The Lovettes (Charlotte) – A control freaks’ guide to getting through that last month

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So, everything’s booked, the last payments are being made, the seating plan is done and my final dress fitting is in a few weeks’ time. I thought I might be having a bit of a freak-out about how quickly the time is passing, but work has been so busy I’ve barely had a moment to worry, a bit of a blessing in disguise!

Work should be calming down a bit in the next week or so, and I’m sure the pre-wedding panic will creep up on me before I know it. Being the control freak that I am, I need to keep in mind a few sane thoughts, and I’m sure will be re-reading the below points more than a few times over the coming weeks!

Blogging bride and Lovettes member Charlotte ties the knot on 18th September 2015.

Stop comparing your wedding to everybody else’s

Between daily doses of Love My Dress, binge watching Don’t Tell The Bride and endlessly scrolling on Pinterest, even when you’ve made all those crucial decisions you begin to worry that you’ve made the wrong choices. I’m totally guilty of this, especially as our venue is especially good at their social media, so not a day goes by where someone else’s beautiful flowers / cake / decorations aren’t popping up on my news feed. Bring on the self-doubt. “Do we have too much colour?” “Are our decorations going to fill the space?” “Does my dress really go with the venue?” “Have I chosen the right flowers / food / readings?” – it goes on and on. Really I’m being totally ridiculous, we chose everything for a reason. Our wedding will be bright, not so traditional and more than anything it will be very much ‘us’. I just need to throw out any comparisons and Let. It. Go.

Don’t be your own worst enemy

Perfection is boring. Don’t get stressed over every tiny detail, it’s just not worth it. (Someone please remind me this on the 17th September!)

Delegate, delegate, delegate

Try. Just try. If you’re anything like me, you’ll know how painful it is to let go of something, but seriously, I’ve had to tell myself to get a grip and actually trust that everyone isn’t a total moron. One evening last week Rik and I sat down to write a big list of all the jobs we need to do on the set up day, and I practically had to sit on my hands to stop from grabbing the paper from him as he was writing the list. Crazy!

Blogging bride and Lovettes member Charlotte ties the knot on 18th September 2015.Forget about that last 5 pounds

Wedding diets are possibly the most depressing of all diets. We all want to be the best version of ourselves on our big day, but that shouldn’t mean shrinking down beyond all recognition. A few months before we got engaged I was already focused on losing weight by making healthier diet choices, as I didn’t feel like I looked like ‘me’ anymore, following a few years of never weighing myself and not really realising that the pounds were creeping on. I know that I wanted to lose weight for myself before I even knew a wedding was on the cards, and not for some crazy expectations of what a ‘bride’ is meant to look like.

Since then, nearly 2 stone lighter, and a size 10, I feel at a comfortable weight for me. I’m not meant to be any smaller than that. And with a month to go, I want to enjoy my hen weekend and the run up to the wedding without having to worry about everything passing my lips. At this stage, I’m the only person who would probably even notice being a few pounds lighter anyway!

Blogging bride and Lovettes member Charlotte ties the knot on 18th September 2015.

Say thank you

I’m a huge believer in giving credit where it’s deserved, and even though Rik and I have put in countless hours of planning, we wouldn’t have got there without so many other people who have helped us with all number of things. Of course we will be following the tradition of saying thanks during the speeches, but it doesn’t hurt to say those two words regularly during the run up, either. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is any wedding. So, THANK YOU to Mum, Dad, Laura, Katie, Joe, Sam, Pauline, Derek, Jared and Bella who have, or will all be making things, loaning things or lending us their skills. We are so grateful.

Blogging bride and Lovettes member Charlotte ties the knot on 18th September 2015.

Remember that life will go on after you say ‘I do’

At times, wedding planning can seem completely all-consuming. I’ve been warned by friends that even with a lovely honeymoon to look forward to, the post wedding come down is real. So while I am relishing every moment of planning, I’m also looking ahead to other occasions we have to look forward to after we become Mr and Mrs.  Whether it’s next years’ family holiday, many friends’ 30th birthdays on the horizon or maybe being able to afford a new sofa after all this saving, it’s good to prepare ourselves that life will resume as normal after the 18th September.

Blogging bride and Lovettes member Charlotte ties the knot on 18th September 2015.

Pack bin bags(!)

This may sound ridiculous, but at every event I’ve ever set up, I’ve always made sure to have a roll of bin bags within reach. During particularly chaotic moments on a set up, it’s surprising how much better it feels to grab a bin liner and gather up any bits of rubbish / paper / off cuts / empty coffee cups that are stopping you see the wood from the trees. Or maybe it’s just me 😉 when all else fails, a glass of wine should do the same job!

Love Charlotte x

 

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Charlotte Knott is marrying her fiancé Rik on 18th September 2015 at The Tithe Barn in Ditcham, near Petersfield.  The wonderful McKinley Rodgers will be taking their photographs.  You can find Charlotte via her blog and Instagram.  You can also read Charlotte’s other posts on Love My Dress here.

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3 thoughts on “The Lovettes (Charlotte) – A control freaks’ guide to getting through that last month

  1. Love this, such wise words & comforting to read with my wedding fast approaching too. It’s scary how alike our journeys seem though, I too am a control freak, and have been questioning if our choices are right, and whilst I would normally be majorly panicking about how fast it’s coming round (12th Sept) and if everything is gonng go how I want, I’ve been too busy at work to think too (definitely a blessing in disguise!) We’ve booked a family holiday for after the honeymoon, and have all our 30th birthdays at the end of this year & throughout next, and a new sofa is at the top of our post-wedding list. Spooky! Are you going to Sri Lanka then The Maldives for your honeymoon by any chance haha! Looking forward to reading your wedding once featured, and swooning over it. Best of luck! 🙂 xx

    1. I’m so thrilled that this feature resonates with you Laura – thank you for leaving a lovely comment for Charlotte too.
      I hope you have the most amazing wedding 🙂
      Love Annabel xx

    2. Thanks so much Laura 🙂
      Our wedding journey’s do sound very similar, how funny! We aren’t going to Sri Lanka though, we’re going to Bali and Hong Kong, although we did look at Sri Lanka too, haha! Hope you have an amazing wedding and honeymoon! Xxx

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