Weddings and Gifts

I got engaged to a wonderful man, Sean, in January 2011. Finally, after moving countries last year and then moving back again, we are getting married on December 21st.

I was never the type that started picturing her wedding dress at the age of five. I mean, I thought of my dream man, yes, and getting married and living happily, but never about the wedding itself. I have always been a little bit (or quite strongly, actually) against traditions and doing the same everybody is doing. Take my exchange, for example. In 2009 I decided to go on an exchange to another country. Everyone was going to countries such as Australia, France, Uk... and I said, "no way", I need to go somewhere much more exotic and uncommon. So I chose New Zealand, and upon getting there I met Sean. Four years and a toddler later, we are getting married.

As fate would have it, Sean is big on tradition. He wanted the whole deal. The big wedding, with me walking in a stunning white gown down the aisle, speeches, a full bridal party, nice champagne, the whole lot. I wanted something a lot more relaxed: 50 people tops, barefoot at the beach, at sunset. Something intimate and beautiful, that followed only OUR rules, and speaks to who we are as individuals and a couple. To me it was always, ALWAYS, about what comes after that one day. I guess I am on the other end of the spectrum to bridezillas.

After much debating, discussions, and even a little argument, we are finally preparing a ceremony that we will both love and that means something to both of us. It took us a very long time, but we got there, and ended up with just over three months to plan it. The first thing I wanted to do was the gift registry. I might as well start with the most fun part, right? So I went last week, and spent a whole day choosing what I would like to have in my home. We already have pretty much all the essentials, but I find our home way too cold and empty, so I mostly went for decorations.

Some of the things I chose are:

1. A beautiful, huge, vintage clock. It will give any room so much character and color. I fell in love with it the second I saw it.

2. Beautiful wall art with different messages. There were many, but I chose five that really speak to me and have simple but powerful messages that I want to be reminded of every day: Breathe; Free Yourself; Connect to the energy of love; Trust the Universe; and finally, Dont Give Up, pictured below.

3. Bright-colored China. Our dinnerware at the moment is pretty dull, just plain old white. So when we saw these beautiful, bright, cheerful plates from United Colors of Benetton we just had to add them to our list. They are sure to make meals a little happier.

Image is from http://www.falabella.com.co/, where we made our registry. They didn't allow me to photograph it. Also, not all of the plates we chose are hot pink. We also chose bright green and blue  ;)

4. Aside from some more home decor items, the last thing we picked was this one "big item": the Fujifilm FinePix S1600 Semi-professional Digital Camera. Our camera is getting pretty old now, and I have wanted a semi-pro for quite a while now, and especially since starting this blog. This one in particular is pretty awesome: it has a 15x zoom lens, 12 megapixels and a 3" LCD screen.

I'm curious now: if you are married, what made in onto your gift registry? Also, what type of wedding do you lean more towards: very traditional? more rustic and relaxed? a destination wedding perhaps?