May 2012 Brides (and Grooms) + Diary of a 2012 Bride

Cleverclogs

Oh good luck Dee & all the others getting married this weekend. I hope the sun makes an appearance!

I see your list is getting shorter too Bride2Be! I've got to finish wrapping the gifts, make labels for the sweetie buffet, sort out our prop box...I think there's more! And are you sure we aren't the same person? Turns out we're having the same song for our first dance - hah!

MsShopper

Hey May peeps!

Best of luck Dee, and to everyone else getting hitched this weekend. :j

I am not feeling in a good place wedding-wise. Came back to work on Tue after my hen weekend in a lovely pre-wedding buzz, but it's all gone. Work's gone crazier than ever, and I have already been working long hours recently so have had no time/energy to do anything weddingy.

To top it off, I've had a fall-out with my OH this evening, who's also stressed with work and now, apparently, wedding stuff is stressing him too, which (I tried to bite my tongue but failed) is rich since I've taken care of the vast majority of planning for it. Of course, whenever I mention that, he just says he'd have been happy with a quick registry office jobbie and then down to the pub. Grrrr... :mad:

So in the past week I've only managed to buy a couple of things and sort the iPod playlist. My to do list is starting to get a bit crazy for just over a fortnight to go:

Buy:
- last few bits for kids' activity bags
- groomsmen's gifts
- decided I want a clutch bag on the day so need to get that too

Pay balance on:
- florist (due tomorrow)
- venue (due just one week before, amazing)
- photographer and band (on the night)

Design/print/sort:
- Visit the florist, priest and hotel this weekend to finalise details
- Print and collate the order of service
- Finish designing and print thank you cards for bridesmaids
- Finish designing and print menus
- Print table plan
- Design and print kids' activity booklet
- Design and print a few other pieces of venue signage
- Tint hair, get nails done and eyebrows

I honestly will be so glad when it's all done, we're married and sitting on a beach!!

bride2be2012

hugs MsShopper!

My OH is starting to say the wedding stuff is stressing him out too, again when I've done most of the organising!! However, it was always him that wanted all our families there and I'd have been quite happy with a registry office wedding with just our parents there, then a party afterwards. So he quickly shuts up when I remind him of that!!

I'm totally done with organising though. I have two weeks left to go, and if it's not organised now it's just not getting done!! (apart from beauty treatments, I'm booking them today, but they are different!!) And if one more person (read MIL2B) asks me about this that or the other, they will be told where to go!!

Work also stressing me out, but for different reasons - I'm only part time at the moment (all I could find after being made redundant a few months ago) and money is tight and I keep finding more things that need paid for!!

I'm sure that everything will be fine in the end lol!

Cleverclogs

Oh MsShopper I feel for you. I had a really stressed week last week & I was worried I wouldn't get things finished and I lost all excitement. I was really worried I was going to feel like that until the wedding & on the day itself! But it passed, and I feel much more positive this week.

I know how overwhelming it can be - especially when you've taken on so many tasks yourself. It can also be really frustrating when work & other stuff (everyone I know seems to have a birthday this month!!!) takes over so you can't find the time to finish all the wedding things you have left and it looms over you, keeping you awake at night!

Looking through your list though, it looks like your shopping can be done in a morning of hitting the shops (do you know what you're getting for the groomsmen gifts?) and it might help if you spread out the DIY printing stuff over a few evenings, just doing a few bits when you can? And prioritise some of the things on your list (maybe start with the ones that are really keeping you awake at night!) so you can cut corners on the stuff you run out of time to do (ie: I planned on making kids activity books, but I can't be bothered anymore so I hit the £ shop and bought colouring sets for each child!).

And also remember that while each detail is important to you (and every B2B!), the guests won't notice if you've cut corners or have neglected to put up a sign! We all want everything to be perfect - and it will be - but just don't run yourself into the ground completely before the day arrives!

MsShopper

Thanks for being so lovely, girls - very wise words indeed. It helps knowing I'm not the only one!

Cleverclogs, you're right, I should get done what's most important and cut a few corners where I can. I think I'll steal your idea and go down the pound shop route for the kids' activity books! That'll save me a few hours.

Feeling a bit better today. I made up with OH this morning, and I have a weekend ahead of me to get stuff done. Hopefully, come Sunday evening I'll be feeling more in control again! Thanks again. xx

clairus

Good luck today, ladies and gents. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

MsShopper, hope you are feeling better today. Think we have all got into that stress at some point recently, trying to make everything just isn't practical. I didn't really want floral button holes and instead wanted something made by me. When i had still only made 1 a few weeks ago, and with no inclination to make more, I leapt at the suggestion to just get floral ones. And as CleverClogs says, no one will ever notice that we 'cut corners' on this!

This weekend:
Wedding dress final fitting :j :j :j Mum is coming to learn how to do the dress up as my bridesmaids are all 200miles away, and mum is only 70 miles away ( but is a semi nervous driver so will have probably set off at 5 am! :rotfl:)

Pick up engagement ring (picked up wedding rings last week and it was 'dull' in comparison so shop wanted to shine it for me, am going to have to keep it unworn for 2 more weeks so it looks pretty in the photos.) pffft, the things I will do to get a pretty photo! :rotfl:

Priest has finally returned to the parish after his 3 month trip and phoned yesterday to say hello and confirm our date, meetings etc. was a bit worried that he would have forgotten us! Also confirmed my predicament about wordings of the service so I can start typing it out this weekend. Will just need to remember to write in where people kneel, sit and stand, as most people there aren't catholic and of those who are I can't think of many who are practicing.

It actually feels like a relatively wedding free weekend...

bride2be2012

Clairus, as long as you are careful with your engagement ring, it'll still look lovely in 2 weeks. I got mine done 2 weeks ago and still looks as sparkly and 'fresh' as my wedding band - I just make sure I take it off in the shower, and when I'm doing the housework. I did try and tell OH I couldn't do any housework for four weeks when I got my ring back, but we would be knee high in dishes by now!!

Good luck to everyone getting married this weekend!!

MsShopper

Thanks clairus. I'm feeling a lot better now after a weekend spent sorting out wedding stuff. And I took Cleverclogs' advice and bought a load of children's colouring books from Wilkinsons at 50p each. One less thing to worry about...

I haven't put the standing/kneeling/sitting stuff in our order of service, although we're the same and many are lapsed or non-Catholic. Our priest says he normally just explains at each point in the service what to do. So I'm hoping everyone pays attention!

The main thing I got sorted was the final bits of shopping, so that's all done. Best bargain I got was my underwear from George! I'd bought some by Gossard which were nice but too plain. Then I ordered some from M&S online, but I didn't really love them. Anyway, I came across some in Asda that were perfect – and an absolute bargain! The M&S ones will be going back, so that's saved me about £30. :T

I think the next thing for me is to write down a big, detailed 'to do' list. I keep remembering (and then forgetting) little things, like asking the hotel to give my dad a soup starter as he hates mushrooms. I think once I have all that written down I'll be able to relax a bit more!

Hope those getting married this weekend had amazing wedding days. Finally a bit of sunshine!

Cleverclogs

I'm glad things have calmed down a bit now MsShopper. You really are not alone. I think we have all had mini meltdowns along the way! I was looking through my work calendar this morning and realised...we are getting married NEXT weekend. I admit I felt both twinges of panic & excitement simultaneously.

I got a few more bits finished at the weekend. All sweetie labels are done, thank you labels are wrapped around the favours and the personalised wine labels have been stuck to bottles of wine as gifts. I keep thinking of little bits to do but it is pretty much finished. I had a bit of a row with OH at the weekend. He hasn't shown much enthuasism for my work to date, and while I know he appreciates it, sometimes it's nice to be told. I think I was being a bit sensitive but he now understands I'd like a pat on the head once in the while! It's funny cos he said he's been telling everyone who'll listen, what a great job I've been doing, but he hasn't said anything like that to me!

I ordered a MAC lipstick online (a little treat to myself) as I'm doing my own make-up & apparently their lipsticks are very good - but I've ordered it completely blind as I've no idea whether the colour I receive will match the colour on the computer screen & if it's what I'm looking for.

Is everyone else starting to feel like things are coming together? Or is the panic now taking over?

Cleverclogs

Time for an updated list. More of us are moving to the marrieds list now! Congratulations to all who got married at the weekend. You were so lucky with the weather! And good luck to all of you who are getting married this week.

Belfastme 15th May 2012 - 1 sleep :j

Dulcie88 16th May 2012 - 2 sleeps :j

xtinkersx 19th May 2012 - 5 sleeps :j
MrsErtasToBe 19th May 2012 - 5 sleeps :j

zoe_dickinson 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps
Cleverclogs 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps
Clairus 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps
MsShopper 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps
bride2be2012 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps
Poppleminster 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps
burtons angel 26th May 2012 - 12 sleeps

Irina OE ?? May 2012
notepadjunkie ?? May 2012 (End of May)

Now all in the marrieds club :T:
4 May 2012:
ickle yoda
ruthybabs

5 May 2012:
goingontoolong
MoneyMiser
Hockeynut
Poddle911
Retepetsir
Stationaryace
Embabes
dylly
Ragtimeplayer

6 May 2012:
Bluefire
ohara09
BLUis

7 May 2012:
Olokia

11 May 2012:
Spurs_gal

12 May 2012:
katini
turnstile
skyvicky123
dee342