Arrvied Feb 24th

My sample invites arrived today!!

It came in this morning's post and I had a grand time ripping the envelope open with my workmates crowding my desk.

I ordered two sample cards; one is Ant's choice that I attached in my previous blogs, and below is the picture.

And below that is my choice.

 

Ant's choice is shit.  It's very complicated because the 'double happiness' paper-ribbon thing needs to slide off when you read the card.  And it folds out on both sides, then you have to fold the paper insert up.  Most complicated. 
 
My choice is stunning; the card is made from red satin paper so it is luxuriously soft to the touch.   It is very basic, with your standard phoenix and dragon on either edge of the card.  And smack in the centre is a double happiness sign that is glued on so won't flap around.  Very classy.
 
I asked 6 of my workmates and they all preferred my choice.

Out of interest, I looked up the tracking number and it still said the same thing it did in my last post under Sample Shipped.  ie; it was still in transit from Feb 14th.  Nothing is more reliable than Australia Post from the looks of it!

Now I've got to courier the cards to Fiji so that Ant and his family can have a look at it too.  Then it has to be couriered to China for the relatives to find a printer.  They'll need to get the satin lining exactly like my sample or I will not be impressed.

Luckily for me, the receptionist is away today so I can slip my personal mail past the temp. Yay!!

Still Waiting

I'm most disappointed; my sample invite has not arrived yet.

Postage to Australia should not take more than 5 business days I personally think!

And how can my item be sitting idle since Feb 14th??

Ant has confirmed his cousins from overseas are coming.  All the way from the U.S and Canada even!  All the more reason for his parents to put on a big event.  How fun for me.

And I don't know about our Islands/ Hotel trip because his mum wants us to remain in Suva for a least 3 days to hang out with the relatives.  That means I'll need to stay with them until Tuesday!  What's more awkward than having to stay with the in-laws?  Having to socialise with their numerous relatives too!

Officially Booked

How exciting; Ant paid the deposit for Novotel today morning.

Sacred Heart and the Exhibition Centre are both booked officially for Sept 24, 2011.
 
The next pressing matter is the invitation.  He's found a card online that he loves and I like.  It has the mandatory dragon and phoenix foil stamped in gold on the front, along with a double happiness ribbon.
 
The card opens upwards. 

Initially we were going to ask mum's relatives in China to place an order once Ant and I had decided on a design. 

Now he is leaning more towards ordering it from the seller he found online; costing is US$2.  With the Australian dollar doing so well, that is really not a problem for approx 250 cards.

Checklist: 12 - 10 months

I am trying to be proactive about my wedding planning so there will be numerous posts on how I'm going in the coming months!

According to an online wedding site, my Checklist 12-10months before the wedding should look like this;

I think we know what we'd generally like. Besides whitening my teeth, I've considered everything else.

The guest list is a toughie because we're anticipating the majority of guests will be our respective parents' guests. 

Novotel Convention Centre sits 350 people apparantly, so I've tentatively estimated the guests will be;

• 200 Yam side
• 100 Kan side
• 50 Ant and I

A while back I asked people who were going to Hong Kong or China to find me some sample wedding invitations.  (It was a surprise to me when Ant said he wanted traditional Chinese invites but I am happy to go along with it).

My Uncle from China sent these.  My first reaction was: YUCK;