This morning, my fiance’s best friend, Ray, called. I picked up the call and we proceeded to have a lengthy conversation about weddings. Everything has become so confusing because there are so many choices and I dont know where to start. Ray had a wedding two years ago in Richmond Park and it was an lovely ceremony and day. 

Ray said that I should first think about a venue: abroad/in the UK. He said outside London, there are some amazing places which are substantially cheaper than in London. He said he drove around atleast 10 locations. I told him that we have decided to have our wedding in London as my family would only need a VISA to the UK, rather than two VISA, one to the UK and then to a Schengen country if we were to hold the wedding outside the UK. One of our friends had a beautiful wedding in Tuscany. However, I am aware that since most of my fiance’s friends are over 30 and have kids by now, they may not be able to travel. So we would lose 2/3 of the people we invite - which wouldnt be a bad thing since this whole wedding is going to cost a ton!!

I asked Ray about a few things about the wedding costs so that I could have a fairly rough idea about budgets for various things. He said that flowers were ridiculously expensive. I wonder if people mark up prices as soon as they hear the word ‘ wedding’ because they know people have a bigger budget for that. He said he spent a couple hundred pounds for flowers (bonquets and table arrangements) Ray was pleasantly surprised that wedding drinks cost less than he thought they would. He had an open bar and set aside a couple hundred pounds for it but the total bill came up to 800 pounds. Ray added cheekily ‘ I did have my wedding on a sunday and knew that people wont drink much because they work the next day’.

I also asked Ray about engagement parties. Last year, I went to my friend’s engagement party which was ridiculously cheap! The couple, who are both from wealthy family (so I’ve heard) and work as a lawyer and doctor (so dont give me the argument that they dont earn enough money) had an engagement party at a bar. But everyone had to order their own drinks. They did open a bottle of champagne but the lady didnt even ask me if I wanted a drink. We left soon afterwards because it wasn’t even worth hanging out. Other friends threw a small dinner party at a London restaurant and paid for it. We’re thinking of inviting a close group of friends (about 30 or so) to Ping Pong for lunch. I’ve budgeted about 600 pounds for that as the set menus cost about 12 pounds plus drinks (mostly non alcoholic as its a dim sum lunch) I will also hold this in July as I will have my engagement ring by then. Ray said “Everyone comes to the engagement party to see your ring.” 

I guess that means it better be pretty damn fabulous!

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