Whilst there are no down sides to being engaged to my beautiful man, there are certainly aspects of wedding planning that may drive you to stick your head in the sand, take a sabbatical in misty mountains where wedding talk is banned or elope ( if you haven’t paid for catering yet, you’re in luck). Last night my fizzled brain confessed that if he wasn’t the one I got to spend my life with by the end of all of this, I would drop all and do one of the above. Luckily for all the strung out brides around the world, there are those sweet moments in planning that make you super excited to walk down the aisle. Here are some of my highlights and less stoked moments in the bridal journey so far…
I could do without …
The Guest list
I am a generally a lover of lists. They help organize my life and give my satisfaction upon ticking off completed tasks. But not this one- this list makes me stomach twist and turn unnaturally and makes me feel physically ill thinking of the family I can’t afford to invite to my wedding. All the ‘We’d love to invite, but just can’t” sentiments won’t change a thing. They are not invited and worst case scenario is that they may just hold it against you for years.
Catering Costs
Whilst you could easily get a delicious meal at a Cape Town restaurant for about R100 per person, you will never see this cost per head with wedding catering. As with wedding venues, people see “Wedding” and add a few zeros to the end of every cost. Feeding a family an expensive meal is taxing enough, now multiply that by approx. 100 guests. It gives me heart palpitations having to spend so much money on food. Singles, if you haven’t started saving for your wedding, I suggest you get on it.
I love …
Choosing bridesmaid’s dresses
My bridesmaids each have such unique styles and looks that it seemed cruel to put them all in exactly the same dress. So I shopped online for different dresses in the same colour. All it took was a few nights trawling online UK stores (which happen to be way cheaper than our stores), finding dresses that made me smile and clicking ‘add to cart’. No parking, queues and crowds or fittings. I was lucky to save on tax, as a fellow Saffer brought it back form the UK.
Engagement Shoot
We never planned on having an engagement shoot. But thankfully our incredible wedding photographer offered it free with our wedding day package. It was such a fun time of us walking on the beach as the sun went down, posing in alleyways with pretty steps and getting to kiss each other all in the name of photography.
Using the gift scanner
Whilst the process of compiling gift registries at different stores turned out to be pretty time consuming, the physical ‘shopping with other people’s money’ was great. Once you get the scan gun, you’ll get the urge to scan anything cool and funky in sight. Neither of us wanted to let go of it. It’s like shopping with wishful thinking as you hope that just some of these items will find their way into your home one day.
I’d love to hear from you… What were your highlights and least favourite parts of planning?
Photo Credit: Tiffany Burnham Photography
Read more from Lauren as she plans her wedding in our Bride to Be section.
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Happy Wedding Planning!
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