How the frenzy began...

I had planned on starting a blog much earlier after discovering some very inspirational online wedding blogs.  However, planning our wedding while still carrying on with everyday life and work has been keeping me rather busy!

I have decided I really need to get on with it as I want to have it like a diary to look back on and remember all the fun, ideas and trials as I am enjoying it so much (most of the time!)  I will also include some of my photography from time to time as I love to share my pictures!

So, what have I managed to do so far...

The main things for the wedding are booked - venue, celebrant, photographer, band, videographer, flowers, honeymoon flights, make-up, hairdresser, hotel.  And THE dress is bought and paid for.  (Caterer almost sorted!)

But I think I should start my story with the proposal :)

I was very lucky to be asked the BIG question while on the most amazing holiday in August 2010 with my boyfriend.  He had just been away in India working for his medical elective in Hyderabad.  We then met in Sri Lanka after 4 weeks apart!  We had booked a tour round the island over the next 13 days to see as much as possible and had great fun exploring the temples, ruins and caves.  Not to mention seeing the elephants at Pinnawela and markets in Kandy!  Amazing!

Pinnawela Orphanage

This was then followed by a relaxing week of diving and sunbathing in Eriyadu in the Maldives!!  Such a beautiful place with the most wonderful diving available right on our doorstep all day (and one night dive) long!  After 3 1/2 years together (2 of which living in our Glasgow flat), I admit I had been wondering if a proposal might be on the cards.  However, by the last night following a lovely sunset, romantic cocktails and starlit stroll along the jetty before bed it still hadn't happened and I gave up hoping.

The next day, as we sat on the jetty at 3pm waiting for the imminent arrival of the boat to take us to the airport, Nik produced a present from India he had been teasing me with since I arrived - a funny shaped small package wrapped in brown paper.  Just at this moment another guest decided to start walking up the long jetty towards us, typical!  But by now, he was kinda out of time to do it on the holiday, (he had been planning on doing earlier but was waiting for me to put my camera down!  Oops!!!) so he went ahead and asked me to marry him while we were sat on the chair swing over the reef!  And I of course said yes and opened my package to reveal the cutest wooden carved turtle!

After kisses and hugs, Nik then took the paper off me - which turned out to be a paper bag and looked down into it and passed it back to me...thank god I hadn't ripped it open as there was a stunning diamond flower pendant inside!  He had bought it while in Hyderabad and wanted to propose during a sunset but I refused to leave my camera in our room for fear of missing that perfect sunset picture!  Ah well, at least he knows of my photography obsession before we get married! ;)  Example below...

Dive Center at Sunset

We then made use of the random guest who interrupted our romantic moment to take our picture!

Engaged on the jetty!

Cue much happiness and expensive phone-calls home!  Our lovely diving friends we met on the island then appeared on the jetty to say goodbye and were very excited for us and took more photos before waving us off when the boat arrived late (thankfully we had time for all this before being swept back off to the airport island).

Pic by Steve and Jan

When we got back and were filling in all our friends and family, some of them commented I actually sounded more excited about this next bit than the engagement...when we checked in, purely by chance as I still had no ring and we made no mention of our news to the staff, we were given a free upgrade to business class!!!  It was amazing, we were given champagne before take off and even had our own little ceramic salt and pepper pots each with our fancy dinners!  :)

Perfect end to a perfect holiday :D  Ever since then, he has kept telling me I'm in a wedding frenzy, hence the title.

Next up, the ring search.....