Crying on your wedding day

I know that I will be a blubbering wreck on my wedding day. Not because I’ll be sad, but because I’ll be so insanely happy, tired and emotional that I’ll have finally married the man of my dreams. 

Ever since that ring was pushed onto my finger, I’ve become an absolute baby – I cry at EVERYTHING remotely sad or moving, and its guaranteed if its wedding related.

So like most Brides, I am worried that I’ll just look stupid for crying all day; and doubly so if it results in mascara running down my face.

But there are things you can do; and here are a few of the tips I’ve gathered from all those newly marrieds out there!

• Listen to your walking up the aisle music for weeks and weeks and weeks before your big day (preferably on repeat) – this will help to take away the emotional connection between choosing a piece of music to walk up the aisle to and it starting an emotional reaction.
• Have a hankie to hand – they are practical, a wonderful keepsake, and make for good photos during the ceremony.
• Wear all things waterproof (make up, that is!) – there is nothing worse than mascara running down a girls face; especially if it is the Bride!! Grab yourself waterproof mascara and eyeliner from your local Superdrug/Boots or request it from your make-up artist.
• Wear false eyelashes if possible – if you are still worried about your heavy tears being no match for even the best waterproof mascara, falsies are the way to go! They are cheap, and can be fitted at home or in a local salon.
• Breathe!!! – take a few deep breaths before you start to walk down the aisle, and remember to carry on breathing on your walk down to your partner. It sounds funny, but if I start to cry, I try to hold my breath, and then when I do have to take in some air, thats when the tears start to shower down my face!
• Get a good night sleep – I know that if I have a really late night, then my emotions will be heightened the next day. Have a relaxing bubble bath, get into your PJs early and relax the evening before.

And REMEMBER… if you do start to cry, BLOT YOUR EYES with a hankie or tissue, don’t rub around the eye area!!! Or you’ll need your make-up re-doing before the photos!

Ivory fur shrug - £8 from Matalan!!

Calling  all winter Brides!!

If you are after an ivory fur shrug to pop over your shoulders on the big day, or to use as part of your Bridesmaid’s outfits, pop into your local Matalan (or you can order online – link below) as they have ivory faux-fur shrugs for sale for..£8!!!!!!!

They are great quality, and the price is unbelievable!

I snapped up two for my Bridesmaids today!!

They are also available in black (also £8!)!!!

http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/product/fashion-to-buy-online//Cream-Faux-Fur-Shawl/43973&resultsPerPage=100&attrList=Dept,brand

Apologies for my absence..

I’ve just taken on another part-time job to help fund Mr M and I’s wedding, and I have been SO busy!!!

BUT I do have a little tip off for you…

If you are looking for Christmassy or festive centrepieces, favours or decorations for your big day, pop into your local M&S and check out the gorgeous goodies that’s are currently in store!!

We’ve chosen to buy our centrepieces from there, and have bought some beautiful candles for the centre of the tables!

And what is even better, is that they are all 3 for 2 at the moment; meaning it is definitely purse friendly!

WeddingChicks.com

Wedding Chicks is an American wedding site; a bit like a less-imposing, vintagey ‘You and Your Wedding’ website.

It does the usual things like features real Bride’s weddings, listing venues etc, but what exceeds our version, is the fact that it has a dedicated DIY and Downloads section, where designers have created stationery that you can download for FREE and personalise to your own liking!!! This includes inserting your own names, dates, and colours into the image – which you can save onto your computer and use however you like!!!

The freebies include:

• Save the Date cards
• Will you be my..? cards
• Customised monograms (basically a wedding logo)
• Signs and labels
• ..and loads of other bits and pieces!!

All you need to do is personalise the images (literally the EASIEST thing ever) and print them out!! You can even put them into a Microsoft Word Document so that you can further stylise your stationery!!

Its one of the best websites for free, HELPFUL wedding content I’ve seen in a long time! Its also really good for inspirational wedding images from real Bride’s weddings!

Definitely take a few minutes/hours out of your day to have a look!!

www.weddingchicks.com

Kirstie Allsopp's Handmade Britain - fab DIY wedding inspiration!

I personally, am a massive fan of Kirstie Allsopp, so now she has taken the plunge into the world of crafts, I am an even happier bunny!

Her show on channel 4 is a fab source of DIY inspiration – she’s created cards, jams, flower centrepieces and jewellery using items that can be picked up from your local craft shop (and in some cases simply through re-using old items of clothing or paper) for really cheap (or even FREE!!)!!

If you are considering going ‘DIY’ for your big day, then it is definitely worth watching her TV show (sunday around 2:30pm and wednesday evening about 8pm) or getting her books out from the library to have a read through!!

MarthaStewart.com

Check out marthastewart.com for all things crafty…

It is a fab website to get DIY wedding inspiration and step-by-step guides to creating all things gorgeous when on a budget!!

Our wedding budget

The main factor that guides the planning of someone’s wedding, is the budget they have to play with.

For some couples, budget is not an issue, but for others (including myself and Mr M), it is the biggest challenge throughout the entire process.

Its really important to create a list early on of all the things you will have to spend out on – but be aware, this will most likely have changed by the time your big day comes around!

So what should be on this list?

I’ve put together a list of all the areas of expenditure you should be aware of based upon what I am budgeting for myself. Of course, there may be areas that don’t apply to you within this list, and equally there could be things I have not included that you may want to add.

How much money you allocate to each of the areas really depends on the feel and theme of your wedding. For example, Mr M and I are not big on flowers as we both get hayfever so they do not take up much of our budget. However I do know of Brides who have spend more than £600 on flowers, because that was the feel of THEIR wedding and they couldn’t imagine having anything less.

Be honest with yourself though, and take into consideration inflation and additional extras that you may not at first have thought about – there is no point in trying to make your budget look smaller in the short term, when in reality it will expand by 50%.

The table below shows the different areas of cost that Mr M and I will be paying for. The figure entered into the budget column is the highest amount we’ve predicted we will pay. We are however hoping to shave off at least 25% off the total predicted cost, by doing a lot ourselves and finding the best deals.

Some of the costs are non-negotiable. For example, the registrar costs a set amount, and the food will cost a certain amount. But lots of the areas can be DIY’d by myself and Mr M which is how we will save money.

Its really scary when you write it all down!!!

Expense	Budget
Registrar	£ 400
Notice of Marriage	£70
Wedding Certificate	£5
Venue Hire Charge	£500
Wedding Rings	£600
Stationary	£50
Postage	£20
Groom’s Clothes	£100
Usher’s Clothes	£300
Shoes	£30
Underwear	£30
Accessories	£20
Wedding Dress	£400
Bridesmaid’s Clothes	£200
Catering	£3500
Cake	£200
Drinks	£1500
Table Decorations	£100
Flowers	£100
Favours	£80
Music/DJ	£550
Photography	£500
Guest Book	£50
Wedding Night Hotel	£100
Honeymoon	n/a
Thank You Gifts	£100
Misc.	n/a
TOTAL (£)	£9505.00