I should confess, at this point, that I theoretically have an advantage when it comes to planning a wedding. I worked for Confetti for four and a half years, and therefore know the legal situation for marriages in twenty countries, have a large store of great and unusual ideas for receptions, have written loads of speeches for all the parties involved and could tell you each step in planning a wedding standing on my head. But… I don’t actually know what I want!
I think anyone who can choose a date a year, or 18 months hence, and start actually committing to that date and spending money on it, is incredibly brave. Yesterday at work I met someone who is getting married in April 2006 and has already set the date, booked the church and seen several venues – I had bad, bad thoughts about them.
The only thing we’ve really discussed so far is that we’d like to get married on the Amalfi coast in Italy. Although I’m definitely looking forward to actually getting married, the thought of spending all that money is terrifying me. I’ve had a look at a few sites of companies that plan weddings in Italy, but few of them give enough information. I guess they’re so scared you’ll pinch their ideas and do it yourself, that they barely have any pictures or ideas on their sites.
One of the other things I found it incredibly easy to say about other people’s weddings was ‘Before you do anything else, set a budget and stick to it’. How am I meant to set a budget? I have absolutely no idea how much getting married in Italy will cost. It appears that I am truly incapable of taking my own advice.
So the first thing I’ll be investigating is wedding insurance, to cover any of the dreadful mistakes I will surely make during this process!
Read Johanna’s diary next month to see how her wedding planning is going and to pick up some handy tips along the way.
