The Blogging Bride:- aka me.
Getting married is one of those things that everyone has an opinion on and the majority of the time, they’re just trying to be helpful.
Take note: those who are in the process of getting married and are a little ahead of you, or those who have just got married are the ones to take advice from. The others may as well not be speaking unless they’re being supportive of your decisions.
First piece of advice over (I’m allowed to give advice as I am in the process of planning for my wedding). Now to give you a full low down of how it all happened and what has happened so far. Going forward I plan to regularly update on stuff we have encountered and what is not cool to do or have happen to you.
Starting at the beginning: The Engagement!
Sam and I had been together a year and two months before he popped the question. I had been dropping hints (if sarcastically not expecting him to take it seriously) since our 4 months anniversary. I actually started asking him when we were going to get married as a joke to try and see how easily rattled he’d be by such a question. To my surprise, he wasn’t at all surprised and instead just said that he’d ask me when he could afford a ring.
After many months of joking, the 13th of February came. Sam goes off to Huddersfield to buy my valentines present, I’m at home probably cleaning the kitchen and rearranging the presents I had bought for him, for when he comes home. Weirdly enough he’d not text or called much during his 3 hours away which is unusual for Sam.
He walks in all smiles and presents me with a beautiful orchid (I’ve subsequently killed this orchid through kindness) which I was really pleased with. Residing in the front room I fall asleep on the couch and awake to eat a bowl of coco pops. Sam’s twitching at this moment and the conversation then follows this pattern.
Sam: “I really want to give you your present now.”
Luisa : (Grumpy as hell as I’ve just woken) “Well it’s up to you. I’m not bothered either way”
Sam: “Ok well you have to close your eyes”
Luisa: (Prob looking peeved that I now have to try and eat coco pops with my eyes closed) “Ok then”
*thump thump thump* of Sam running upstairs and then down again.
Sam: “Ok keep your eyes closed…”
Sam: (bending to whisper in my ear) “You know I love you…?
Sam: “Open your eyes…”
Me: “OH MY GOD!!! ARGGGGGGGHHHHH! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS? IS THIS A JOKE? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? OH MY GOD!”
This then goes on for about 10 minutes as I gaze at the gorgeous three stone diamond engagement ring that Sam has bought me.
Eventually he manages to ask me to marry him and I say yes!
Lots of family and friends are called and all are excited and happy yada yada yada.
Now we get to the fun part of planning the wedding!
The Wedding Plans: Part 1:- Setting the date.
Initially we said June 2011 but then we went to Bagden Hall which was the first venue we saw and immediately fell in love with. They didn’t have a Saturday free until the October 2011 and it was March 2010. We then had the date of the 9th September suggested and it was too good to be true. My parents had got married that same date in 1967 and with my dad passing away 2 years previous it seemed a nice tribute to their 41 year marriage until his death.
So that was the venue and date sorted! The church was sorted swiftly afterwards and then it was a case of getting the bridesmaids and our wedding party sorted.
Everyone says that you can do a wedding in a year. And no doubt you can but I’m glad we started 18 months before. It is never too early to plan.
We have now got to 13 months before the wedding and we have a few things left to do such as the grooms suits, bridesmaids dresses and the ceremony stuff. Table plans and menus have yet to be decided but this is all the tricky stuff.
Finding THE dress:- Part 2
Looking for a wedding dress is stressful, if only because it makes you hot and sweaty doing so. There’s nothing like getting stuffy, sweaty and bothered trying on loads of dresses to make you feel amazing!
I tried on many many dresses and found one at £1100 that everyone liked. I then tried on further dresses and found a completely different and unconventional one for £250.
I liked the £250 one. Everyone else liked the £1100 one.
To be fair only my chief bridesmaid and mother in law saw my £250 one initially.
I knew that I was potentially going to upset the balance by choosing to be different but I loved the dress. I spun round in it and felt brilliant in it. Felt like I could eat, drink, be merry and more importantly poo in it. The other dress had been so tight and corsetted that I ended up in the loo for 30 minutes as it had squished my insides.
Note to all brides: You aren’t going to be in it for 20 mins, you’ll be in it all day! That’s 12 hours of being in a dress so if you’re going to wear it, make sure you’re comfortable.
The favoured dress by my Mum etc had been the dress I couldn’t sit down in, the dress I couldn’t eat in etc etc but I looked pretty in it.
This dress however gave me freedom and was very much a “me” dress. Something I loved. Overall reaction from others wasn’t so positive but it was my dress.
Helping me through all this was Hayley who is a long time friend and bride. I’d been her bridesmaid just in the May and she made me stronger in realising that the dress was about me and that’s how it should stay. I had to be happy and now I’ve told everyone else where to go and that the dress won’t be changing, I feel much much happier.
Laura and her Mum Ann were also amazing and sent me never ending support through text messages.
Lesson learnt. The bride wears what she wants unless it makes her look like the back of a bus.
Part 3 to come: Opinions opinions!
Night night for now. I need as much beauty sleep as I can. I only have a year to improve upon what God gave me.
Lu x
