****2017 Brides****Currently 166 Brides and 1 Groom****

Jayney that sounds awful! Some people are awful when a wedding is involved!

I'm getting married in July and I'm thinking of having my hen at the end of May. Is it too early to start badgering people to come? I'm going to catch up with my bridesmaids later but I don't want to be a nightmare bride so I don't want to start pestering them if it's too early!

I'm such a control freak - not organising this is killing me!

Crikey Jayney - not what you need! What's happened with your bridesmaid?

My hen do is at the beginning of May - we have booked it in the last few weeks & everyone has paid a deposits - I was amazed how booked up a lot of things were already (dependant on what you want to do of course, we were hiring a cottage so availability was few & far between already). As there's two bank holidays in May at the beginning & the end, I'd say it wouldn't harm to get the date in everyone's diary at least, so I'd say not too early!

Oh it's really long winded so I'll try and keep it short. Back in Feb I started to look at hen dos. I gathered up my hens and said we would be going abroad, who was in, who was out. I found a fab place in Benidorm, showed everyone and paid the deposit. I booked with low cost holidays - who have since gone bust. We were going the last weekend in April, wedding is in June.

So. I told all my hens what the score was and that I would be looking to book something else ASAP to keep prices down. I found an even better deal to Majorca, showed the hens, even contacted the flakey one separately because this one was a bit more expensive but was all inclusive, the last one wasn't. They all gave me the go ahead. I told them that I would pay the deposit with my wedding fund and then they could all pay me back by such and such date. Then the trouble started.

My bridesmaid, who is no longer my bridesmaid, then turned around and said she didn't know if she couldn't arrange anything that far in advance because her grandma is terminal. She knew this when I sent the new hen trip details and gave me the okay to book. I left it for a week and I hadn't heard sight or sound from her. So I text again. And again. I asked her numerous times and each time she danced around the subject. She kept throwing back the question to me etc. I know she has a lot going on, and I know it sounds very insensitive of me but I had to then say if she couldn't come on the hen because it was so far in advance then how could she be a bridesmaid? I know how that sounds but for both our sakes I didn't want the pressure on us. Here for thinking she has these commitments to me and the wedding, and my commitments paying for her to be a bridesmaid etc. Hope that makes sense. So in the end, it was agreed she wouldn't be a bridesmaid or come on the hen. And hasn't even offered to pay me back the deposit I paid for...out of my wedding fund!!! Even though she told me to book her place to then say she wasn't coming.

And the other hen. Sent me message saying she was really sorry, didn't check the dates of the new hen properly and was actually on holiday then. The new hen dates are 2days later than the old hen! And is now claiming she doesn't have any money to pay me back the deposit I paid for her.

Feeling pretty bridezilla-Ish about it all in a way but it has really disappointed me ?

Hi,

Think in still in shock but I'm getting married 9/9/17! Booked yesterday!!

Oh Jayney, that all sounds bloody awful! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all this ☹️

Oh no Jayney, what a nightmare! I hope you're not too much out of pocket & they'll come round to the idea that the right thing to do is at least to pay you what you've spent on their places so far.

Deep breaths!

Hello Ladies

I'm 16th September 2017

Only just started planning and already very excited!

Oh Jayney that just sounds so stressful. I hate organising things like that because people just see flaking out no big deal. Hope it all gets sorted.

I haven't made my mind up about a hen. I'm not too fussed but part of me thinks I'll be a bit sad if I don't have one as it's one of the things people ask about. I don't have any close girlfriends though.

We've been having a do with our venue after they didn't book us enough rooms. It's been going on nearly a month and it's finally sorted and everyone we care about most is staying the night of the wedding.

I think I've found the shoes I'm going to wear for the day (Rainbow Club Passionberry and they do a bright blue colour that is exactly the colour I've been imagining). Me and OH have also decided to have a go at designing our invites and getting them printed to make it a bit more personal to us. We've got a few months before they need to go out!

That sounds like a nightmare Jayney. I hope you get everything sorted soon.

We've sorted our wedding invitations after receiving our sample at the weekend. I have the evening invitations sorted. We are giving notice next Tuesday and we have an appointment for suit hire in a couple of weeks time x

We wanted 1 or 2pm. We're going to ask if we can bring lawn games and hope for good weather - the hotel grounds aren't huge but they have a lovely terrace area and lawn. We've got a meeting with the venue next month so hopefully they'll have suggestions for timings etc. Most of the guests will be staying at the hotel so they can always check in to their rooms or pop back to freshen up between meal and evening. We might look into an entertainer of some sort if the budget allows.

Good news is that we have booked our photographer, hair and makeup lady and venue dresser.

I'm currently banging my head against a wall with my OH's inability to be organised..... we STILL haven't given notice and he doesn't seem to think it's that important- despite the fact that our 'provisional' booking for the registrar isn't confirmed until we do!

First he couldn't find his Decree Absolute from his divorce, which he has to present, so had to get another copy from his solicitor.... now he's remembered that his birth certificate is locked in a filing cabinet at work- for some reason they took it off him when he took it on his first day last December 'to photocopy for their records' and have never given it (or any of his professional qualification certificates) back...... he's forgotten to ask for it for the last few days and now his boss is on holiday for a fortnight so he can't get it until he gets back *Head Wall* !!!

It's 6 months today till our big day. Èek it's coming round so quickly. Been back on wedding planning with a vengeancethe last few weeks. Invites are made ready to write this weekend, favours are made and we have booked an appointment to give notice. How's everyone else planning going?

I know exactly how you feel. I told the OH months ago that our appointment to give notice was 23rd August. He told me has was off that day so I booked the day off work. Last week, I reminded him of our appointment and, surprise surprise, he had forgotten all about it. He then asked me to change the appointment (err no. It took about three months to get a date, they only do appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we have to give nice by September or we lose our provisional booking). He is now working that day so he is going o have to feign a doctor's appointment. He has also told me that I may need to change our menu tasting appointment as Spurs may be playing that evening......?

My biggest worry is that there would be a big game on our wedding day as it's weeks to the end of the season. Looks like there'll be a match on just as we settle down to eat. I'm hoping the fixtures move otherwise OH will be hiding his phone in my bouquet to watch the match!

We gave notice the other month we didnt need birth certificates which is great as my OH doesnt speak to his mum and she still has it

all i needed was my decree absolute and passport

We have finally made an appointment to give notice! As neither of us have current passports we have to take birth certificates, driving licences and his decree absolute. I think it may all feel a bit more real once notice has been given- I hope so as at the moment it feels more like I'm planning a concept rather than the real thing!!

I know the feeling Slink. My h2b is football mad and he said we had to get married out of football season. Mind you, one of his best men (yes he has 2!) is annoyed because we're getting married Glastonbury weekend and he always goes with his dad! Obviously he has said he will be coming but his dad hasn't said whether he is or not and he's a close family friend, let alone best mans dad!!

On the mention of bridesmaids dresses, I've just had delivered a sample dress from an eBay seller in China and its amazing!!! The only thing is that the shoulders need altering but for £27 in not complaining!! Just need to order them all now xx

Janey do you have a link for the eBay where you got the dresses please?

Http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Long-Chiffon-Lace-Evening-Formal-Party-Ball-Gown-Prom-Bridesmaid-Dress-Size-6-22-/151990747576?varId=451170969811&txnId=1436345464005

This excites me a lot as BM dresses is something that I am struggling with and I have these dresses "favourited" on Ebay! What colour did you get if you dont mind me asking? I would be getting champagne. How long did they take to arrive?

Howdy all! I'm new around here and excited that I'm now only 10 months away, our date is 24th June 2017.

I've got a fair bit of planning done, but wobbling on a few decisions. I'm hoping that the lovely folks here will be able to help me out. As most of my friends are getting a bit bored about my wedding chat now!

Just had the call - my dress is in! Have to go and try it on with shoes a week on Mon. Get to play around with hair accessories and finally find out how much alterations are going to be as well ?

I ordered champagne. I would say they are a cross between champagne and nude. But I'm still very happy with them! I ordered a 16 for my sister and it fits her well. Just the shoulders will need altering as they're too long xx

How exciting!!

I do hope you'll be taking some sneaky pics to flash to us MadamRed! I bet you can't wait! ?

How exciting and I've got to admit I am jealous! I can't wait for mine to come in.

i ordered some sample invites this week, I got so fed up with OH being no help so just went for the ones I like!

I also ordered some fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses but that was nearly three weeks ago and still nothing so I definitely won't be ordering the dresses from them, which is a shame as I had found a perfect dress. Those dresses on eBay look good though Janey and what a bargain! Might investigate those further.

Hey MadamRed! Hope your plans are going well. Another for the 2017 list here - wedding all booked in for 28th April

Yay!! How exciting I collected mine last week and it's now lovingly stored at my parents. I've wobbled every time I've been due to see it but thankfully still love it

8 months today!!! Coming round so quickly. We've booked to go to the wedding show at the NEC in Oct for any last bits of inspiration!

We got our pre wedding shoot photos today! They're lovely, but me and OH are pulling some right faces in them! I thought I was posing in a very model-esque way but the camera just hasn't picked this up! I'm now selecting which ones will go on our wedding website so we can get that set up before moving on to invites.

We've decided to design our own and get them through Printed as our save the dates look good. I think I'm probably going to jazz them up with some ribbon, I'll order some spares so I can have a play without wrecking the official ones. My mum has recently taking to card making, so I see an afternoon of drinking tea and adding ribbons and gems to the invites!

I can't believe how quickly the year is going, when I was booking things at the beginning of the year a lot of my suppliers basically said "I've pencilled you in, we'll discuss the fine details at the end of the year" and I was soooo disappointed because that was too long to wait. Nope, now it's pretty much on top of me.

I can't wait for my dress to arrive, I just want to try it on again!

I've sorted my bridesmaid dresses and I'm so happy that is done now as it was starting to stress me out. I've gone for those multi-way ones you can wear lots of different ways and one size fits all so no stressing about bridesmaids losing/gaining weight!

Time does seem to be going quickly now, 8 months to go!

8th July 2017 ❤

How exciting! Did you get pictures?

Also - welcome to the new brides!