How it went down (Part 2)

Wow, well Part 1 turned out to be the Gone With The Wind of blog posts. 2,000 words and just when you think it’s over, it isn’t.

So, to give you a break, I’ve made Part 2 a visual post, interspersed with only a little bit of inconsequential rambling on my part. So, here goes – How To Make Our Wedding.

It’s not like the movies

I’m a keen subscriber to the gospel of Katy Perry (who I recently learnt will play weddings for £1.2 million – I’m saving), so there is very little the True Queen of Pop (sorry Madge) says that I don’t agree with. For instance, I do believe I have to ignite my light and let it shine, and that if I travel the world nothing will come close to the golden coast.

A groom with a view

In the last few months, I have enjoyed nothing more than sitting down with a glass of wine, a stack of magazines and reading about Real Weddings, and during this time I have come across my fair share of statements dropped from the mouths of blushing brides that I find hard to believe. From “my bridesmaids and I spent the morning decorating the marquee before we went to the church – we had so much fun” (Really? Did you really have fun attempting to lay ten tables symmetrically when you were two hours off tying the knot?), to “our guests were so happy with the favours we gave them – a photograph of the pair of us” (OK, take a long look in their eyes because it’s not happiness you can see, but irritation at your smugness and the only place that photo will be going is the bin).

Feathers, Kidston and jam jars, oh my!

You’re going to think I have become obsessed with decor, and the truth is I have. This was always going to happen – I’m a person who even managed to change The Sims from a strategic life simulation video game (thanks Wikipedia!) to a delightful Grand Designs-style hobby, where I take on the role of a God-like Kevin McCloud, building and decorating properties for my pixels to live in. As a result, the look of our wedding has become something of an obsession.

Napkins on Elm Street

I have been AWOL for a week. I had no choice – I had to remove myself from the world of weddings for my own sanity. It was all getting a bit too much. And it all started with something so simple – napkins.

Frocky Horror Show

For me – and I would imagine many, many others – one of the most exciting things about getting married is choosing The Dress. While I was worried about venues, stressed about guests and nervous about the nuptials, the dress was the one thing I could be excited about. After all, I had been dreaming about it for decades. It seems I was wrong.

The big question

So far all I appear to have done is worry, moan, stress and moan some more. Which brings us to the big question – why bother?

Stress less

When I got engaged I vowed I would just enjoy it for a while. This I did. For about one week. And that was only because it was Christmas, a time when everything, including the wedding industry, takes a backseat. However, before too long people wanted to know when the big day was. And no matter how vague the date in your mind is, with a date there must come a venue. And with a venue there must come a theme for the day. And so it spirals. At least I enjoyed my one week of being engaged.

The Guilt-edged Bride

I’m a writer and yet I have never written a blog. I never felt I had anything of interest to write about. Now I’m getting married, and although this is a rather run-of-the-mill occurrence, weddings also support a multi-million pound industry, with countless blogs, magazines and websites all eager to shout about them. So, I guess I now have something to write about.