With less than one week to the big day, resident beauty blogger & social media star Caitlyn Lendrum spills the tea on her entire wedding planning journey!
If you’ve been keeping up with us as we documented Caitlyn Lendrum‘s wedding planning journey, you’ll know now our bride-to-be is just a few days away from saying ‘I Do!’
We’ve covered everything from planning during a pandemic to finding the perfect venue and saying ‘YES’ to the dress, so today we look back at how Caitlyn really feels ahead of the alter before she officially becomes Mrs Hegarty on 22nd October…
So Caitlyn, we’re assuming a lot of your wedding planning is underway – how did you and Tony find your overall planning experience?
“I have to say, after only having to change our date once we got very lucky! All of our vendors were able to change to our second day so we didn’t have much stress with changing the date.
“When we booked the wedding, it was 14 months before our original date, which I now realise was quite a tight turnaround. I know people who have had less time, but it came around so quickly!”
Caitlyn and fiancé Tony
Looking back, what do you wish you knew before planning a wedding?
“I have to say the MAJORITY of vendors and businesses I’ve dealt with have been so lovely, however on a more serious note, I have dealt with some vendors that I haven’t had a great feeling from. Getting married and planning a wedding is a very exciting experience and it’s lovely that some suppliers would go above and beyond for you.
“But if you speak with a vendor or visit a shop and you don’t get a good feeling, then find someone who would bend over backwards for you! You’re spending your hard-earned money and sometimes thousands of pounds, so I really think you should spend it wisely with people who give you a good feeling.”
Caitlyn & her bride tribe on her hen party
Is there anything you would do differently that you didn’t think of before?
“One thing I would definitely recommend is ticking away paying bills throughout the lead up! We didn’t pay a whole lot except small deposits up until the past couple of weeks. We were advised against paying people in full months earlier in case businesses closed due to Covid.
“However, if it wasn’t Covid times I would recommend slowly paying off as you go. That means when you come close to the day, it isn’t as daunting getting massive bills which can make it easy to panic and feel overwhelmed. If we paid off over the past 20 months, the lead up would have been a breeze! We are one week out and everyday we are paying invoices – it’s just crazy!”
Caitlyn’s wedding venue at The Loft
What are you and Tony most looking forward to about your day?
“Personally, I am most excited to see it all come together! I didn’t have a wedding planner and I it planned 90% myself, Tony managed the honeymoon and music so the anticipation of seeing all the vendors coming together will be the nerve-wracking part! I hope I have done an amazing job of creating a master piece!”
Have you picked up any handy tips to share with our brides-to-be?
”One thing I have been practicing is to ensure I don’t try anything new – it can be easy to over indulge and try new face masks every night and put 17 creams on your face to make sure it’s immaculate, but the best thing you can do is strip it all back, find one strict routine that works for you and keep to it! I also plan on doing all my treatments at the start of the week, starting with waxing and tinting my brows on Monday so my tint can soften throughout the week.
“I also have a couple of must-haves to pack! From doing wedding makeup on so many fabulous brides, I have picked up a couple of ‘must-haves’ and ‘do’s and dont’s!’ In advance send a message to your makeup artist and ask which lip she plans on using on your makeup and your bridesmaids – this means throughout the day you can top-up with the same lip and always look picture perfect. This is also a perfect gift to pop into your bridesmaid gift bag.
“I also find in the morning when the room is full with makeup artists, hair dressers and the full bridal party, it can get very warm! I have packed a cheap desk top fan to pop on while the girls are getting their makeup done! We do not want any SULA! (Sweaty Upper Lip Alert!) Two SOS items I recommend packing is a hand-held steamer! You can grab one on amazon for £20 and this could be a life saver. lastly PLEASE bring a small sewing kit… that reminds me, I’m jumping onto amazon now! You never know who’s zip may burst in the morning!”
How did you keep track of your wedding planning journey?
“Honestly right now, EVERYTHING is in my notes on my phone! I have a paper planner which was a fabulous gift to us but as I’m constantly on the go, in work or in the car and something pops into my head, I just pop it in my notes there and then – It has been a godsend!”
Caitlyn’s wedding stationary by Paper Dot
Finally, what’s left to do on the agenda this week?
”To CHILL! Finally. We packed our cases last weekend for the wedding and honeymoon. We have been lying low to avoid and colds or flus so we won’t be up to much at all. I have to pack some bits for the night before the wedding so I will do that over the week, then we’re just going to relax and get excited for the big day!
Stayed tuned for our next Bride Diaries series where we will be covering Caitlyn’s main event – THE WEDDING! See you next time 😉
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