Manic March

Blimey, where is the time going? It's now three months since I got engaged and my feet have barely touched the ground since it happened.

I seem to spend every spare minute searching for various bits and pieces on the internet, and then phoning my mum and explaining what I've found. She's coming to see me this weekend, so we'll be able to actually have a face to face chat and sort some stuff out.

My mum is a staggeringly creative woman. She is Chair of the village Flower Club, and does more crafts than you can shake a stick at. Mercifully we see eye to eye on the sort of flowers and foliage we want to use in the church, so that's taken care of - she's also sorted me out with someone to make my bouquet as that's something she won't tackle herself.

Currently we're deciding what to do for table centres. Yes, three and a bit months ago my life chugged along quite nicely without centrepieces for receptions ever troubling me - but now it seems to dominate quite a lot of my private thinking time. As we're having a winter wedding, flowers will be a bit thin on the ground, and those that get imported will be quite expensive. Also we are only allowed access to our venue at midday on the day we get married - which leaves us with very little setting-up time. We have to think of something we can make up in advance and then have plonked on the tables in record time.

I have now booked a photographer - many thanks to Glenn who posted some advice on this blog which really helped firm up that decision. It's funny how satisfying it is to cross things off your list - even for someone as disorganised as me.

What's surprised me about this whole planning process, is the fact that the wedding you had in your head before you were proposed to, bears very little resemblance to the one that you actually start planning. Or is that just me? When getting married was an abstract thing, the big day was just that - big. It was a crazy mish mash of ideas that was something between the stylish affairs of my friends and that of Alexis Colby Carrington Dexter's third marriage on Dynasty. As it stands right now the day will be quite low key and simple - much as I loved Alexis, those lavish weddings didn't lead to lasting love...