Entries Tagged 'mistakes' ↓

First and foremost- wasting money! The wedding industry is just that- an industry. The people in that industry are there to make money- so whether you’ve hired a wedding planner and a caterer and a coordinator and a dressmaker and… and… and… or you’re doing it yourself- don’t let anyone con you into spending money where it’s not necessary! Being a sucker and being open to suggestions are two very different things!

The second very common blunder, is forgetting the meaning of the word “budget”. Remember how you calculated everything ever so carefully when you started planning- make a budget and stick to it! Don’t overspend on your dress or the bridesmaids’ outfits and then throw costs put the window when you run short on the catering budget!

The third thing is losing perspective. Keep in mind what’s really important to you. So don’t sweat the small stuff- I mean, how vital is it to have pink arum lilies if only white is available… will your day really be totally ruined?

Fourth on my list is a “lack of personality” on the day! By this I mean that the whole wedding is completely devoid of the couple’s own personalities! I’m not saying you HAVE to have a themed wedding… but it happens especially when the couple hires a planner to do EVERYTHING for them without any input from the couple. This is after all one of the most important days in your life as a couple- it should reflect your life.

Fifth- not involving your groom to be! To some people it sounds a bit silly, but more and more husbands-to-be actually want to be involved in the planning, especially so it can be special for both of you! Its important to talk to each other regularly about what you’d both like for your big day.

Sixth… the wrong master of ceremonies! Just because great aunt Agnes is footing the bill for the caterer as a wedding gift doesn’t mean her Wesley should be made MC as a thank you! Being the MC is a very important job, and the person to handle it should be someone responsible and someone who can handle public speaking! Hiring a professional MC is a very good idea.

Number seven. Being inconsiderate, and yes, I’m very serious! Think about what you’re expecting your wedding party to do for example, have you been clear about your expectations about level of commitment? Are you going to make your guests stand and wait for you for hours after the ceremony because the park that’s just perfect for your pictures is a forty minute drive away?

Number eight is a BIG no-no (and this is especially for the groom-to-be since he’ll probably be with close friends), getting trashed the night before! Make sure that whoever is planning the bachelorette or bachelors party understands that the night before is out of the question. Believe me- the last thing you need is to wake up with a headache, puffy skin, fuzzy head, or worse, an upset stomach.

Ninth on my list is forgetting what a wedding really is. Most couples want a church wedding even if they’re not regular church goers, often a church wedding is wanted or organised for mommy and daddy’s sake… but the thing to keep in mind is that the ceremony is the most important part of the day!

Last but definitely not least, is number ten- thinking that “it will never happen“! Have a plan B! Make sure you have a contingency plan in place for if things go wrong- for example, if you’re getting married in South Africa’s wedding season there’s a good chance for rain, so make sure there’s an alternate venue if you want to get married outside! If you aren’t using a professional planner, then make sure someone you trust has a list of telephone numbers to follow up with the caterers or the florist at the last minute… you can even give someone a list of things to check, simply to put your own mind at ease if you’d like!

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!

Clearly this is a thing with brides-to-be, though I don’t remember anyone ever mentioning it! I have since found a few links to brides talking about their bad dreams, but it never occurred to me!

The dream started where I was woken by my mommy darling and told it was time to go and get ready and I was excited but nervous!

Then we were at a church and I had a beautifully decorated suite with a lovely bathroom and everything to get ready in… but my dress was wrong and I had no shoes! I was complaining to my mom that my dress was wrong and this wasn’t what I wanted and couldn’t we fix it but I had to get ready and I had to get finished! I remember walking round and round the suite like I was looking for something…

Then I was in the church and it was a massive cathedral-like place with many levels and staircases and I couldn’t see any other people. Then somehow I realised I was not the only one getting married- I was just one bride in something like a mass wedding!!! I had to wait for my name to be called, and when my Glugster joined me in the aisle to walk to the front he was smiling at me… but we didn’t speak, and the next thing I was walking barefoot across dry grass and sand to a car.

And then we were in a mass reception in what looked like a huge restaurant slash strip mall (kinda like Design Quarter) with separate rooms for each wedding party. And all the rooms were full to bursting and loud and colourful, and we were the last to arrive in our little room and there was almost no one there!! There was my mom and dad, and my sisters, and my brother and Damien and a few other people… but I flipped because we hadn’t sent out the invitations and now there was no one to celebrate with us!! It was dreadful and I was very sad and angry.

Once again, like the previous dream, everything has chock-a-block with a sense of being unprepared!

…is not nearly as cut and dried as you may think!

There are many brides like me, who know fairly early on what colours they want, and once they’ve picked them, they stick with that colour scheme. But a lot of brides do not know what colour scheme they’d like until it comes to picking out invitations or until they find a venue! And some brides change their minds several times throughout the planning process!

I’ve chosen the red and purple scheme for mhy wedding next July.
Its rich and smacks of the East, and it will be perfectly complimented by the paisley theme I’ve chosen. And I will certainly not be changing my mind.

But here’s the dilemma faced by many people when they choose a colour. No one sees colours the same way!
For me, the red is easy enough for people to imagine. Most people see “red” or “red2″ as it is on the chart below. But the purple… is another story.

Do you see what I mean?
Everyone has a different idea of purple! For me, when I say I want purple in my wedding colour scheme, I see something like “wild violet” or “darkviolet” in my minds eye. Something not too pink and not too blue. I won’t mind having several shades of purple in amongst the flowers and fabrics at the end of the day, but when I say my colour scheme has purple in it- “wild violet” is what I imagine.

So when you choose a colour scheme, be sure to be specific when explaining the colour you want to your decorator, baker, seamstress, florist, etc… Imagine how upset you’ll be if you ask for purple, imagining “purple3″ as it is on the chart above, and your seamstress makes your bridesmaids dresses with a “grape” fabric!