Weddings

Wow!

Has it been that long!
Well that's what happens when you get married.

One day you're engaged and thinking of the wedding day a looong way off!!! Then next day you're biting your nails wondering if the caterer is going to get everything right.

Weddings can be a pain! Trust me I know. But they don't have to be.
I was lucky to be born to not one but TWO accountants, so in a way I managed the money so well we had left over.

Most brides are concerned about the COSTS. Tell me why in heavens name do flowers cost so much?!?!?! My advice, start planting the flowers you want at your wedding now and on the morning go and pick them!

So maybe that's not the best solution, but I'll give you my humble advice that allowed me to have a wonderful day and still have extra money for the honeymoon.

First, here are a few things to remind yourself of when planning your wedding -

A WEDDING IS FOR A DAY, A MARRIAGE IS FOR A LIFETIME

These were some very WISE words I received very early on in my planning.
My father put it this way - I'd rather give you this money and let you go buy a house than waste it all on an event that will be soon forgotten by all the people you're trying to please.
Point taken. So you do nice things for your wedding, ensure that your guest will be comfortable, but please - Your wedding is not the Ritz Carlton and you are not the Queen of England.

SIMPLE IS BEAUTIFUL

Sometimes the most beautiful things are the most extravagant but simplicity is the order of the day. You can't go wrong with simple, which can also be the most beautiful. My dress cost $300 US !!!! and it was elegant and yes, you guessed it, it was simple. It did help that it was on sale. Let's remember one thing - we want to look stunning and not pay stunning money and it's very possible with simple elegance. Plus let's be real - when is the next time you're going to be wearing that dress. I don't know about any other brides out there but I wasn't getting out of my dress for a week if I paid a penny over $500 US for any dress. Before my wedding my most expensive piece of clothing was a work suite that maybe ran me about $120 US and I've worn it about maybe 50 TIMES!!!! you get my drift!?!? Yes it's your wedding, yes you want to look like a princess on the day but when it's all over you want to be able to buy groceries the next month with your new husband.

 By the way a big shout out to Absolute Haven Bridal out in Tallahassee, FL for having some of the most beautiful dresses. 


BE DIFFERENT

So I wasn't being too far off base when I said plant your flowers. Now, I have allergies, so fresh flowers were just not going to cut it for me on the day of my wedding. Plus flowers remind me of funerals. I'm getting married so the less flowers the better. Be original with the flowers. Fake flowers look just as lovely as fresh flowers and because they're fake you can do wonderful things with them. The best part about fake flowers in your decor - you can actually keep your bouquet for LIFE! without having to preserve it.

Being different can also be a lot of fun, maids wear different type of dresses, different type of shawls and on those HOT December days in Trinidad fans work perfectly!

HAVE FUN!

About a month or so before my wedding, when I was getting really nervous and worried that everything will go wrong on the day, someone told me a story about a bride who got married the year before.
Everything was going great that day for her! The driver was late, the make-up artist was late, the photographers were late..... but everything still went to plan somehow. Ceremony went off without a hitch. At the reception it was time to cut the cake. She had been looking forward to this part because she had a black forest cake specially made for the wedding. As they cut through the cake she saw WHITE! Where was that rich dark color she was expecting!???!! She burst out into laughter as she took the piece of cake from her husband! The cake decorator iced the wrong! 


She's still married and she had fun that day!

Don't sweat the small stuff - have fun and make lots of memories!

Thanks to Juma and Ayinde of Relate Studios I have many memories