A non-guidey guide from a 'Soon to be Bride' Part Six

Part Six... Not long now, and no January blues this year!

Phew, I’ve managed to come through January without feeling too down in the dumps like I usually would, and I think that’s because we are now only 120 days away from the big day! Wedding planning has another positive!

This month I have been making the most of being able to go to wedding fairs whilst I’m still a bride-to-be, and there has been so many shows to choose from!

I took the opportunity to take a newbie to the ‘wedding world’ with me (my cousin and her fiancé) and headed off to The Great Western Wedding Show at STEAM in Swindon, which is Whitewed’s BIGGEST show of the year, and it’s HUGE with over 70 exhibitors, inspiration at every turn, catwalk shows, and interactive talks! We live only a five-minute drive away, so it was a no-brainer for me!

My cousin and her fiancé are at the start of their planning journey and watching them see all of the suppliers and what goes into planning a wedding for the first time was really interesting. It got me thinking about how I managed to pick my suppliers, which can all be so overwhelming initially! I was very lucky to be able to meet all of my suppliers before I booked them, and I’m so glad I did as I think it’s important to make sure their personalities match what you want on the day, whether that be on the phone or in person.

Image credit: Copper and Blossom taken at STEAM 2020 - Contributors of inspiration table:Fabulous Functions UK, Kimmi's Cakes & Lucy Ann Designs

We had a great meeting with our videographer recently, he came over about 7:00pm so we hadn’t had dinner beforehand thinking he would only be at our house for 20 minutes or so, do his sales pitch and leave. Well, over an hour and a half later we were saying goodbye to him, bellies rumbling, having talked about almost everything apart from his packages, but having clicked so well with him -we pretty much booked him there and then!

Having that connection with your suppliers is so important, especially those that will be spending time with you on your wedding day. You want to be relaxed and at ease in their company so it’s a must to meet them!

Image Credit: Copper & Blossom taken at STEAM of Willoughby & Wolf

They say you learn a lot about yourself and others when planning a wedding, and they’re not wrong! Fortunately, I have learned (or had re confirmed what I already knew) that I have wonderful family and friends around me that are supportive and happy for us, but I have learned a lot of things about myself as well - mainly that I am actually a little bit of a control freak!

I didn’t realise how much I liked to have things a certain way, I’m a totally stickler for it. I’m so lucky to have some very talented people around me to help make my visions a reality, after all you can’t do it without a little help!

Let me give you an example…. I decided to go for artificial flowers, partly to save costs (sorry for any florists reading this, you guys are amazing, just not on my top 3 things I HAD to have!!!) and partly because I was just too worried about not being in complete control over it. So, my mum offered to do all the arrangements as she has an eye for it, and it gave us an excuse to have a girly day out in Bristol to visit our local Country Baskets. 3 hours later, our brains absolutely overloaded with ideas and boxes full of flowers we headed home and I am now safe in the knowledge that it is another thing (almost) ticked off the list that I can have control over!

*Artificial Flowers

Along with my mum, I have 4 very talented bridesmaids who I am putting complete faith into making me look amazing on the day! My sister is my maid of honour and she is a beautician so all my waxing, lashes, nails and all the finer details are covered my her – yay! Jacks sister is amazing at makeup so I’ll be trusted her to make me look the very best version of me on the day, whilst another of my bridesmaids (who is a trained hairdresser) is doing my hair, so I have all the important beauty suppliers on hand in my room on the morning – and I have complete trust in them! To make life even better, my fourth bridesmaid Cece has her own business, Dymonds Shoes and Accessories and has been extremely excited about making me 2 customs pairs of shoes for the big day. She’s not let me see them yet, and the suspense is killing me! I’m almost as excited about seeing and wearing the shoes as I am about putting my dress on again! They are Whitewed approved and on the directory so defianitely go and check her and her bespoke shoes out!

Shoes of Dymond's Shoes & Accessories

I’m aware this month’s blog makes me sound like I am bragging a little with the freebie skills I have in my family and friends; however the reality is I’ve just been taking stock this month of how lucky I am to have the people I have around me and I’m so grateful for it. I know not everyone has the same experience when planning their wedding, but I’ve definitely learnt to remember that the most important thing in all of this planning is to do exactly what ‘you’ want and except offers of help if you want them or politely say no if you don’t. The idea is to only do this once, so make it perfect for you!

Happy Planning,

Your bride-to-be, Steph x