I have a confession to make. Before I got engaged I was completely dreading the idea of planning a wedding. I’d seen others go through it and I could only liken it to childbirth – a painful, stressful, necessary evil but you get something good at the end. My friends told me how tough it was to stay on budget and when I heard how much their weddings had cost them I felt a bit sick. Why would you want to spend sooo much on just one day? I had even considered at this point just running off to the registry office and getting married.
But… What I hadn’t anticipated at all was that I would get completely seduced by wedding planning. As soon as that ring was on my finger I suddenly realised that actually I could (wedding-wise at least) have anything I wanted. Roses and peonies? Sure. White Moroccan lanterns? Why not. Beautiful dress? Of course! I went out and bought wedding magazines for the first time, that was a thrill in itself. I started looking at Rock My Wedding and Offbeat Bride and drooling over the wedding photos. Uh-oh…
I had a conversion in the office with a male colleague not long after I got engaged about the cost of weddings. I gave the usual “Why would you spend so much on one day?” argument. His answer? “You only get to do this the once!” (Okay, in theory ;-)) And there was my answer.
Now, I am a bit obsessed. I am sure my fiancée is the one for me, I feel like we’ve been waiting a long time for this. I’ve seen wedding venues I would happily maim myself for and I get completely carried away. And so I realised that, actually, this isn’t so much like childbirth after all. It’s like going to a lovely party that has delicious, calorific food on every table and you’re on a diet. I’m terrified willpower will abandon me I’m going to face mash the triple-choc raspberry-topped gateaux…
OCD Bride-to-be 