The Big Day
The EPIC build up…
Ok, so I have 4 brides-to-be training with me
at the moment.
It’s gorgeous.
And intense.
They want to look and feel like that perfect
princess bride
and they have an end-goal
a date in the diary
the day of all days where everything must be perfect.
It all starts 18 months before.
- The Venue
- The DRESS (oh my God the dress)
- The flowers
- The music
- The GUEST LIST…
who shall we invite?
and who is never going to talk to us the
rest of our lives…
And you know there are 100 more on that list.
So something I want you to remember…
Weddings are just one day.
Just one day.
Weddings.
And So is Christmas.
Just. One. Day.
If you’ve got some friends coming over on Saturday
I reckon on Friday morning you will have a fair idea what
you are going to be eating.
Then on Saturday morning you’ve bought the food.
And by 5pm you’ve chosen a CD to put on.
And maybe you even bought some new wine glasses
at IKEA because you only had 4 decent ones.
Or maybe not.
But Saturday night came.
The food was eaten.
No-one noticed the glasses
You chatted, laughed,
Dave did his caterpillar across the kitchen
and then hit his head on the fridge
and everyone fell about
then everyone went home – it was a great night.
Your Wedding.
One fecking million jobs you gave yourself
Bonbonieres, French Polish, Garter, Place Cards
Seating Plan, Playlist, First Dance,
Bridesmaids gifts…and on and on and on…
Like Saturday night – but multiplied by a million.
You worked for 18 months
practically non-stop for that one day.
And ON the day…
how many of those details ACTUALLY mattered.
And if any of them HAD gone wrong
no one would have noticed.
Or given a flying one.
The goodwill and bonhomie
would have carried everyone through
and you would have found your way around
the WORST of disasters.
With a laugh and a valued family member
stepping up to sort things out.
The things you remember are…
- Dancing with Auntie Pat
- Your Dad’s beautiful speech
- How your two best friends pretended to fight for the bouquet.
- The girls just want to have fun dance-floor takeover
The fact that ALL your favourite people
were in one place.
At one time.
All wanting to have a nice time
and ACTIVELY pouring love upon you.
You look back…and realise that the wax and French Polish
and organic cotton invites
Were so unimportant they didn’t even reach the radar.
SAME AS CHRISTMAS.
Today – no tasks.
A stocktake.
An exhale.
Seriously, if you are making chutneys and
feeding your cake with brandy
at 8 hour intervals
BRILLIANT – why not?
If you have the time and enjoy it.
But you don’t HAVE to do it.
M&S have got most of that sh^t sorted
you can get it all in one swoop.
(Wednesday. 2pm. Seriously
the only time to go to any large shop.
Except IKEA – which is Tuesday at 7.
Top Tips – trust an allergic shopper)
But it will be fine.
It will.
I will confess.
I have in the past
baked tree decorations and foraged
for ivy, and twigs
and sprayed them gold
Sewed countless costumes
(remind me to tell you about that)
And made the pudding
and the cake
and the mince pies
and all of that….
Actually – I will blow my own trumpet.
I am sh&t hot at Christmas.
But the only thing that anyone remembers about
my contribution
is not the hand made gift tags or the pickled lemons.
(Yes I did that)
..are the games.
Having run a childrens party business for 4 years
and also WiggleWaggle parties
This is my general bent.
I got previous guv’nor.
SAME ISSUE
It’s not the detail.
It’s the fun.
I am going to bring you a COMPENDIUM
of some of my best Christmas games
Over the next few weeks.
You are going to be heralded a Xmas Rock Star
you can thank me later.
While I am on the subject…
Here’s a good starter for ten…
Brussel Truffle Roulette
Here I am playing that.
Yes. I realise I was dressed as a girl
and dyed my hair dark as I was being emo.
Here are my eldest daughter, and second eldest nephew going head to head.
So what you do…
You get some brussells sprouts
(par boil them)
and some nice truffles
Then (nerd alert) you then cover them
in brown fondant icing.
Then a layer of ‘snow’ white icing
(the cream)
on the top.
Then make little hollies and berries
from green and red fondant.
(just get the appropriate colour
food dye and mix it in)
So one is indistinguishable from the other
They are all little chocolate puddings.
Then.
2 by 2 – family members challenge each other
by picking a pudding each
and on your count
putting the whole thing in their mouth
and chew
Hilarity ensues when someone gets a mouthful
of Brussels and icing
(it isn’t good)
And everyone gets a point for swallowing!
(insert smutty joke here – I’m too tired)
It’s fun.
The obsessive compulsiveness of getting the little icing
hollies…
were not remembered.
It was granddads face when he got a sprout!
So all we want to say is…
DON’T STRESS IT.
Like your wedding day
Xmas is ALL going to be OK
Because all of your best people are there
and everyone is on the same side.
So if nothing else, this month…
give yourself a break.
You don’t have to work so hard
And the details are not what is remembered
But if you are running yourself ragged in the build up
and in the kitchen on the day
and cleaning up when everyone is snoring and farting
in front of Strictly Xmas Special…
With a residual hard-done-by feeling
Then you have sold EVERYONE short.
They want you to be in the centre of things
having fun
and giving cuddles
and laughing at the fact that 75 year old great-Aunty Sue
is wearing a Star Wars Stormtrooper voice changer
helmet.
Those are the important things.
We really promise.
All we want to say is…
- Chill out.
- Pick your battles.
- Please don’t overload your schedule (you don’t have to do everything)
- Make sure YOU enjoy your day
- It is NOT about the children. It is about your family.
- You are in that. You are the linchpin of that.
M&S/Waitrose/Sainsburys do a lot of the things you
THINK you need to do…
Pick the things you LOVE only.
DO THOSE
Revel in those.
But you don’t HAVE to do it all.
Because it is only one day.
And what is MOST important
is that you make another new precious set of Xmas memories
Which you can’t do – stuck in the kitchen.
Or so stressed that you just want the day to end.
That’s all.
Have a lovely Thursday
Tanya & Claire.
p.s hope you have got in the habit of the 4
minute wake up workout.
here’s something different for ChillDay Thursday.
A grounding, yet challenging Yoga Workout.
And let’s make a start with Mindfulness.
Just listen. For now. That is all.
Make sure you have a few minutes to yourself.
Don’t expect anything.
>>>MINDFULNESS PRACTICE<<<
Oh and…drink more water.
Set an alarm every hour and have a glass.
Your body and mind with thank you for it
It’s MASSIVE and so simple.
Just take some time and do some things for you.
So you can be on top form for everyone else.
It will pay you back – big style.
Promise.