This is the first of the posts from our guest bloggers.
We are delighted to be joined by Chloe wright – She is in the process of planning her wedding and would like to share her experiences.
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My first post for Bride Book. Where to start? I’d like to introduce myself by way of telling you I’m a twenty something, down to earth, usually chilled out kind of girl. I say usually as that is how I used to be. You know, before my scrummy boyfriend decided I was The One for him and proposed.
I’d say from that moment of said proposal and after the initial shock, excitement and general floating on air feeling you get, until the next morning, I was living a life of pure bliss. Then, all of a sudden I find that my mind has been automatically awash with dresses, venues, colour schemes and centrepieces.
Centrepieces. Scatter crystals. Chair covers. Really? Really? Coming from the girl who has never even dreamed of having a wedding or thought about wearing THE dress. The girl who when hanging a pillow case off the back of my head when I was 5 was me impersonating a nun rather than acting out the blushing bride. Now, all I seem to be doing is floating around in my own little ‘wedding bubble’. And, I hasten to add, I love it. Secretly, I’m going to be quite upset when the wedding is over and I have to come out of my bubble. I don’t know what I’ll fill my spare time with and can’t actually remember what I did before I became a fully-fledged member of the Engagement Club.
Mr S managed to get down on one knee in a little wooden row boat he’d hired out in the middle of Lake Windermere and produce a sparkly ring that was so very me and so very shiny and perfect. This, followed by a romantic meal, an upgrade on our hotel room (to a view overlooking Lake Windermere) and complimentary champagne. The whole weekend was just perfect and I beam every time I think about it.
But, just to warn those of you who are a recent member to the EC (Engagement Club), be prepared for tears, tantrums, and an overwhelming experience of every single wedding related thing being thrust if not into your hand then into your inbox, showcasing the vast amount of choice out there. Seriously, unless you’re planning your wedding, you do not realise the enormity of the wedding industry. As a girl who has been planning for the best part of a year, my advice to you would be to create a wedding file. Think Monica from Friends. Create mood boards. Cut out or print off everything that catches your eye and arrange everything into sections; Dresses; Venues; Transport; Cakes; Flowers; Entertainment etc. Once you look back, you’ll see that a certain colour or theme will stand out as you’ve more than likely gathered more or less similar things without even realising. That’s when you can update and decide on a colour or style of dress. Oh the dress! The dress is a whole other story, but that’s for another time.
My numero uno piece of advice, first and foremost, would be to set yourselves a budget *insert hiss, scowling and boo-ing here*. I know, I know. We all hate to admit that we haven’t got an endless supply of cash. And those in the wedding industry are all out to get it from you. Set a limit and try your damn hardest to stick to it. I’m a bride on a budget and have scoured the web and magazines for more hours than I care to think about, trying to find the best deals to enable me to stay within my budget. Always look around at different alternatives and never make a rash decision. Don’t be forced to part with any money before you are ready and never be afraid to haggle. It does seem quite foreign to us to ask for a reduced price in things but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. We’ve saved over £2000 by bargaining!
I like to keep in the back of my mind the thought that our wedding is for one day. A day I intend to only experience once; but my marriage, is something that I hope will last forever, and I’d like to actually enter it with some money that we can use to plan our future together as husband and wife.
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Chloe Wright is a guest blogger at Bride Book.She also writes and maintains her own blog http://itsahardlifebeingloved.blogspot.com/
Follow her on twitter @xxChloeWxx
If you would like to write for us or contribute to our blog please email at info@bridebook.co.uk