It’s June—the traditional wedding month, named for Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Our first Bride on the Brink for June is Laurie Rose. Imagine planning two weddings in two different countries! Laurie, our bride-to-be, is from California, and the groom-to-be is from India, so they’re having two weddings—one in each country! Luckily, her mother-in-law-to-be is taking the lead on the wedding in India. Family and friends can count on a lot of packing and partying!
BRIDE: Laurie Rose (Costa Mesa, CA)
LOCATION: Fullerton Arboretum
WEDDING DATE: June 7
COLORS: Dark-pink bridesmaid dresses and multi-colored flowers
THEME: Travel
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 120-150
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Q. Wow! Two weddings, worlds apart! When did you start planning, and what’s your theme?
A. I booked the major things—venue, catering, photographer—about ten months ago, but I didn’t do much after that until this past March. Since my fiance is from India, and we both travel a lot, we are incorporating a travel theme with luggage candy holder favors, luggage-tag name cards and country names for the tables, with trivia about the various countries.
Q. Where’s the stress coming from, and how are you handling it?
A. We have family traveling to both events, and the stress of getting family-travel details worked out and worrying about them has been the most difficult thing. I have some amazing friends and family who help me deal with it all. And I play a lot of soccer!
Q. Here’s a loaded question! What would you do differently, if you had the opportunity?
A. I might look more seriously at hiring a wedding planner—at least, to help with some things. It seemed so expensive and something only very wealthy people can afford. However, I’ve read that there are varying levels of involvement and expense, so it would be worth looking into.
Q. Any last minute details to take care of?
A. There are so many small, last-minute details, I can’t even name them all. But the biggest thing we’ve put off is getting my wedding band. Hopefully, we can order it in time.
Q. Did the economy affect your wedding planning?
A. We just tried to tone everything down—less- extravagant food choices for the catering, less-expensive flowers, etc.
Q. What’s been the most rewarding part of your wedding-planning process?
A. Dealing with all the stress and anxiety and attempting to face it in a healthy way, my fiance and I have grown so much in this time—both individually and as a couple. We both learned the incredible value of empathy in relationships—just drawing near to understand the other person from their point of view and being present with them in the moment.
Q. What advice would you give a friend who was about to embark on her own wedding planning?
A. Find a good counselor and start going immediately. Work more on your relationship and on your own emotional /relational health than you do on the details of the wedding, at least until the last two months. Then, like it or not, wedding planning will take over!
Watch for the next edition of Brides On the Brink…30 Days and Counting! It’s for brides, it’s about brides, and most importantly, it’s by Brides On the Brink who are one month away from walking down the aisle.
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