Wedding plans

I am marrying a Groomzilla. There is no other way of saying it, so I am just going to put it out there.

My beloved has been planning the big proposal for months - he works as a Project Manager so planning is in his blood. I, on the other hand need to be organised (as my friends will all attest when it comes to organising birthday drinks!) but not to the degree that I need an excel spreadsheet (and if I do it’s not one of those swanky ones you can correlate and filter – its just five columns of stuff requiring a Y or an N in the boxes!).

We already have two spreadsheets, two blogs, a website (under development), two planning boxes, two ‘inspiration’ books and a magazine subscription (as well as at least three other monthly bridal magazines we buy regularly too!). We know what foods and flowers are in season on our proposed date and when the monsoon season is in Cancun. I’ve learned more in the last fortnight than I did in four years at university (which may explain the large number of exam dreams I’ve been having lately).

I have obviously been planning the Big Day in my head for many years, but it’s not until you get the ring on your finger that you realise it’s not ‘your’ (singular) day it’s ‘your’ (plural) day. All those ideas you had, you do kind of need to run them past him too (I say kind of because he’s not getting a say on EVERYTHING!). Some brides are ‘lucky’ enough to get a groom who just needs to know a colour so he can sort out the suits. Others are ‘lumbered’ with a groom who needs to know the name of every single shade of ‘cream’ to the nth degree. I don’t need to tell you which camp I fall into.

But actually there’s a reason why I’ve chosen to stick apostrophes around those two particular ‘L’ words. Do I feel like my other half is muscling in on my fun? For about five minutes, yes I did. But then I got over myself. Planning a wedding is a big deal. It’s hugely expensive, requires co-ordinating a large number of guests as well as suppliers, and involves a plethora of pushy opinionated people you really do need to manage quite carefully. I would hate to do this on my own. In fact I wouldn’t, I’d give up! But together we are a team. The W Team if you will (I don’t know if the W stands for We or Wedding but either way – it’s us. And together we ROCK!) I know that whenever I get stupidly stressed about the exact shade of the bridesmaids’ dresses I have someone there to calm my stresses and discuss the pros and cons until we make a decision that works. Together.

The first thing I did was to try and make a spreadsheet for our budget; it was shocking. I got angry and all in a flap. My fab fiancée took over and within an hour turned it into a fully functioning live wedding cost analysis. If I was in charge, we would just have a tatty box full of miscellaneous receipts – now we have an expenses document to keep track. I also get to have my own girly fun with a stunning scrap book bought by our friends that I get to stick lots of pictures into and use as my inspiration notepad. I get scissors and glue whilst he gets HTML coding – I know which one I prefer!

So, what have we managed to do so far? Well we have fallen in love with a venue (can hopefully reveal all soon) and have a date pencilled in. Once we've confirmed the registrar and paid our deposit we'll be ready to send out Save the Date cards. You’ll never guess which we’ve chosen?! The fabulous Le Trousseau Octobre range with their stunning deep purple ink – of course!

Planning a wedding is a bit like an analogy for what comes next and what I have learned so far is that there is a certain amount of give and take required. No, I probably can’t use the wedding as an excuse/reason to buy a pair of Manolos, but I do have a fiancée that without me even raising it, willingly suggested we use birdcages and hurricane lamps as table centre-pieces; I've already got my eye on these... Grande Etched Hurricane Vase

I thought I was going to have to fight for that one (and believe me, I had my argument well prepared!). I may not have shoes that cost more than a week’s wages but I have a fiancée who gets me and gets us and that’s worth a whole lot more than a shiny pair of shoes. More than all the shiny shoes in the world.

Lots of ‘I’m getting married and my man is so dreamy’ love...

LML xxx