What I Need Now

Bridezilla

The dreaded moment when the most laid back girl turns into a raving lunatic at the mention of her wedding.

The urban dictionary describes this as:  Bridezilla -  formed from blending the words brid and Godzilla together.  Used to describe a woman whose behavior becomes outrageously bad in the course of planning her wedding.  This woman is so obsessed by her wedding plans that she seems possessed and has merged from a calm, loving girl into a hybrid events/catering/ambiance driven monster who will stop at nothing to create 'her perfect day'.

Bridal Tea Party

Why not thank your Mom and your bridesmaids for all the hard work they have done and for being part of your life.
Hold a little tea party with pretty girlie touches.  Think flowers, champagne, olde world glamour, polka dots, english tea garden, pretty teacups, crystal champagne flutes and ribbons.  Finger sandwiches, cupcakes, scone with jam and clotted cream as well as vegetable sticks and dips....

Oh dear...

Sweet Suprise

Why not have a sweet table to wow your guests and keep their energy levels up on the dance floor?

Heavenly Hair

Never underestimate your own regular hair dresser on your wedding day.  This is what I have been told countless times and on numerous occasions by very different people (and the internet).  Chose a style that suits you and your dress and do not change your hair drastically before the wedding or go for something that someone tells you will look good but you know you will regret.  Think elegant and classic and timeless.  Think about the weather and the state of your hair when choosing a style as well as the neckline of your wedding dress.  You will also need to take into account your hairpiece: veil/tiara/flower/fascinator

The Little Chapel

Isn't this just gorgeous?
The smallest chapel in the world, made entirely of mosaic.
For more info go to http://thelittlechapel.org/

Real Wedding: Lukasz and Nicole

Venue:  Durban Country Club

Couple: Lukaz and Nicole

Date: August 2011

Real Wedding: David and Gemma

Couple:  David and Gemma

Date:  11 August 2012

Church:  St Andrews Parish, Guernsey

Venue:  The Farmhouse, St Saviours, Geurnsey

Photographer:  Campbell & Sauverin Photography

Real Engagement Party: Nicole and Lukasz

Couple:  Lukasz and Nicole

Venue:  Mount Edgecombe

Picture Perfect

Finding a photographer, or should I say, the right photographer is a long and lengthy and very personal process.

As a couple, you need to decide on the style of photographs you want and how much of the wedding budget you want to spend on your memories.
As far as I am concerned, the wedding photographer should be one of the biggest expenses on your wedding list, after all, this is the way you are able to remember and visualize your wedding day.

The Cake

Chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, cheesecake, carrot, nut, fruitcake,  strawberry, citrus, coffee, caramel, red velvet...you name your flavour and your baker will be able to make it.
Then there are the toppings - white chocolate ganache, fondant, dark chocolate ganache, butter cream  jam, cream cheese, fresh cream....
And don't forget the cake toppers - fresh flowers, marzipan, poured sugar, plastic figurines...

When choosing a baker for your wedding cake, make sure that they have baked a wedding cake before and that they can show you a portfolio and provide tasters.
Any decent baker should do these tasters free of charge.
Make sure your baker is reputable and ask them for references from other bridal couples.
Your baker should be able to give you idea's and suggest what you should or shouldn't be having with regards to your cake.  The baker should also want to work within your theme and colour scheme and should do all the liaising with your wedding planning/venue/florist.  Make sure that the baker will also be able to take the cake to your venue and set it up as well as make adjustments should they need to be made on your wedding day.

How not to be a Wedding Planner

A wedding planner is priceless and a must have for any bride who actually has a life beyond her wedding planning.

Due to the fact that I decided I was not superwoman and could no longer do the bulk of my wedding planning on my own (Mom in Joburg, fiance diving for cover at the mention of wedding planning), we went on a wedding planner search.
After meeting with a few prospects, I decided on a planner and this was the perfect planner for us.
Not only was she fun and full of life but she got my plans and ideas.

When we had our table mock Wedding Planner produced the most beautiful display of exactly what I wanted.  She had listened to all my idea's and looked at the endless supply of pictures I sent her and put my whole concept together to create an even better vision of what I was looking for.

However, this is where the fairytale-like wedding planner ended.  A planner is supposed to make your day less stressful.  A planner is supposed to make your planning less stressful.  This was not the case.  Whilst she was doing things, I was doing a lot more myself.
I had to chase her.  Literally.  Email after email went unanswered.  When I called she didn't know who I was.
I had to bug her for 2 weeks for our quote for the flowers and decor and when it arrived I almost fell off my chair in shock.  Our wedding planner has not stuck to our budget.  At all.  The quote was very pricey.
Of course I then phoned other suppliers, all who came in very much less expensive for the same arrangements.
I then booked another supplier.  Wedding planner was not happy about this and voiced it to us.
Wedding planner then went away for a week (which of course she is allowed to do) but she gave us 2 days notice.
Fiancé and I sent wedding planner an email voicing our concerns and stating that we had looked at other suppliers and had a meeting with another wedding planner and that we please needed her to understand what we needed.
This morning I received an email stating very rudely that wedding planner did not agree with us and had withdrawn her services!
Isn't the service provider meant to make their client's happy and rectify issues?  Instead we got unprofessionalism and rudeness when we addressed concerns.
Bad bad wedding planner.