Bridezilla

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‘I’m not going to even start looking at anything until the summer holidays.’

This was what I said about a week ago when one of my friends asked me whether The Bloke and I had set a date.

What a load of nonsense – if I could go back and slap myself, I would. I blame Pinterest – I created a secret board five days ago when I had a sleepless night and I’ve already got about 150 pins of ideas that I like.

It’s only been eight days since The Bloke popped the question, and I’ve got the whole thing planned. For me, I’ve always wanted a small, inexpensive wedding day, with the important part being the ceremony itself, followed by an amazing honeymoon to remember, which we know we can ask for help with from our guests instead of setting up a registry. I’m not one of those brides who has dreamed of walking down the aisle in a designer gown, particularly when it’s only going to be worn once and then shoved in a box in the wardrobe. I’m not bothered about tradition or pomp and circumstance. It’s about us.

Despite this, I know where and when it will happen (I’ve already spoken to the venue to check that they are available and will cater for what we want) the dress I’ll be wearing, invitations, colour scheme, flowers, bridesmaids dresses (I’ve asked my sisters – which is amazing because this is not something I would have done two years ago), favors, cake… Money is going to be tight, and we’re paying for it ourselves, so I’ve already found ways to save on the cost by mentally calling in some favours with some creative and crafty friends.

What I have found far more difficult than I thought is the guest list. My family is very small – there’s only my mum, two sisters, brother-in-law and sister’s boyfriend (no aunties, uncles, cousins or grandparents). The Bloke’s is considerably larger, but still not as big as many of my friends families (particularly my Caribbean friends – their family get-togethers are truly epic). However, we’re blessed in that we have lots of friends between us, and I started off by writing a list of people that we would want to share our day.

It came to 250 people, and that’s without including any of their offspring (I’ve already decided to have a child-free wedding). Oh dear. The food bill alone for this amount of people is more than the entire budget I had in mind.

There are so many things that I didn’t even consider – plus ones, people who invited us to their weddings, colleagues… It’s far more complicated than I expected it to be. I can practically hear newlyweds laughing at me through their computer screens…

It was suggested that I should sign myself up for a UK version of Bridezillas to raise some extra cash. I can just imagine my family’s response when I start throwing tantrums and demanding that they refer to me as ‘Queen Suzie’ for the day – it’s likely to be an offensive four letter word, followed by ‘off.’

Still, I wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of the wedding then, as I’d be the only one standing in front of the registrar…

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog, and don’t forget to check out my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks, my Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/suzie81speaks and my Instagram page http://www.instagram.com/suzie81speaks.

59 thoughts on “Bridezilla”

  2. Hehe 😀 The guest list… the hardest part of any wedding. The thing that made me seriously consider eloping. Still, it was sorted in the end and everything was fine. Good luck! I love that you have everything else sorted, though.

  3. There were ten people at my wedding…including us. A borrowed dress, homemade flowers and a cake with frogs on it that my grandfather had made (the husband was French). No-one was offended at not being invited… and it was a wonderful day.

  4. You are still in the period since getting engaged where you can dream big, and reality doesn’t have to hit quite yet.

    I’ll go on record to say I think cash registries are tacky, but if you decide to go that route I’ll still like you anyway 😀

  5. Suzie!!!! take a deep breath…now go down to the local liquor store and get yourself a bottle of wine, pop that sucker open on your walk home and count to ten. Remember, this is your day …… and the blokes, but YOUR day regardless, this isn’t about the 250 plus people or your colleagues plus ones and their dog muffy, nope…this is about YOU. Things will work out beautifully in the end and on your big day you will look back on this day and laugh. You will be surrounded by not only the love of your life but your family and friends that mean the most to you……who are there for YOU guys not just for a slice of cake and party favors. ~ love you girl *hey and check into that Go Fund Me….hahahahaha*

  6. Ah huge congratulations! I was the same, I got engaged in the September and swore I was going to wait until after Christmas before I started planning anything and would just enjoy being engaged. By the end of the October almost everything was booked! X

  8. I pared my wedding way down when I realized the cost of food. I realized that there are a lot of people that you can delete from your list by deciding if you will talk to them in 10 years. I invited a total of 12 work colleagues, I only speak to one of them now 10 years later. Do yourself a favor, envision anybody that you won’t be friends with in the next 10 years go ahead and delete those people 😝

  10. I personally would prefer to give cash. That way the couple can spend it on what THEY want or need to begin their new lives together. The bad side of that is that they get to see how poor I am! (A/K/A cheap)

  12. Congratulations, Suzie, to both you and your hubby-to-be. My husband and I were in our early 30’s when we married, and we paid for our own, too. We went real simple – we had a reception at a fireman’s hall, and I got married early in the day so I wouldn’t be nervous all day long. Our “meal” was a brunch. Everyone said they’d never had a wedding brunch before. It was a lot of fun, and we’ve been together 27 years this year. He’s still my best friend.

      • We had all sorts of breakfast foods – mini pancakes, eggs, ham, bacon, sausages, pastries. We had wedding cake, too, of course. I’ve always been different so I did my wedding my way. I insisted we not have any of those silly wedding “traditions” they have here – the chicken dance and shoving the cake in each others’ faces. I was too shy to do anything over the top. I’m glad I insisted we have it my way.

  14. You are organized and on it, Suzie!! Simple is best but if it’s your first (and hopefully last) wedding, it’s got to have some bells and whistles! I’m sure your journey will have some great blog posts for us to read 🙂

  15. Weddings are just so much fun to look at things, think of things, plan things, re-plan things, change things… it’s a real life version of playing paper dolls, dress one in this, change it. This will all come together. The guest list, to me, is the absolute hardest thing in the world. When my daughter was married, they wanted a small, intimate ceremony. The little chapel where they were wed held 25 people. We put up folding chairs for ten more. They had two lists, an “A” and “B” list. It was difficult. I still have a friend who, after 7 years still refers to herself as a “B” lister. Just always repeat to yourself, “This is our wedding, not yours” Say this often and with feeling. No matter what, you will be a most beautiful and radiant bride to a very handsome groom. The people who end up at your wedding will be those who are the most important to your lives and will love being with you. Have fun with it all! Keep us all posted, those of us who are excited for you from a distance, and through blogging! ❤

  16. I can’t imagine you could even pretend to be a Bridezilla, Suzie and I believe you’ll figure it all out perfectly. 🙂
    Dropped by from Elena’s #BlogShareLearn but I’m always glad to visit you. 🙂
    Hope the week ahead treats you kindly. 🙂

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