We have all been there. That we had loads of time. Then OH NO! Where has this time gone? I was totally relaxed and then it was blind panic. Every so often a reality check is exactly what you need. Stops you from being so relaxed you are horizontal but it does also whip you into gear so that it is easier down the road. Our Traditional Bride Kath tells us all about getting back on track. ~ Kate
Another month down, another month closer to The Big Day! So we have the main things covered; the venue, the photographer, the evening entertainment, THE DRESS, THE SHOES… but I’m not going lie, the rest of it is very much on the back burner right now. It’s been a busy month, I’ve had a lot of overtime in my day-job, my home business keeps me busy in my spare time, and any time left after that, I tend to be sleeping. Or eating. But mostly sleeping. So I just haven’t had the time to do a lot this month! I mean, we haven’t been totally non-productive… we have nailed the wedding menu, in one gorgeous sitting with The Manfriend and my wonderful mum and dad; all the courses are picked and ready to roll. I’ve also paid off The Dress so it’s officially mine. But considering we’re on the big 6-month countdown, I guess for normal people who have been planning their weddings for a while, this is where the loose ends all get tied up. I will be brutally honest; I haven’t even decided on half of the middles yet, let alone the ends. 
It’s a long-standing trait in my family. My sister (and bridesmaid) is literally the authority on being late. When people joke about being late for your own funeral, I think this will actually happen to her. She takes being late to the next level. It’s almost an art form. I’m talking ‘full-on-2-hours-and-still-painting-her-nails-on-arrival-at-the-party’ late. And they will look perfect! So I can say with some certainty that I’ve learnt from the best. And now I’m following that ill-fated pattern, whether it’s crash dieting a week before my holiday, last minute shopping on Christmas Eve, speed-typing in the office for the last hour to get my work finished before the weekend, or my personal favourite, getting ready for a big night out approximately 18 minutes before the taxi is due to pick me up. I’m kidding; it’s not 18 minutes, it’s more like an hour. But still, that’s not really ideal when you’re over 30 and can’t head into town wearing any less makeup than a Kardashian without scaring little kids. And just to add proof to the pudding, I’m actually writing this latest instalment (no pun intended!) the day before my deadline date. 
But I’ve always worked best under pressure. I will lose that last few lbs before the beach; pick up the most gorgeous bargain presents the day before Christmas, walk out of the office on a Friday afternoon knowing I’ve got nothing hanging over my head until Monday , and I can guarantee the lovely Kate from Cwtch The Bride will have this piece pinging into her inbox before the day is out! But there are some things, you really can’t be late for, and one of them is your wedding. 
I had a little half-joke with the registrar about my habit of being fashionably late, and with a stony face, she emphasised in no uncertain terms that should my perfectly coiffed, spray tanned, made-up, white-adorned butt not be present at the alter on time, I will, quite plainly, not be getting married that day. Or not at that time anyway. Fact. They’d do their best to return after all of their on-time arrangements had been completed, but this is never guaranteed. Yikes. 
But aside from my time management in relation to actual hours and minutes, I’m also a little lacking in the organisation of time in the long term, as in months and years. (Honestly, I’m really not showing my best attributes in this instalment am I… I’m actually starting to wonder how I’ve held down a job all these years… thank God for Flexi-Time! My bosses won’t be reading this will they?) What I’m getting at is, with 6 months to go, and with everything we’ve got left to arrange, purchase, book, and organise, including some fairly large aspects of the day like, oh you know, the rings, the cake, the limo transport to actually GET us to the wedding, I have got to accept that this butt of mine really has to move. And shrink, while we’re at it… 2 ½ stone to bid farewell to within 6 months…? It will happen, right?
Really, have I ever set myself a more daunting deadline for anything in my life than organising a wedding?
But before I read this back, receive a self-inflicted smack in the face of reality and begin ordering random doilies, chair covers and favour bags before we’ve even decided on a colour scheme, I do want to point out something very important about people who genuinely believe they’ve got more time than they actually have. It’s A Thing. It even has a name: Tidsoptimist. Seriously. Google it.
And as pointed out by a really interesting article I came across on Elite Daily, “Optimistic People All Have One Thing In Common: They’re Always Late.”
There’s a direct quote from the article that reads “people who are continuously late are actually just more optimistic. They believe they can fit more tasks into a limited amount of time than other people, and thrive when they’re multitasking. Simply put, they’re fundamentally hopeful.”
Now that’s not strictly true in my case, I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’ve pretty much fibbed in every CV I’ve written, I’m actually NOT an expert multi-tasker, I can barely walk and chew chewing-gum at the same time. Again, I hope my bosses don’t read this.
Who doesn’t want to be thought of as fundamentally hopeful though, eh? The article also states: “People with a tendency for tardiness like to stop and smell the roses.” Now that’s more like it.
So do you have a memory of something that gave you a reality check before your big day? I’m sure many of us can understand where she is coming from. If you would like to see some of Kath’s other posts please click here .
