Archive for the ‘Brides advice’ Category

For the past week I’ve been giving some serious thought to how I am going to get into shape for our wedding day.  I then thought, why only our wedding day?  Why do you need a big event to do something that should be important for your general well being no matter what time of the year!  When I was pregnant I put on 22kgs and  lost alot of it after birth as mostly was water.  I still however want to lose another 10 to 15kgs to get back to where I used to be so I’m taking action.  Not only for my wedding day, but to better my future health and well being.  After surfing the internet for personal trainers I came across (what I believe) is the greatest concept.  I thought this was the best UNKNOWN discovery until I saw it advertised in Shape Magazine within 2 hours of finding it on a website!  Check out Adventure Boot Camp For Women www.adventurebootcamp.co.za.

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We have 5 and a half months to go!  Yesterday, the pastor we were hoping would come through for us, contacted Mr Style to say that he is setting up a church and is so busy that he would rather let us down now rather than the last minute. I was horrified to hear this!  I am now searching the internet in hopes of finding someone else.  Wish us luck!  The problem (if that’s an accurate word to use?) is that Mr Style and I don’t practice a specific religion and don’t attend church which makes life difficult when you have a wedding coming up.  We did alot of research and found alot of pastors that are happy to do a non denominational wedding.  Now to find someone that has some personality and that will take the time to meet us and get to know us over several meetings is another story!  We have phoned two already and did not like them instantly.  No personality at all and no warmth to them.  It’s really important to us to have someone on the same wave length as us and with as much fun & enthusiasm in them as we have.  I will definitely keep you posted on who we find and more importantly WHERE we find him … or her. 

Last night I pulled out our check list and ticked off what we had attended to and realised how much we hadn’t attended to yet. We haven’t done a complete budget, gone through the menu, chosen the exact style of the bridesmaids dresses or even colours!  We haven’t looked at wedding rings, decided on the cake, booked a honeymoon destination.  And that’s just the beginning!  Here is a pic of the centre piece that we are going for and at least that is ONE thing we’re definite on!  If you need info on this, please contact me and I’ll get it for you.  It is possible to make yourself if you are careful because it involves hot wax and cold water which is dangerous if the wax explodes.  I will definitely be making them myself with the help & guidance of my friend & unofficial wedding planner who has learnt to make them for her events planning company. 

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Now that I am having my dress made, That Special Moment’s website really stood out.  I noticed their ad on Facebook and thought I would share their info with you if you haven’t already heard of them.  They offer a storage option for your wedding dress that preserves the fabric and colour.  Read more on www.thatspecialmoment.com.

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Apparently, the idea of a “Save the Date” is quite a new one, so I’ll quickly explain the concept for those of you who haven’t heard of it: the idea is that you send out a small card to the people you intend to invite to your wedding as soon as you have decided on your date (or guest list…) This is so that guests who might need to take leave or make travel arrangements are able to do so as far in advance as possible. The Save the Date is not an invitation and therefore does not ned to have information such as time or place on it. Read the rest of this entry »

For all those brides-to-be living in Kwa-Zulu Natal, the annual NWJ Bridal Fair wil be held from 6-8 March at the Durban Exhibition Centre. Tickets cost R40.

I have been to two Bridal Fairs, both at shopping centres and found them to be very useful. There are suppliers from all over the province specialising in every facet of weddings. Although I have booked most of my major details, I am still deciding on a colour scheme, the decor, the cake, the bridesmaid’s dresses and a million other details. Read the rest of this entry »

Planning a wedding is, in itself, a stressful event in any woman’s life. Helping to plan a friend’s wedding is, I believe, much more stressful. There are many reasons for this – but the most important centers on whether or not you do a good job and the bride has her fairytale wedding; or if everything buggers up completely and you are left not only with a terrible wedding day; but friendless as well.

I, having been married and been through my share of stress over the minor details that the 100-odd guests barely noticed, am now honored to be Matron of Honor for one of my closest friends. We have the same style; the same taste; and the same thoughts about things most of the time. But what if I manage to convince her to do something along the way that she will hate me for in twenty years? Just picture it: we are sitting around my kitchen table and the same conversation comes up for the three-hundredth time; “I can’t believe that you made me choose that centerpiece… it ruined my wedding!”. Or something similar. That would be the positive version of “I wonder what happened to Michelle – I haven’t seen or heard from her since the string quartet I chose got drunk on the fruit punch and kidnapped her mother”.

It is with this in the back of my mind that I venture into the world of tulle and flowers; praying that we make it out the other side alive and still firm friends. Wish us luck!

Win this dress. The Bridal Shop KZN together with Toy Story are having a raffle to win this stunning wedding dress valued at R4 500. The tickets are R20 each and the draw is at the end of January. Tickets available in store ath the Bridal Shop KZN Windermere Centre.

Contact Lee-Anne – 082 4944 373 for further details

Are you a Bridezilla????

Finally a quiz that rates you the bride on your steam levels!!!

As a stationist, you gotta love the “bridezillas” as us wedding folk love to call brides that are a little stressful, all the time :).

 Take the quiz – and please comment truthfully if you are a bride as to what u scored.

Bridezilla (a portmanteau of bride and Godzilla) is a generic term used to describe a difficult, unpleasant, perfectionist bride who leaves aggravated family, friends and bridal vendors in her wake. A bridezilla is obsessed with her wedding as her perfect day and will disregard the feelings of the family, bridesmaids and even her groom in her quest for the perfect wedding.

Answer these quick questions to find out if you have what it takes to be a Bridezilla! Tally up the points next to your answers and find out if you should be fitted for combat boots or Manolos! 1. Someone objects to your marriage right before the “I dos”. You:  a. Leap from the pulpit, rush down the aisle and tackle the offender (3). b. Stomp your foot and yell “Shut the h— up!” (2). c. Cry (1).  2. You have 5 pounds left to lose before the big day. You: a. Ambush the hottest diet guru and fly them to your home for a little one-on-one (3). b. Cut down on carbs (1). c. Try a liquid fast (2).3. The bridal salon calls you: a. By your first name (1). b. “That girl with the issues” (2). c. The Terminator (3).4. Your gown is: a. Your mothers (1). b. French couture (2). c. Stolen from a Renaissance museum in Italy (3).5. Officiating at your ceremony is: a. Your local clergyman (1). b. The Mayor of the city (2). c. The Pope (3).6. Your guest list includes: a. Your friends and family (1). b. Your entire sorority, your mothers bridge club AND your spinning class. (3) c. 150 “close” friends (2).7. You are spending the day before your wedding: a. Incarcerated for disorderly conduct at the hair salon (3). b. Torturing your wedding planner (2). c. At a spa relaxing. (1)8. The day of the ceremony, your wedding ring: a. Is on a pillow ready for presentation (1). b. At the jewelers, being exchanged for another carat (3). c. Already on your hand because it was “lonely”. (2)Your score:
19-24 – Congratulations! You’re a Bridezilla! You’ve aced Bridezilla bootcamp, and are now the most accomplished player on the team!  13-18 – Well you’ve almost got a spot on team Bridezilla… but not quite. You’re sort of like the water girl – you’re supporting the team and you’re learning a lot.  

8-12 – You’re just an average bride. Drop and give us twenty.

So although most girls don’t intend to be demanding and hurtful at times There are 1000 decisions to make and once you make those there another 100 for each! That’s a lot of decisions people. Trust me. So the next time you see a Bridezilla headed your way just smile and move to the side. She is on a mission people and the steamtrain known as “wedding” stops for no woman, man or child.

 Let us know what you scored:)

While I was dusting off the old cutting board to make my thank you cards, it brought back some fond (and some not so fond) memories of all my DIY wedding projects.  So, I figured a helpful little do’s and don’ts post would be perfect for all you DIY brides.

If you’re making your own invites, check out my list of Do’s and don’ts before you get scrapping…..

Do-nt
-  be in a rush. Never cut or scrap when you are in a bad mood, or it will show in your projects
-  double up – Yes I know its easier to cut two, maybe even three sheets at time, but please don’t.  If you mess up one page, you’ve messed up double time. Plus when you double cut it shows unless you’re extremely accurate.
-  scrap while you’re eating or drinking – need I say more?
-

Do

-  test your design on a black and white printer and make sure its going to work before you go out and spend money on pretty papper and printing
-  buy the right tools.  dont cut your invites with scissors, rather get a propper paper cutter or Stanley Knife
-  buy a few sheets more than you need.  That way, if you mess up you have back up. The last thing you want is to make a mistake and the scrap-booking shop is sold out of your paper.
-  proof, proof and proof again.  Trust me, after having to reprint all my wedding programmes after I had cut and assembled them was not fun and not to mention an unnecessary expense.
-  make a few extra copies.  Whether its for your menus or invitations.  Even if you dont use them at the actual wedding, you’ll always have them for memories later
-  always ensure that your hands are clean before you touch your invites

Any more suggestions? Anything I’ve left out? Please blog it in the comments :)

Let’s be honest ladies. In most cases there are two mothers involved in helping you plan your wedding – your own and your mother-in-law to be. Ever hear that three’s a crowd?

I found some great advice here on how to keep the peace during wedding preparations, and a little more here on how to deal with in-laws after the big day. I’m going to have to put a lot of this into practise with my own families since I find myself between two very different ladies!
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