Wedding

The afternoon was lazily rolling by last Sunday as a bunch of us girls chatted about everything and anything under the sun. There was something to talk about from piano classes to dog training, from weddings to cake baking…and not forgetting the next big upcoming sale! As we talked, a friend of mine pulled out of her bag, a stack of videos labeled ‘wedding video’ and we instantly pounced on her! Wedding video! You see, she had her wedding only a couple of weeks back and we have been waiting for the wedding video to be out all that time. We had a splendid time during her wedding in Long Island and were eager to see how drunk and hilariously absurd we all were behaving that day.

Getting married is a big event and it’s, also, (let admit this) one big worry. The energy and organizing, and then there’s the money issue to contend with. Getting married isn’t what it used to be which was always a very close-knit and candid affair. Now, everyone wants a big wedding which costs a bomb – not everyone can afford it. Another big worry, apart from the wedding dress, the wedding venue, the wedding favors, the wedding limousine, etc is the honeymoon. The wedding dinner is already going to take a huge chunk of money from your savings or your credit card and the second bite comes from the honeymoon. I’ve friends who have their honeymoons years after the wedding dinner because they wanted something ideal and couldn’t afford to have the honeymoon directly after the wedding. So, the couple agreed to have the wedding when they are financially capable of doing that because the wife refused to settle for a trip to….say…..Jersey City.

I was twice a bridesmaids and I know exactly how it feels like to be one for a friend's wedding....totally torn between being happy and madly sad! This is, I found out, an extremely common situation where you become the bridesmaid for your friend's wedding and you feel sad that you're no longer going to have your best friend all to yourself anymore. If you're feeling this kind of anxious feeling, let's just say it wouldn't make any sense to let your anxiousness and fears spoil your excitement for your friend's wedding. This is HER once in a lifetime thing and just because you're thinking of yourself (although it's normal), you can't spoil her big day for her. And yet, you're sitting there thinking 'How dare this bloke come around and whisk your best friend off her feet! The cheek on that guy....I got her first!'

Every time a friend is getting married, we organize a slumber party where the girls just sit around sketching out the invitation card. It makes me wonder, sometimes, why would people spend so much time, money and effort in designing a wedding invitation card because most people would end up throwing away the wedding invitation card after the wedding, wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t you? After all, there are very few reasons to keep a wedding invitation card from someone you didn’t know well. But I was wrong. Many of the friends actually keep nice wedding invitation cards along with photos taken during the wedding for keepsake! I should do the same thing, then.

So the wedding is already the next day and your heart’s been pumping the whole day. This is the day that you’ve been waiting for…to be married to the person of your dreams! But hang on a minute….can all that excitement be good for you on your wedding day? Here’s what you have to do on the day before your wedding.

First of all, watch your diet and no, I am not saying you should starve or stuff yourself! Starving yourself before your wedding day could result in fatigue and stuffing yourself with food will make you feel….fat? So, eat well, and consume a healthy and well-balanced diet before your wedding day. You’ll need all the energy you can get to withstand an onslaught of fun things to do during your wedding day.

It’s no joke having a wedding these days – you want fairytale, you’ve got to expect the bill to be a ROYAL one as well. So, who’s going to foot the wedding bill in that case? Not every one’s with a huge bank account and neither one of us want to see out credit card line of credit explode. But worry not, this doesn’t mean that you have to cancel your wedding plans yet. There are options for you to consider. For instance, you can consider the traditional method of settling the weddings bills. None of them perfect, but at least you can find a balance this way.

By the time you’ve got the engagement party over and done with, it’s time to think of the wedding ring. And oh boy, everyone knows the wedding ring is a big thing (as if anything related to a wedding isn’t). Recently, a friend of mine decided to have her wedding ring customized. Yes, as in design it herself and got it customized! It was amazing. Be warned that it can burn a big hole in the bank account but from the looks on the wedding couple’s faces, every cent was well-spent. So, if you have the budget for it, why not bring out the drawing board and start sketching your own wedding ring?

You don't always have to have your wedding in a grand hotel ball room. I remember attending a friend's so-called 'frugal' wedding in the form of a garden BBQing session with friends and I have lots more precious memories about it compared to others in ballrooms with huge settings. So, if the budget is a concern, don't throw out the idea of having your wedding outdoors because it's relatively cheaper this way. And definitely more fun!

Taking your wedding outdoors means that you'll have to consider your catering options if you're not keen on cooking for hundreds of wedding guests. I did a little bit of surfing and found these to be rather reliable catering services. Give it a go.

Everyone wants a beautiful fairytale wedding but let’s face it, not everyone can afford one. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! The good news is, fairytale weddings, contrary to popular beliefs, don’t have to be expensive. Not always. The wedding can be just as magical if you put a little thought into reducing the cost. Here are some ideas for you to sit on.