by Johanna Osborne.

I recently attended my friend’s dazzling wedding. It took place at the very same venue I got married in, and it provided a most nostalgic trip down memory lane for my husband and I. My friend’s wedding was beautiful. She looked stunning in her unique, stylish gown and it was plain to see that this wedding was carefully planned. Everything ran smoothly – amazingly so! The bride was cool, calm and collected and it was her level head and organised approach that allowed her to enjoy her dream day all the more. A true inspiration to other brides!

I often ponder what I would do differently if I could relive my own wedding day again. But the same thought occurs to me each time. On our wedding day in 2006 almost all the people we love most in the world were present. As I looked around the room I saw smiling supportive faces mirroring our joy, and sharing in our happiness. I never once thought that 6 years down the line some of those faces would no longer be with us, and thus rendering our wedding day all the more precious. For the 5th of January 2006 is a moment in time that I hold forever, in my heart and mind, and thankfully also in print and video. I will never lose those memories, and therefore I have managed to hang on to something very dear. My beloved father was present on this day, and many would agree he was very much the star of our wedding. A spotlight I was very happy to share with the most outgoing, gregarious person I have ever met. He calmly accompanied me to the church, proudly walked me down the aisle, smiled for the cameras, squeezed me tight after the ceremony, and entertained our guests all night long. His 3 speeches, enthusiastic attempts at Greek dancing and boundless energy until the wee hours made all our guests fall under his spell. He simply was the most special thing about our wedding. And for those memories I am grateful. My father is no longer with us, and it is a loss none of us have come to terms with. Perhaps we never will. But the point of this is not a depressing one, it is to highlight what a wedding is all about, what it means and what is truly important. Weddings are about love, family and connections – a celebration of all that makes life worth living and all that is important.

The best advice I can give to anyone is to make sure you capture as many images as you can, get a wedding video if possible, and of course a wedding planner/event stylist to minimise your stress. I met Paula Bevege through planning my wedding, and without her we would not have had the magnificent celebration that we ended up with. Paula’s list of tasks was infinite – she worked endlessly with us to find the perfect suppliers, kept us calm, gently suggested creative and wonderful ideas, and took care of so many of the “finer details” (there were candles everywhere, gorgeous beauty products and fresh flowers in the bathroom for all our guests, and our hotel room was covered in rose petals and heart shaped chocolates!). Paula organised our wedding cars, our stationery, the last minute ice sculpture I just had to have, our DJ and everything else in between. She was wonderful! Perhaps too wonderful, or else I wouldn’t have been so relaxed drinking Moet with my bridesmaids prior to walking down the aisle over 30 minutes late! By having someone help me plan my wedding, I was not only calmer in the lead-up, I was also able to relax more on the actual day also. And that is worth more than anything. The latenesss however was not Paula’s fault.

 
To all new brides –it might sound clichéd, but don’t be nervous and do enjoy every moment. Take a leaf out of my friend’s book, who appeared to be genuinely enjoying the day and it turned out just the way she had wanted – perhaps because of that very fact. Delight that it’s your event that you can share with your friends and family, appreciate you have found someone to spend the rest of your life with and ignore any minor hiccups. Perfect is nothing but an opinion, a point of view. If something doesn’t go as you had hoped, chances are no one will notice. More than anything it’s the emotion that will deeply touch your guests and they will walk away feeling they have shared in an intimate event that they were fortunate to witness. We had so many people comment about our wedding, and it was consistently said how amazing and special it is that our family is so close and shares so much love. I was so proud to hear these words again and again, and all these years later that’s what I remember most. We recall who was at our wedding, and how lucky we were that they were there. Make time to say how you feel and tell those you love how much they mean to you – even if you are distracted by lots of other things in the lead up to your big day.

Everyone’s idea of a dream wedding is not the same and we all value different things, but with the people you love most by your side, and the help of the right suppliers, an event planner, and a calm and positive approach there is not much you can’t achieve. Make your wedding day one you will never forget – for all the right reasons!

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Albert Einstein

photos of Johanna’s wedding in 2006