Last week on The Wedding Fixer, we saw Sarah Haywood help Josie and Ben plan their wedding day. This couple have planned the most complex wedding imaginable and with Josie being a very indecisive bride, Sarah had her work cut out ensuring the she could make a decision and stick with it.
There were a number of key wedding planning issues that were identified in this episode, so we picked two which are relatable to many couples and asked Sarah for her advice.
Keeping to time schedules on your wedding day
Having previously served in The Royal Airforce, Ben is incredibly punctual and disciplined with his time-keeping. However, his betrothed is notorious for being late. With the help of Sarah, Josie’s son and her trusty bridesmaids, Josie arrives with minutes to spare.
It is really important to be organised and have a structure for your wedding day to avoid being late. Often registrars have multiple weddings to officiate every day so they can only afford for a certain amount of wiggle room. So, make sure you have a time plan prior to the day and most importantly; that you stick to it.
Sarah’s Tip: ‘Keeping to time on a wedding day is extremely important; so if you don’t have a professional to assist you and create a wedding day schedule for you, create one yourselves. This should start from the moment you get up in the morning to the moment you arrive at the ceremony. Another schedule will be needed for the day itself. Have people around you to keep you accountable for those times. It could be family members, bridesmaids, groomsmen, bestman, chief bridesmaid and also the professionals that you’ve hired.’
Managing people’s prejudices and expectations when this isn’t your first wedding
In the episode, Josie is marrying for the third time and is clearly haunted by the mistakes made in her previous weddings. She just wants this wedding to be perfect, especially since this is Ben’s first wedding. In the episode, it is clear that Josie is completely certain of her love for Ben. However, she worries about what others will think of her getting married for a third time.Â
After consoling her in a moment of sadness, Sarah makes Josie realise that there is no shame in remarrying. Also, that she shouldn’t make herself feel bad with self-deprecating jokes. Also, that she shouldn’t allow others to do the same. If you are in a similar situation to Josie, don’t let people’s preconceptions stop you from marrying the love of your life. Yes, you’ve made mistakes before, but that shouldn’t stop you from being happy now!
Sarah says: ‘I think we should all be more sensitive to the type of language we use around marrying for a second or more time. Whether that’s ourselves or weddings we attend as guests. Divorce is no laughing matter. It’s not fun. Even when it’s amicable, it can be incredibly distressing. So to say things like, ‘second or third time lucky’, is not funny. It actually denigrates the whole concept around marriage. If you’ve done it before and it didn’t work, the fact that you’re willing to give it another go is, in some ways, the triumph of hope over experience.’
You can see Sarah in action on The Wedding Fixer, which airs on W Channel on Tuesdays at 10pm and repeats on Sundays at 7pm.