do all of your site visits, also make sure that you take pictures of all of the important areas (cocktail hour, reception space, ceremony space if its on the same site, anything that's important to you) so that you can remember what everything looks like when you get home to discuss options.  I have visited my venue twice now & I still can't remember all of the areas...

4. Think about inclusions

It might seem like a great idea to customise your own day & DIY everything.  And if that really is for you, that's amazing - there are many venues out there that provide beautiful spaces for exactly this.  But it can get expensive & can be a lot of work, so keep that in mind.

For me, I will go to the ends of the earth to DIY everything for someone else's wedding. I really do love planning events & weddings!  But for my own day, I really wanted somewhere where I could rock up, do the thing & leave without worrying about doing anything at all!  I went for an all-inclusive option, off a shortlist which had 2 DIY venues, 1 mostly-inclusive option & then the venue I chose.

5. Keep your budget in mind

It is definitely helpful to have an ideal total figure in mind for your wedding before you start shopping venues.  Stay away from venues that price you out from the beginning so you aren't disheartened later.  The venue will be your biggest expense - for me, I'm actually spending 55% of my budget on my venue (which includes most decor, all food & beverage, as well as accommodation for 2 nights for my entire wedding party).  I'm spending a lot in this area (40 - 50% is pretty normal), but I am not spending a whole lot on anything else (I'm not having flowers & I'm using as much of the venue inclusions as possible).

6. Consider the guest experience

Yes, your wedding day is yours & it has to suit you as a couple.  But you do have to consider your guests at least a little bit.  Think about the location (how far do people have to travel), possible accommodation options for guests, transportation options, accessibility (specifically surrounding elderly guests, or those with accessibility issues).  Also think about the season of your wedding & whether the venue will be hot or cold & what you will need to do to make sure everyone is comfortable (think water, fans, bug spray, sunscreen, or fire, heaters, blankets etc.).

I have a winter wedding in the mountains this July... It's definitely going to be cold.  And I want an outdoor ceremony.  But I have ensured that I have fire pits & blankets available, along with having a super relaxed dress code so people can dress appropriately.

After our wedding day in July, I will share all of the details about our wedding venue; for now, I hope this list makes sure that you choose the best venue for your wedding day!

Until next week.
Hx

2019 Life Update #1.

Hi!

I hope you are all doing really well!

Now, if you have been following my blog for a while (particularly the wedding series) you will know I'm a little behind on posts.  2019 has taken off in a direction I didn't see coming & whilst everything is really quite awesome, it blindsided me a little & chaos has reigned for a few weeks.  But never fear!  Finally catching my breath & getting back on track.

Based on the crazy that has ensued so far, I think the life updates will be once every 2 months this year, not every month like they were in 2018.

So, without further ado, here we go with the first life update of the year.

January actually started off very chilled - the first 2 weeks of the year, I did very little... & it was wonderful! Haha.

The first super fun thing of the year was a trip to the Hunter Valley for work.  Wine tasting & a tour of the De Bortoli winery.  It was a super hot day (think 45 degrees...) but it was really fun!

I then spent a couple of days helping my family make decorations for my cousin's Bar Mitzvah.  The theme was black & silver, so we spent a while dipping things in silver glitter & using fairy lights to make everything sparkle.

There was a fair amount of baby time!  With Charlie's baby (my nephew) & our friend's new bubba, there was lots of baby cuddles - Mack doesn't love babies haha, but it was great for me.

We celebrated 2 birthdays - my friend Kat & Zac.  One was a picnic, one was a house party - both were super fun.  It was really lovely to have some chilled out friend time.

On the Australia Day long weekend, I drove down to Melbourne & embarked on an epic cooking weekend with Tara.  Yes - that's right, another meal prepping blog series is on its way!  Mega Meal Prep will be coming soon, starting in March :).

What I really didn't plan for, the thing that really blindsided me, was getting a new job!  I wasn't looking at all, but something came up & I had to take it, so the chaos came from handing over my old job & picking up a new one!  Super fun.  I now work for Venture Cafe Sydney, a global not for profit, planning their weekly events.  I'm still settling in & getting used to everything, but I think it's going to be great!

Mack also got a new job at the same time as me - so it's been quite a few weeks of us both being totally exhausted haha.

I took Mack to his first Bar Mitzvah celebration.  Haha.  My cousins are Jewish & we went to the party to celebrate.  It really is just a fun evening of food & dancing.  We were both so tired, but it was a lovely evening.

My birthday then came around again, on the 22nd.  I had the day off work so I started the day with breakfast with Kat, followed by a visit to my old workplace to hang out haha.  Super chill & lovely.  Mack then took me out for dinner, to Our Place.  Always such a joy to have dinner there - still one of my all time favourite restaurants.

I spent the last couple of months learning how to crochet also.  I love learning new skills, so I'm super excited to continue learning this one.  I learnt, finally, how to crochet the magic circle, & I also started figuring out how to make gloves (I made one so far & it wasn't perfect, but getting there!).

Our interstate book club also began.  The first book of the year was Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak, which is divided into 8 parts, so we had 8 weeks to read it (first discussion was on the 26th February, which we do online through Facebook events, as we are all living far apart).  I have to say, this book was a really tough read.  I won't talk about it here, but might start a whole series just on that!  Our next book is Zika by Donald G. McNeil Jr..  Watch this space.

I wrapped up the month by attending the MEA dinner with my old team.  I wrote the submission so it was really lovely to be invited!  Such a wonderful evening, even if we didn't win.

And then, just like that, it was March already.

Stay tuned for the meal prep blogs and, of course, the wedding posts!

See you again for another update!

Hx