We’re going to take a look at the diary of a real bride, Gemma Milly (a talented designer of wedding stationery), as she counts down her big day.
Gemma is the first real bride diary contributor* to Bridal Musings, and I could not be more thrilled about this new feature.
Gemma is going to be dropping by on a regular basis, sharing her thoughts about all the wedding-related decisions, issues, and plans that I am sure many of you are facing right now.
It’s okay; we are here to help you. It’s hard work, even though I love planning a wedding.
Gemma, her boyfriend Tom, and their rustic barn wedding will be held in Hampshire this June. There’s still a long way to go, but we’ll support her (and you!) every step of her journey!
February 25th, 2014: Three months and twenty-six days until the big date…
The number of glasses of Champagne consumed: approximately 100 and counting
Worst Habit: Looking at my Ring While Driving
Eek, I’m getting married!
Gemma is my name, and I’m a stationery designer for weddings and a bride-to-be. Tom proposed in June last year, and it is now only three months and two days before the wedding. Whoop!
Let me take you to the beginning…the proposition – also known as Best.Day.Ever.
Tom asked me to take some time off from work for our anniversary. Tom always plans something amazing for our special occasions (last year, we stayed in an 18th-century gypsy wagon), so this didn’t seem suspicious to me. Tom seemed to be bothered by the bad weather, even though it was June. This was unusual because Tom is normally the most relaxed person. We were in our favorite French cafe at that time, and I was more concerned with my almost croissant, as well as the pleasure of a rare day free.
Tom suggested that we relax at home after breakfast. I was allowed to paint my nails, which was a little unusual. At this point, I began to wonder if I had booked the yurt vacation after all since we seemed to have no plans. Later, I learned that he had been stalling while one of our friends, who was also slowing, jumped into a taxi and stuffed a hamper with goodies and Champagne, which he had bought the previous night, in the boat they’d hired in the afternoon. He then disappeared before we got there. Tom suggested that we relax at home after breakfast. I was allowed to paint my nails, which was a little unusual. I began to wonder if I had booked the yurt vacation after all since we seemed to have no plans. Later, I learned that he had been stalling while one of our friends, who was also a close friend, hopped in a taxi and stuffed a hamper with goodies and Champagne he had bought the previous night into the boat they hired for the afternoon. He then disappeared before we got there. Under the pretext of a “pub lunch,” I boarded our motor boat to sail up the river with a hamper of delicious treats and Champagne. I was enjoying my prawns with scallop shells when we arrived at Teddington. (I should point out that we had met there three years earlier).
Tom opened some champagne and then gave me a bebeautifully wrapped gift. At this point, any thoughts I had about what he was doing vanished because this box clearly wasn’t ring-shaped. Tom asked me to wait until he had asked something before I opened the paper. He got down on his knees in the middle of the boat and asked me to marry him (squeal!!).). I’m rarely speechless, but I can’t recall what I said. (I didn’t say ‘yes’ as I was sobbing too much). It was my grandmother’s engagement ring that he had re-set to fit me perfectly. This made me even more emotional.
After I stopped crying, I opened his first gift, which was a handmade book with blank pages, and on the front page, an old postcard from Nice. We were going to Nice for five days to enjoy being newly engaged. (In the beginning, ‘Nice was our silly codeword for a’marriage ‘…as we said, ‘when we are in Nice we will probably have the wedding reception in a hay barn’). It was wonderful to spend some time together and enjoy being engaged. I stared at my ring way too much, and had an excuse to drink Champagne for breakfast each day. Absolute bliss!
