Wedding organizers and various service providers often point out that there is something that is even more difficult to understand than the Bermuda triangle, namely the bride's mind. Every bride seems to have countless thoughts swirling in her mind right from the moment of her engagement. Undeniably, sometimes some brides have a kind of chaos in their heads. But what, after all, are the things we think about, and what is the wedding planning process like from the perspective of the bride herself?
The London-based bride Elīna Krafte, who has been together with her fiance Juri Priedi for ten years, helped us to understand this and this winter they will say goodbye to each other in the Dominican Republic.
ENGAGEMENT
I have been proposed to twice. To be fair, both are from the same person. I was proposed to for the first time more than six years ago in Latvia, by the sea on the Kurzeme side, in front of my parents, and the second time I received shortly after we had already decided on the wedding in the Dominican Republic. This decision was made over a glass of wine on our ninth anniversary together. Shortly after that we took a trip to New York where I was proposed to for the second time.
My mom always said that after such a long time Yuri would have to propose again, which is what happened. I guess I can't even express my feelings in words - Juris really surpassed himself! That evening, Juris asked me to dress up the way she likes best, and mentioned that I was in for a surprise. We had long planned to visit the Rockefeller Center observation deck that night, which we did. Later, we went down, walked around the area, and Juris said that we had to go up again. And so we ended up at Bar 65 , where there was a simply fascinating view of the pearl of New York, Manhattan, and the night skyline of the metropolis.
Of course, Juris had ordered the table by the very window with a unique view. After a while, Juris invited me to go to another room, where he had arranged for an employee of the institution to take a picture of us with the beautiful view in the background. As we were being photographed, my silent partisan got down on one knee and proposed to me.
Tears of joy, fit of laughter, surprise and embarrassment. As it turned out, Juris had already ordered the ring a long time ago and was just waiting for the right moment. And waited.
PLANNING
When we started actively planning the wedding, the great excitement about the chosen wedding destination gradually started to fade. Juri and I didn't know where to start because we had never even been to a wedding before, let alone one held in another country. However, planning a wedding with this concept is different. I can't deny, initially we were a little panicked, but then, as they say, we started putting everything on the shelves .
We realized that it is necessary to start with a budget, because in general it depends on what you can and cannot afford. Next came the biggest and most enjoyable job - inviting guests. When planning a wedding in another country, you should expect that not everyone who will be invited will likely come to the wedding.
We were very surprised, because the number of confirmed guests is already approaching 30 people. When planning a destination wedding, you should always consider that the final amount will be higher. Of course, if we were traveling only with Juri and the families, then we would definitely be included in the special wedding offer price, but since many more people will come to the wedding, the price increases. Because at the end of the day, we want everything to turn out beautifully.
I'm kind of a terminator when it comes to planning and organizing. This is probably also one of the reasons we chose to celebrate our wedding in the Dominican Republic, so that I would have to do as little planning and thinking as possible. If we were to organize the wedding in Latvia, then I would definitely worry about every little detail, as a result, I have no doubt, we would be left without ushers and maybe even I - without a husband. However, now everyone is just waiting for our big day to come, and of course everyone has their vacation, including ourselves.
Of course, there have been times (well, I won't deny it, many times) when I call my mom or my girlfriend in the evening or in the middle of the night and ask various questions in a panic. Sometimes you just want to complain about how difficult everything is, and I think such moments are also normal. It is very difficult to plan your wedding when you are so far away from your family and friends.
It's good that I have my mom, who is my biggest treasure and pride and is always ready to listen to me at any hour of the day.
WEDDING PLACE
When Yuri and I were in the Dominican Republic a couple of years ago, we jokingly chose our own place where our wedding ceremony could take place. I guess we already unconsciously decided that we would get married right there. We really liked their laid-back, relaxed atmosphere there, and last but not least, I love Latin American music, languages, and dance. If our wedding took place in Latvia for two days at most, then in the Dominican Republic we will all be together for more than a week.
The theme of our wedding will definitely suit the Dominican Republic - we will be like two starfish. We have this symbol everywhere - on invitations, table cards, wedding cakes, cocktail tables, ring boxes, and my parents in Latvia even ordered special glasses with this symbol.
We chose Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana as the wedding venue - we have been there before and we were very satisfied with everything there. In our case, each guest pays for themselves, as this is essentially their vacation as well. Of course, I cover all the costs for my parents, although my mother did not want to agree to this, so we came to a compromise - I pay for the trip for my parents, but they take care of my dress.
When we decided to celebrate our wedding in the Dominican Republic Dream Palm Beach Punta Cana , we had to go through something like this sequence:
- chooses his wedding proposal - we took the most expensive one, because it seemed the most suitable for us. Which offer is better to choose depends on how big the total number of guests will be;
- guests are recommended to stay in the same hotel, otherwise the entrance fee for each day would be about 60 more dollars to be able to spend time together;
- another very important task is to find your photographer! The hotel offers its own, of course, but we chose a photographer outside the hotel. We had to pay extra for this, but we really liked our photographer. In fact, other couples could be advised to hire a photographer from Latvia and also pay for his trip, because in terms of costs, the price difference will not be large. In the Dominican Republic, you will not be able to find a professional photographer cheaper than 1,800 dollars for eight hours;
- DJ prices in the Dominican Republic are also, of course, very exaggerated, costing about 1200 dollars for three hours;
- it should be noted that Dominicans are very relaxed people. With them everything happens very slowly and unhurriedly, everything is excelente (that's their special phrase).
DRESS
Undoubtedly, for every bride, the wedding dress is one of the most important things in the entire wedding process. I'll be honest - looking for a dress is a stressful event, so the main thing is to do it all with a certain dose of humor and in a fun atmosphere.
I was also looking for my right dress in London, but I found it in Riga. I have to say, there were stores and salons where I observed the tactic of saleswomen insisting on trying to get the bride to buy something while she collapses, buys, runs out of the store, or contemplates marriage. I have always wondered why shop assistants do this, if they know well that brides are already full of stress and the only thing we brides need is a calm atmosphere. My mom and my best friend and I stayed in quite a few salons, but I must say that I felt a free atmosphere in only a few places, for example Love Story and Myosotis , where I also bought my fantastically beautiful wedding dress.
I WILL BE A WIFE!
It just seems that Yuri and I have been together for an eternity and now we will do what perhaps should have been done a long time ago - we will become husband and wife.
Sometimes people ask, "How do you know he's the one and only?" To be honest, I don't know, but I feel it, because every time I hug her, I feel like it's my home.
Realizing that you are no longer just someone's spouse, but a bride and soon a wife, is indescribable. It is another level of relationship, another path to walk together. It feels like starting a new relationship to some extent. In order to be in a successful relationship, the work definitely starts with each person and only then with each other. Sometimes that's easier said than done - I'm still working on it too. But as they say, live forever, learn forever.
*Soon I will be a wife (from English)
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