World Cup Wedding?

So, World Cup Fever seems to have gripped the nation and with kick-off just hours away everything seems to have turned red and white.  England flags are draped decoratively from upper floor windows and also seem to adorn anything on wheels - cars, vans, prams .... even shop-mobility buggies at our local shopping centre!  Kids seem to have been given special dispensation to play out in the streets (probably because their harassed mothers are fed up with footballs being kicked around the house) and yesterday I even saw a poodle whose curly locks had been sprayed with a red cross especially for the occasion!

So what has all this got to do with weddings?  Pity the brides and grooms who a year or more ago unthinkingly booked the date of their wedding for anytime over the next few weeks!  And even if they themselves are not the least bit interested in watching 'a lot of grown men chasing a ball around in South Africa', how many of them will nevertheless suddenly find that their table-plans have to be re-designed at the last minute to accommodate an unusually large number of cancellations from their guests?

This serves as a reminder of how important it is to really do your research in the early stages of your wedding planning to ensure that your date does not clash with important events.  Obviously you can't safeguard against everything - the sudden announcement of a royal wedding for example might throw an unexpected spanner in the works (and before you ask .... I know nothing!) but key annual events - especially those which might effect a significant proportion of your guests (eg Wimbledon fans, Grand Prix fanatics etc) really should be avoided if at all possible.

Something else to remember regarding date selection is that as romantic as a Valentine's Day wedding might sound, the floristry bill is likely to be more nightmare than fairytale as flowers of all types (not just roses) can almost double in price around these special days ... other dates to avoid if you are on a strict budget include unusual dates (such as 10/10/10 or 11/11/11) - although on the plus side of course your hubby is at least more likely to remember your anniversary!

So, to summarise, it's best to check more than just your own diary when setting the date of your wedding ... unless of course you are happy to include the hire of a big screen on your wedding shopping list.

And, if any of you out there are already feeling like the World Cup has taken over your lives ... get hold of a copy of the film Sixty-Six.  With an all-star cast it's a story of a boy who has been planning his Bah mitzvah down to the last detail for years and then discovers that the date falls on the day of the World Cup final (in which England played West Germany and won!)  Funny and heart-warming it's a definite winner for any world-cup 'widows'!