When I asked my sisters to be my bridesmaids they were very excited! I said they could choose their gowns provided I had final say on their choices, of course. I worked hard not to be a bridezilla since I was planning my own wedding

I took my sisters to Bride and Co for their dresses because you can’t easily find a bigger selection of styles and colours, and they don’t charge for their fittings which is always a bonus.

My sisters could choose either purple or red for their dresses in any style, and they both opted for full length red dresses. My sister Candy knew EXACTLY what she wanted to wear and tried on only one dress. She looked fantastic and she was really excited with her choice. It was a strapless satin dress with a diamante side detail. She had it taken in a wee bit and added a layer of tulle to the bottom of the dress at her final fitting  to add some length as she’s quite tall.

My sister Brigitte had a dress in mind, but when she found what she was looking for they didn’t have one for her to try on! She was very disappointed, but with a little convincing we got her to try on another dress- one she would never have chosen for herself and one she was adamant would not work for her. It was a soft flowing gown with a detachable flower (that she opted not to use). When she stepped out of the dressing room, I got goosebumps! She looked amazing! She added satin straps to the gown and had it taken in a little.

Both bridesmaids bought themselves red satin wraps which they wore on the day, both dresses were ready 2 weeks before the wedding, and both dresses- with their alterations- were well within my budget!!

We didn’t have anything specially made for the men in the bridal party, we decided it would be easier to go out and find ready-made suits in black.

My husband’s suit had to be tailored slightly, and he and his best man Andrew wore black shirts, with these gorgeous purple and red paisley ties that they found in the suit shop!! I was stunned that they found ties to fit the wedding colour scheme and theme as we’d searched for paisley ties for months!!

We found my son’s suit and shoes at a retail store earlier in the year when we had another formal function to attend, so he wore his black suit- which he likes- with a new black shirt and a new plain red tie. He also had a haircut and he looked very dashing.

My daddy darling also wore a black suit with a grey shirt and a purple tie, so he matched my mommy darling very nicely!

They all looked so handsome!!

My dream, once long ago, was that I would wear beautiful matching underwear on my wedding day. Gawjiss satin and lace, something I bought specially for my big day, and for my new husband… 

But, if like me, you have HUGE boobs, matching underwear is very seldom an option.

The good news is that you actually can wear a dress with no sleeves or straps on your wedding day. I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to as I can’t find strapless bras, or even corsets in my bra size! But you do have a options.

If, like I could, you can afford to have a professional make your wedding gown- you can have enough boning put into the bodice that it would make a stack of water balloons look hot! Then you won’t need a bra at all. There are of course underwear specialists who can make you a corset or a bustier if you really feel like you will need one.

When it comes to knickers, comfort is important of course… As is how you feel. And we all know beautiful underwear can make you feel good about yourself.

If you’re lucky enough, and have worked hard enough, to look like Claudia Schiffer under your clothes, then by all means- go for the gawjiss sexy matching knickers and bra with garter belt and all. Your new husband will of course be ecstatic- provided he can get your dress off…

Do remember though, that if you plan to wear something like control top panties that hold you in and flatten your tummy and such- the ones that take you 10 minutes and an aerobics exercise to get yourself into- make sure you can get them off under your dress when you need to go to the loo!!

In all likelihood, you will be ready and dressed at least an hour before your wedding ceremony, and very possibly a lot sooner for the photographer’s sake.

If you can’t get your knickers off because they go up over your ribcage and under your bodice- you won’t be able to go to the loo for a good 8 hours or more!

In South Africa, these little paper toys don’t really have a name, but they get played with by every generation, everyone knows how to use them and just about everyone knows how to fold them! Here are some pictures of cootie catchers at other weddings so you can see just how wonderfully versatile a “toy” they can be. They’re fabulous as conversation starters and they recall fond memories for most people.

I spotted these in a Martha Stewart Weddings magazine a few years ago, and it stuck in my head as a suggestion for my clients. No one ever used it, and when I started planning my own wedding, I figured they’d be a fun way to keep my guests entertained.

I roped my mom and sisters into helping me fold mine- I made two different ones- and they looked like this:

One had “tasks” for people to perform- like “toast your table” or “buy the best man a drink”, and the other had little facts in about myself and my new husband.

Here are a few links you may find interesting if you’d like to use them: How To Make Cootie Catchers; Lip Smacking Good; DIY Template; Ideas (bing). And here are a few photos of the ones I found when Googling them.

You can read all about

my wedding cupcakes

here!