Image by Peace Wedding Photography
It may well be the best day of your life, but the days spent willing the budget column of a spreadsheet to add up and the hours spent fashioning super-fiddly origami cranes? Not so much. There’s no getting away from it – a wedding means big ol’ Life Admin at every turn, and it can get pretty…well, tedious.
I distinctly remember the winter before our wedding as a rough one – we were literally snowed in for a week. Snow-bound, I was suddenly confronted by all of the wedding admin I’d been avoiding and there was nowhere to hide. Two days later and the living room resembled Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms – a table plan of military proportions and precision was in place, as well as an epic photographer’s itinerary and 180 washi-taped place cards that Pinterest would be proud of. It sounds drastic, but that snowfall saved our wedding. But if there isn’t a storm on the horizon and you’ve got piles of stuff to sort? Well, here are some ideas that might just save your bacon.
friends that craft together
Image by Carly Bevan
Are you DIYing it? For most brides-to-be, there’s an element of DIY, whether it’s outsourcing the cake to a family friend, fashioning a few flower arrangements or going the whole hog with rustic orders of service and homemade favours. A word to the wise: don’t be afraid to call in a few favours, ladies, and get your friends together to help. I mean, by all means, make it worth their wine – oops, I mean while – by supplying some drinks and snacks and perhaps a favourite DVD or six. It’s the perfect opportunity to a girly catch-up at a time when ordinarily you’d be super busy with all of your preparations, and keeps your closest pals in step with what’s going on. I did a craft session as part of my hen do – it was in a bar, as you do, so plenty of, err, refreshments were available, lots of fun was had and we made a stack of bunting for the reception venue. Winners all round.
food glorious food
Image by Wynn Davies Photography
Food choices can often be a big stress associated with wedding planning. How will Cousin Johnny – who’s never eaten anything green in his life – cope with the vegetable medley? Will Aunty Margaret turn her nose up at the haddock entree? How do you please everyone? Well, the short answer is that you can’t. Better to choose what you want (within reason-ish) and be done with it – and have as wonderful a time choosing that meal as you possibly can. Arrange a tasting session with your venue and indulge, people – we at Brides Up North insist.
Image by Peace Wedding Photography
line them up
Image by Babb Photo
There’s also the liquid refreshment to consider, and an evening spent wine or cocktail tasting can be a wonderful way to unwind after all the stress of planning – just you and your other half, or you could invite a few friends to thank them for all of their crafty efforts – see my first suggestion. You could find the perfect wine to accompany your meal, as well as the perfect cocktail to serve your guests on arrival. Or perhaps you could try several just to make sure and then go with prosecco as originally planned, anyway…you’ve got to be certain, right?!
shop ‘til you drop
Image by Peace Wedding Photography
Beyond the realms of your laptop, there are other ways to source suppliers; whether it be snuggling up on the sofa with a pile of glossy wedding mags (including UNVEILED, of course) or venturing out to a wedding fair. Here at Brides Up North we organise and run more than 40 Luxury Wedding Fairs across the north of the country (you can see what we have coming up for Spring 2018 here) and so we know just how fabulous these events. Held at venues from fine country houses, to urban warehouses and rustic barns, there is something for all, and as well as viewing some spectacular settings, you will also get the chance to meet local suppliers face to face, be inspired by their creations, products and services and perhaps sample a few cakes, sweet carts and pop-up fizz and street food stands along the way, providing an enjoyable and productive day out.
Image by Peace Wedding Photography
take a break
And speaking of being certain, maybe you need a night away in your venue just to be certain that everything’s, you know, perfect – and to experience its facilities, especially if it has a spa! Banish the organisational woes by booking in a night or two and you’ll find that you go back to your planning refreshed and full of anticipation for the celebration ahead. After all, there’s only so much spreadsheet a girl can take.
