{Guest Blogger} Midlands Musings

I'm so excited to share today's guest blogger with you! 

You know when you meet someone and before you've even shared more than two sentences - you can already tell that you're gonna get along like a hay bale in a firestorm - just because of the awesome vibes they exude? That is today's guest blogger.

Not only is she extremely witty and well read, with an excellent sense of humour - but she is always ready to lend an ear, a hand or a piece of great advice. Generally, she is one of "those people" who is always awesome to have around.

Introducing Keri Bainborough of Midlands Musings - 

 

isn't she gorgeous?!

Keri and her {new} husband Andy were married on the 16th of February 2013 at Providence in the Natal Midlands. Being a local Midlands girl (and with her wedding date being so close to ours), her and I have spent a large part of the wedding-planning process discussing the finer wedding details like RSVP etiquette, wedding vendors who are completely devoid of normal social functioning, obnoxious back-fat and other such wedding-related things.

As a new bride - Keri is offering her very sound tips and advice for THE BIG DAY.
For those of you who are getting married (like moi!) pay close attention - there are some goodies in here!

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For my lovely friend Che (who is super hot, very talented and the funniest person I know) (ahem. Keri put that in, not me :P ) and all other brides-to-be:

Having recently got married myself (oh you know, about 2 weeks, 3 days and 2 hours ago... but hey, who’s counting), I feel it is vital I share some tips and advice with you before I completely forget all the little things and my wedding day becomes a distant haze of mist, kisses and dirty dresses...

1. Get a good friend (not a bridesmaid) to take photographs using YOUR camera.  Unless your dress has pockets (some really do, check out this beauty here), you are not going to be able to carry your trusty picture-taker around.  Not to mention that you will be too busy air-kissing and catching up with peeps to even think about taking photographs.  You will be so grateful if you give a friend the responsibility of taking shots of your cake, dress, food, table decor, the first kiss, garter throwing and other general drunken fun.  Because when you wake up the next morning, all full of excited exhaustion, you will want to have lots of photographs to help you relive THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE.  You do not want to be waiting around all week for all your hung over guests to put up their blurry offerings just so you can remember what your cake looked like.  Trust me on this one.
2. Nothing can really go wrong.  All your guests are there because they love you and because they are scoring free food and booze, and maybe the opportunity to come right with a hot bridesmaid/groomsman.  They are as happy as Larry.  They are not going to notice if your groom forgot to thank Aunt Mildred for making the doilies in his speech.  They are also not going to notice if there is one less candle holder on their table than there should be, or if the roses are a touch too pink.  They are there to have a jol, to see you looking all glam in your dress and to spend time with YOU.  Do not forget this.  Seriously.  HAVE FUN.
   
3. You WILL freak out when you put your dress on.  Yes, you will look gorgeous, and yes, your bridesmaids and your mother will all mock-faint at how beautiful the dress is, but you will have a freak out.  Probably because you will a) realise you have to carry this heavy thing around on your body all night, and we all know how detrimental that is for good break dancing moves, and b) it will hit you that you are about to get married, you are finally a bride, and the day that you have been planning for your whole life is now here and will be over in a couple of hours and then what the hell are you going to do with all your spare time and ohmygod I’m going to be a married woman not a wanton little singleton anymore!!!  Don’t worry.  It’ll pass.  As soon as you see your groom’s handsome face, all fears will be forgotten and you will feel like a princess again. 
   
4. Group photographs after the wedding ceremony are a nightmare.  Try to get as many done with your bridesmaids before you leave for the chapel, so that you need just a few with the bridal party afterwards - especially if the groomsmen are all still hung-over from the night before and trying to sneak ciggies all through the photo shoot.  Ahem.  I will not even mention family group photographs here.  I would advise that you just don’t do them if you can get away with it.  They are PAINFUL. 
   
5. Don’t stress about not spending time with every single guest or catching up on each friend’s love life/career/new puppy.  They understand that you are the celebrity of the evening and that you have 100 other people to say hello too.  Catch ups are what other friends’ weddings are for.  Yours is for floating around happily, sprinkling your magic bridal-fairy wand of love onto all the cynics who keep saying that they are never going to get married. Yeah, right.
   
6. Stay hydrated.  Every time you try and make you way to the bar for some form of liquid, a second-cousin removed WILL track you down.  I swear.  Assign one of your bridesmaids the task of making sure that you have a glass of whatever-suits-your-fancy in your hand at all times.  I do recommend water, purely for the thirst though – everyone else will make sure you get enough booze through shooters – stick to water for long drinks.
   
7. Don’t try to follow everything that Pinterest and the Bridal magazines say you must do or have on your wedding.  Your bridesmaids might not have needle kits hiding in their bouquets, but you can bet your newly-married ass your great-aunt will have one in her handbag.   I promise: your evening will not be ruined if you haven’t prepared for everything that might go wrong.  Focus on the positive instead.  Someone in the wedding party will have your back, don’t you worry.
   
8. Although it is important to spend time with your groom, you do not need to be stuck to each other side’s the entire night.  Dance alone with your friends, have a DMC with your drunk little brother and a sneaky cigarette outside with your American pal whom you haven’t seen in years.  You and your new husband will have each other all to yourselves when you get to the hotel room afterwards, not to mention for the rest of your lives.
   
9.  Having said that, also do remember what it’s really all about:  YOU AND YOUR MAN.  Don’t get so concerned with your appearance, or your bridesmaids, or your divorced parents’ feelings, or the itinerary that you forget to look into his eyes, kiss him hard and remember why you fell in love with him in the first place.  It is these memories which will hold you in good stead for your future lives together.
   
10. Get a friend to take photographs with your camera. Seriously. Very important.

 

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Thank you for making me so excited for our big day Keri! I can't wait to celebrate with you! (And I nominate you as un-official-bridesmaid-in-the-know-to-make-sure-my-glass-is-always-half-full!)

You can head over to Midlands Musings to get another good dose of Keri's hilarious writing and keep up with all her latest blog posts and all the happenings by following Keri on twitter

Also - you must go like the Midlands Musings Facebook Page, because it's awesome. 

And because I said so - 

and you always have to do what the bride says.

always.


PS - Keri has also posted a few snaps from my Kitchen Tea and Hens Night which went down on Saturday - it was INCREDIBLE and I can't wait to post about it - but for now - check out Keri's snaps from the awesome day!