Wedding preparations

ByRasa Pelham
A black and white photograph of a wedding ceremony taking place in a church, featuring a bride and groom standing together with an officiant. The church has a vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows, with guests seated on either side.

While preparing for our wedding I have been often told (well… ok, just couple of times) that there are so many things that can go wrong on the actual wedding day. They were concerned that I did not look stressed enough! In the matter of fact, I have been a little stressed, but not about things going wrong on the day, but more about the the logistics as it all seemed like a huge puzzle to me. This was my first ever wedding that I organised (with the help of friends and family of course)! Anyway, our day turned out just fine! Despite few teeny-weeny errors that worked out for the best, everything went swimmingly. One of the things I especially enjoyed is getting ready on the day with the bunch of girls including my mum. Here is how it went (as much as I remember)…

  • At about 6am we woke up (that is unlike me btw). By we, I mean me and my bestie Vicki. We slept in our wedding suite to be in the Mandolay hotel. It was very sunny and while in bed I screamed “I am getting married today!” multiple times. You see, I could not quite believe that, so I had to say that out load.
  • At 6:18am my photographer texted that he is going to be in the hotel at 8:30am. What? The wedding is only at 1pm, I guess he wanted to take the pics of all the preparations. At that point I have started working out the coffee machine so I could make well needed coffee for both me and Vicki (the first cup of coffee turned out to be water scented with coffee)
  • At 6:44am I have received a text from my Matron of Honour, Suzanne! It was a sticker saying “Keep Calm It’s Your Wedding Day!”, I got even more excited! I tried on lacy dressing gown and I have been ordered to pose for Vicki for some photos (she sneakily send some to Joni). Even more texts and Facebook messages received indicating today is THE DAY by this time!
  • At about 7:30am we went for breakfast, this is when our photographer joined us (a bit earlier than anticipated, but I don’t mind extra photos!). Here is one of our first pics. Very arty farty view of our hands! On previous day we had a manicure and painted our nails in Marigold colours, Vicki decided to match Nicolas (my new sister’s) nails that were orange.
Two hands resting on a table with colorful manicured nails, one hand adorned with a ring. A menu and a spoon are partially visible in the background.
  • At about 8:30am we headed down to Liz Earle store to get my make up done. While walking down the road me, Vicki and Ovo (our photographer) have been chatting and joking (one of the pros having friend photographer is that it does not make the taking pictures process too awkward).
  • At 9am Nicola (make up artist) has started her intricate work. She managed to make my eyes look a little bit like Hepburn Audrey’s just with the black pencil!
A close-up of a woman having her makeup applied by a makeup artist, showcasing a serene expression against a wooden background.
  • Meanwhile while Ovo was taking photos of the place (still chatting and joking), Vickie has been taking her own pics and texting them and corresponding with Joni and Nicola (The sister… I know I know this is confusing having two Nicola’s in the story). Joni texted that the chandeliers in the venue are already decorated with ivy (ahh, such a relief!)  and Nicola is waiting in the hotel outside our room (felt a little bit sorry for her).
A woman receiving makeup application while another woman sits nearby looking at her phone in a relaxed setting.
  • At around 10am make up is done! super pleased! Now back to the hotel as I have been notified that the whole crowd is waiting at the hotel!
  • As soon as we got back to the hotel we have been welcomed by huge girly crowd including Suzanne, Nicola, Anna (my dear friend who used to live next door to me), Nicola, Suzanne’s new born baby and her mum and most importantly my mum. I had to call the hairdresser as she was waiting in the car park. At first it has been overwhelming as everyone had their own idea where to start with preparation, however I asked to wait for my hair to be done first. Nicola have handed me a written letter from Joni (that helped to regain my focus). He wanted to write a last letter to me with my maiden name on it! It was a lovely poem that I have read out loud.
A bride reading a heartfelt letter while smiling, surrounded by friends and family in a wedding preparation setting.
  • At around 10:30am everyone cooled down and started enjoying themselves (it must have been a bottle of fizz).
A close-up of a champagne bottle in an ice bucket with a label reading 'Laurent-Perrier,' set in a hotel room with two blurred women in the background.
  • It has been really lovely to hear laughter and chats while Anna have been preparing for her violin and vocal performances for the ceremony. It was quite magical! Me, Ovo and Enza (hairdresser) have been joking how none of us have been involved in the wedding for a while… well, I found that quite funny 🙂
A woman playing the violin in a black dress stands near a bathroom door, while another woman is getting her hair styled at a vanity in a hotel room.
  • At 11:30am is dress fitting time! The dress that I have got from charity shop has always been slightly too small and the diet did not really help me to slim down around the bust area. I will talk about my dress some other time but for now I can only say that it took all the bridesmaids to pull it on, including Anna who was really worried that the dress might tear.
A bride is being helped into her dress by two women, one looking anxious and the other focused. A woman in the background watches intently, creating a moment of anticipation.
A bride getting dressed with the assistance of several women in a bright, decorated hotel room.
  • Few more fixes such as blowdrying and spraying my polka-dot tights with hairspray to stop static on a dress causing it to cling to my legs (something I have learned from working at the fashion shows in my fashion design past).
A bride in a wedding dress holds a colorful bouquet while a woman in a striped shirt uses a hairdryer to prepare her hair.
A woman with long hair wearing a patterned dress smiles warmly while looking at another woman in a wedding dress and veil, holding a bouquet.
  • At around 12pm I was quite relieved to have my dress on so I pulled some silly faces! (I don’t think I took Ovo’s orders to pose for pics seriously)
A bride smiling while holding a bouquet, wearing a veil and wedding dress, in a bright room.
A smiling bride in a wedding dress holding a bouquet of colorful flowers while sitting on a chair, with a soft light illuminating her face.
  • At around 12:30am time to go! I was trying to pin a boutonniere on my dad’s suit lapel. Oh, dear! I was so clueless! Thankfully Suzanne was there to help.
A bride delicately pins a boutonniere onto the suit of a man, possibly her father or groom, while wearing a veil.
  • While in the car with my dad I remember being out of air. A combination of nervousness and a very tight dress caused me slight distress, but I managed with deep slow breaths. I think the scariest thing was too see all the crowd waiting for my entrance, it was hard to hold my tears!
A group of people gathered at the entrance of a church, framed by an arched doorway illuminated by a hanging light, with greenery visible in the background.

Rasa xoxo

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