Wedding Planning - Part 2

If you read my post a while ago about the terrible time I’m having planning my wedding, this is a second installment.  If you didn’t read it, here it is.

Anyway, when we left off, I was up to the “Save the Date” part.  They’d gone out and now people think it was the invitation.  Since that time though it’s been pretty much radio silence.  A couple of people left a message on our wedding website [yes, we have one of those too *sigh*] and that’s it.

So what have I been doing, you may ask.  Well, this time around I’m having bridesmaids - I know, its only a Vegas wedding, but still.  My daughter, obviously, is one and so is my sister.  But that left my daughter’s very best friend (who’s like a daughter) having nothing to do, so I made her one too.  The other half wanted his family in the wedding, so now there’s a best man and two grooms men, both his grandchildren.  (Can you see where this is going?)  What about my tiny niece and nephew?  Yup – flower girl and ring bearer… and on it goes.  I’m rethinking that Westminster Abbey reservation as I write…

Of course, I’m supposed to be saving as much money as I can on this wedding – it is not going to be a Charles and Diana affair (oh, there’s the Abbey gone).  So for bridesmaid dresses my daughter suggested going to the Los Angeles garment district where you can buy stuff for cheap, cheap, cheap. Unfortunately, this time of year is Prom time and it looked like this:

It's flippin' pandemonium down there!

Whatever, I used to go to football matches every Saturday, so I’m used to pushing my way through crowds.  *smile*  

Would you believe it, we actually found a dress they liked in record time.  They tried it on, loved the fit and we asked if they had it in the colour we wanted.  “Oh yes, of course we do” they said, “We will order it and you can pick it up” they said.  Hooray you say.  Well, not so… it turns out the person who told us that was not the boss.  “Oh no” said the boss, “they don’t do it in that colour.. how about white?” he said.  Whaaaaa…..!!  Typical – nothing goes right, does it?  The expression ‘Too Good to Be True’ was running through my head.

Not to be discouraged we took the name of the manufacturer, went home and did what any reasonable person would do nowadays – we Googled.  And I only found it on Amazon didn’t I?  But sadly not in the right colour …. And this is where it gets interesting (just in case you were nodding off)

No, I do not want white!

I emailed them, yes they can get it in the colour I want and will make it specially, send the measurements. … so I did (well, one at least).  Turns out they were in China and yes, we’ve all heard the horror stories about beautiful dresses from China looking like rags when they arrive.  Well, after waiting a few weeks the dress turned up and *Drum Roll* it was bloody perfect.  The colour is exactly what I wanted and it fit my daughter like a glove.  Nice one China!

A few texts and email messages later, I got the measurements and gleefully ordered the other two dresses.  Fingers crossed they would get here as quickly as the other one.  And they did – except – and it’s a big except.. they are a DIFFERENT colour!!  Well, that’s a bit dramatic, they are actually a different shade, not a different colour, but at this stage, who’s arguing.  *Cue tears*

So for the last week I have been emailing to China to try and sort it out.  Apparently they no longer have the same colour material they made the first dress out of, not sure how they could have run out so fast, but whatever.  They can make me a new one in the colour of the other two, so let’s see what happens.  

My fingers are crossed, as are my legs, toes and eyes.  I’m going crazy and my daughter’s helpful comment on the whole situation?  “Well, what do you expect when you order from China?”

Thanks, thanks a lot!

I Don't Know the Queen

All the interest currently being given to Prince William, Kate and baby George is having a terribly negative effect on my well being.  I think we all know by now the English do not like to be put on the spot in a conversation (or even in any kind of conversation, if the truth were known), but as soon as anyone knows you’re English, the topic is open… “Have you seen the pictures?”  Huh?  “You know, have you seen Wills and Kate in New Zealand?  And isn’t George just Daaahhling?”  “Such a cute baby, he looks just like his daddy”

I’ve even had people I’ve worked with for the last ten years ask me if I’d seen the photos and what I thought.  These people have never heard me talk about the Royal Family, let alone seen me drool over their photos.  So why, all of a sudden am I the font of all knowledge?  I know, I know, I’m English and I should know everything about the Royal Family.  I lived in London so we must have been neighbours.  Probably popped in every afternoon for a quick cuppa and a catch up.  Not.

Yes, I did see the photo of them in the window with the dog, but quite frankly, I was a tad more interested in the dog.  Dogs and babies make lovely photos, it doesn’t matter if you’re royal.  And yes, the jumper was a nice touch, with his name on and all.  I wonder if there was a photo we didn't see of the dog giving the baby a slobbery kiss.

We all have romantic memories of Princess Diana and little William back in the day, going about their lives under the microscope.  Nobody can say anything bad about Princess Di because she was so, well, pretty.  I remember getting a day off work for the Royal Wedding in 1981, the best bit of the day being when Saturday Night Fever was on the telly that night.   Oh, and having the day off work (did I say that already?)

But I’ve never been what you could call a “Royal watcher.”  It was incredibly, incredibly sad when Princess Diana died, I think I even kept the newspaper articles for a while.  It certainly brought the country together so we could all say how horrible the “family” had been to her.  But apart from that, the Royals have just been there in our lives.  Kind of like a distant relative that you don’t really know.

And yet Americans are fascinated with the Royal Family.  I may be generalizing a bit here, but I’ve rarely met an American woman who doesn’t seem to know all the ins and outs of what they're doing and where they’re going and where they’ve been.  Chas and Di, Wills and Kate – they all have little nicknames.   Oh and don't forget Buck House. 

My favourite bit about the Royals (apart from having the aforementioned days off work for special occasions) is when they actually do something that makes them look positively normal.  This photograph of Kate is a perfect example.  You can see right up her skirt and yes, she has scrawny legs and knobbly knees, just like any regular person.  There's hope for us all.

Oh .. and then there's Harry of course!! Who doesn't like Harry with all his antics?