"Sshhh, listen everyone." Amanda hushed their little group.
"Can you hear the sound of my stress dissipating?"
They smiled indulgently at her.
"We are here to ensure that you get the best deal and that all of the paperwork and legalities are in order, thus giving you peace of mind that absolutely nothing is left to chance," Nicole continued. "We will do our utmost to make sure that all of your dreams come true. We will negotiate between family and friends so that you feel little if any pressure at any stage of the proceedings. Far from the movies' depiction of micro-managers in headsets, we will be your first line of defence against what is commonly considered to be one of the most stressful moments in your life."
"I think I'm in love with you," Amanda joked.
"Ms. Baxter, your conference room is ready for you now," a member of the hotel staff interrupted their pleasantries.
Nicole slid from her bar stool and picked up her briefcase. Everyone looked at her expectantly. "I've booked a meeting room for us to discuss the wedding in a more formal atmosphere," she explained."If you'd like to follow me then we can get down to business."
"How very organised of you," Amanda said approvingly, as she picked up the Champagne bottle and obediently followed Nicole and Evette.
The conference room was surprisingly very pretty. It overlooked the hotel's gardens and had a small oak table and four wicker chairs. There were a few large plants in the corners and the walls were painted a cream colour with the faintest hint of green. It was very peaceful and tranquil. It seemed more like a conservatory than a conference room.
Nicole cleared her throat as everyone gathered around the table and settled themselves into their seats. "Would you like to tell us more about how you met?" she invited.
"Of course," Amanda answered immediately, without even hesitating to see if Kian wanted to say anything. "I was at the opening of a trendy new nightclub in town with one of my girlfriends. You know one of those places where everyone who matters likes to be seen."
Evette almost choked on the last of her champagne.
"I'd just broken up with my husband. It was a very messy divorce, especially regarding custody of the children. He decided that he wanted to have equal access. I soon put a stop to that. There was no way that I was having him and his latest fancy woman play happy families with my children." Amanda was visibly beginning to get very worked up. Kian put a hand on her knee to try to calm her. She took a deep breath and continued her story. "Well, I was having a wonderful evening for the first time in a very long time. I was celebrating my divorce and was a teeny bit tipsy, when this tall, grey-haired but still handsome man suddenly approached me."
"Actually, I think you approached me, sweetheart," Kian interrupted, speaking for the second time that afternoon.
Amanda looked outraged."You approached me," she repeated, with a stony edge to her voice.
"Ok, ok," Kian quickly backed down.
Nicole and Evette could tell that he was used to keeping the peace in their relationship.
"You've ruined my story now!" Amanda snapped as she glared at her fiance. Kian sighed.
"Where would you like to begin, Amanda?" Nicole decided to quickly change the subject before the situation erupted into a full-scale argument. She opened her briefcase and began to arrange her papers on the smooth, oak table.
"Oh, please, call me Mandy," Amanda insisted. "All my friends call me Mandy, and I'm sure we'll be the best of friends by the time the wedding rolls around."
"Or the worst of enemies," Evette muttered under her breath.
Nicole kicked her sister sharply on her shin. Evette quickly jumped to attention. Luckily, Amanda was absorbed in the wedding journal that Nicole had put together and she didn't notice the exchange between the two sisters. "I must say, I'm very impressed already," Amanda said as she flicked carefully through Nicole's book. "You've covered absolutely everything."
"Thank you," Nicole blushed at the compliment. She took out a pen and paper and opened a blank page. "Where would you like to begin, Mandy?" Nicole repeated her earlier question.
"I have no idea," Amanda laughed uneasily. "I was hoping you could lead me in the right direction. This will be my second marriage and I want this wedding to be special. My first husband and I married when I was pregnant with our first child. We were only eighteen years old so it was a cheap and cheerful ceremony at the local registry office. I've always dreamed of a lavish wedding where no expense was spared and Kian has promised me just that. He won the lottery a few years ago, you know," she whispered confidentially.
Kian sat bolt upright in his seat and glared at his fiancee. "Do you have to tell everyone that I've won the lottery?" he asked.
"Oh, honey, don't be silly. Nicole and Evette aren't everybody," Amanda protested, dismissing Kian's protests with a nonchalant wave of her hand.
Nicole and Evette tried not to look at each other as they knew that there was a good chance that they just might explode into uncontrollable laughter.
"Every wedding is different, but they all require a lot of organisation and that's why we are here to help," Evette said.She could see that Nicole was struggling to maintain her composure.
"We want to make planning your celebration fun for you and your guests," Nicole continued.
"We have lots of straightforward advice and tips and we have personal contacts with some of the very best people in the wedding industry."
"Really?" Amanda's face lit up with excitement. "How many weddings have you organised?"
There was an awkward pause which Evette valiantly filled. She could see the stricken look on her sister's face.
"Actually, this is our second wedding." Nicole looked at her sister sharply.
"I see," Amanda seemed crestfallen at this information. "I was hoping to employ wedding planners with a lot of experience. I don't want anything to go wrong on my big day."
"Would it be possible to have a reference from your previous wedding clients?" Kian asked.
"Absolutely, no problem. I can email the references tonight." Nicole stared at her sister in amazement.
"Excellent, that's that sorted then," Amanda said airily. "Where were we?"
Nicole handed a detailed list to Amanda."I like to break everything down into small, manageable steps," she explained, "that way, there's very little room for error."
"Ok, good idea," Amanda scanned the list intently.
"Let's begin at the beginning," Nicole said. "You wrote in your email that the wedding is February the fourteenth."
"Yes, Valentine's Day," Amanda sighed dreamily, with a faraway happy expression on her face.
"It will be exactly one year to the day that Kian asked me to marry him."
Kian smiled at the memory and leaned across to kiss his fiancee.
"We have almost four months to plan the wedding," Nicole continued.
"We don't really have four months," Evette interrupted her sister. "Christmas and New Year will get in the way of our planning."
"Not really," Nicole said dismissively. "Do you have any idea about venue or the theme of your wedding at this stage?
"I want to get married in a castle," Amanda replied. "It's always been my dream. I'd feel like a princess finally marrying my prince."
"The theme of your wedding should be reflected in your reception," Nicole continued. "It should be a flurry of intrigue with lots of colour."
"Yes, I adore colour," Amanda agreed. "I've always hated black. If I had my way I'd get married in a bright red dress!"
"I like the idea of a traditional wedding," Kian piped up, "and you look beautiful in white anyway."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," his fiancee laughed. "Don't worry, I won't be walking up the aisle in a red dress, sweetheart. It will be traditional white."
Kian breathed a sigh of relief.
"A theme is a good idea because we can build everything around it and keep a common thread running throughout the entire event; from the wedding stationer
y right through to the decoration of the reception venue itself," Nicole continued.
"I never thought of it like that," Amanda hesitated. "How do we even come up with a theme?"
"A good place to start is to think of the things that you enjoy doing together. What are your hobbies and family traditions? Your wedding date is Valentine's Day so we can build that into your theme if you'd like," Evette elaborated.
Amanda and Kian still looked a little puzzled.
"You should think about the weddings that you've attended in the past," Nicole prompted them.
"Were there any particular aspects that you liked about those weddings? Did anything strike you about them? We can find a way to incorporate them into your proceedings."
"I know I want lots of colour," Amanda reiterated.
"Colour is perhaps the biggest aspect that you need to consider," Nicole agreed. "Colour will affect the mood of your wedding, for example, pastels and vivid colours will create a light and happy feeling, whereas deeper tones will create a warm and welcoming ambience. You should think about the colours that suit you. What tones are most prominent in your wardrobe? Ideally, your theme should complement both of your natural skin tones to ensure the best photography. If you still can't decide, don't worry, I've taken the liberty of downloading a few colour schemes to get you thinking."
"Wow! I can't believe how organised you are." Amanda's voice was full of admiration.
"Thank you," Nicole glowed at the compliment.She turned her computer towards Kian and Amanda and opened up the file containing her colour scheme ideas. "Let's begin with a monochromatic colour scheme," Nicole continued. "This may seem very posh, but it is, in fact, the simplest of the colour scheme choices. You simply pick one colour and develop your look using different shades, for example, baby blue, blue and navy. The different tones grouped together give a chic and elegant feel, without the stress of picking colours that do not naturally complement each other."She showed the couple some swatches that she had brought with her to the meeting.
"I see what you mean," Kian nodded enthusiastically.
"Next, we have the analogous colour scheme," Nicole said. "It sounds complicated but you should think back to school when you learnt about the colour wheel. Analagous colours are the colours that lie beside each other on the colour wheel, for example green and blue or yellow and peach. I think they would be perfect for an early spring wedding like yours as they will give you a gentle, light, crisp feel to match the spring air."
"What about contrasting colours?" Amanda asked.
"I was just getting to that," Nicole smiled. She was pleased to have such a rapt audience. "Contrasting colours lie opposite each other on the colour wheel, for example yellow and blue. Yellow and blue are ideal colours for a summer wedding as they are vibrant and energising to match the warmth of the sun. Next are triad colours," Nicole explained.
"It sounds like the title to a movie with Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee," Kian laughed.
Nicole smiled at him. "Triad colours form a triangle on our faithful friend, the colour wheel, for example yellow, purple and bright pink." Nicole showed them another swatch of material with the triad colours.
"Beautiful and very striking," Amanda said thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Nicole agreed.
"If you decide to go with the triad theme, make the first colour your main colour and use the other colours as accents. This will make a real statement. The tetrad colour scheme is next."
"Tetrad; is that a computer game?" Kian joked, before being elbowed into silence by Amanda.
"No, it's not a computer game," Nicole replied. "Although if that is your guilty pleasure I'm sure that we can incorporate it into your theme."
"Never mind him," Amanda said, "there won't be anything to do with computer games at my wedding. I have enough of that nonsense from my sons. I'm certainly not putting up with my husband playing computer games incessantly too. I'm just about to become a bride. I don't plan on being a computer game widow any time soon."
"I know, it's terrible, isn't it?" Evette agreed. "There are several women where I work who say that they don't see their husbands all day and then within half an hour of coming home, they're glued to their computer games for most of the night."
"That won't be me," Amanda said vehemently. "Carry on, Nicole, what are tetrad colours?"
"Tetrad colours refer to any four colours that are evenly spaced on the colour wheel." Nicole pointed to the colour wheel to demonstrate. Purple, yellow, red and green are good examples of the tetrad colours. However, this is perhaps the most difficult colour scheme to pull off successfully as you run the risk of looking like Joseph and his amazing technicolour dream-coat if you get it wrong."
"Hmm, not such a good look," Amanda sighed. "It does include the colour red that I desperately want."
"If you do it correctly, the effect can be incredible," Nicole explained. "We would need to use accents rather than blocks of colour. Yellow tablecloths, a small, elegant circle of red and purple flowers mixed with greenery in the centre of the table, would look sensational."
Amanda gasped with excitement when she saw Nicole's example on the computer screen."I think I'll be going with a tetrad colour scheme," she said decisively.
"Well, you should probably take a few days to think about it before making your final decision," Nicole cautioned. "The colour scheme is very important."
"I think it would be a good idea to pay a visit to your wedding venue, once you have a few ideas in mind," Evette suggested. "You should look at the colour schemes on the floor and the walls. There's no point in settling on a scheme only to find out a week before the wedding that it clashes with the surroundings."
"I would never have thought of that," Amanda gasped.
"Also, remember to look up," Nicole advised. "The lights in the venue will create an atmosphere. If you plan to use candles, we'll need to make sure that the lights can be dimmed, most can, but it's better safe than sorry. If the venue has very grand decor and lighting, it's probably best to keep the table centres simple and elegant. However, if the venue is quite plain and you want to make a statement when your guests arrive then we'll have to put in some effort to make the room come alive."
"I wouldn't know where to begin," Amanda looked stricken at the thought.
"Don't worry." Nicole patted her shoulder comfortingly."Evette and I are your wedding planners. We are here to help you with everything. There are many companies that will provide us with decor for the day; from chair covers to balloons, chocolate fountains, ice-sculptures, casinos, even light-up dance floor and monogrammed rugs, there are plenty of ways to make your wedding unique."
"Gosh, there's so much to think of," Kian groaned.
"I know, it's mind-boggling," his fiancee agreed. They both looked a little shell-shocked from the amount of information that Nicole had bombarded them with.
"Everything will work out perfectly," Nicole soothed. "However, we do need to make our decisions fairly quickly as we don't have a lot of time. When you decide on your colour theme I'd appreciate you letting me know as soon as possible as I'll need to contact your florist and stationers. They often have suggestions for themes that can be easily overlooked. We'll have a look at their designs and see if there are any that fit your theme or they may be able to create a bespoke design that is similar to one of their previous creations that's still in keeping with your personal style. "
"I feel completely overwhelmed," Amanda said shakily. "Never mind the Champagne, I could do with a strong cup of coffee."
"I'm just at the end of the phone or an email whenever you need me," Nicole smiled sympathetically. "Don't be afraid to ask questions or to look for something a little quirky. This is your wedding day. It's not an exam. There are no right or wrong wedding reception themes. It simply comes down to your imagination."
Chapter 11
"Wow! You deserve a standing ovation for that performance, Nicole." Evette got to her feet dramatically and gave her sister a resounding r
ound of applause.
"Stop it. Don't be ridiculous," Nicole laughed with embarrassment at her sister's praise.
"Where did you learn all that information? I never knew that there was so much detail involved in wedding planning."
"You know me; I'm an obsessive compulsive when it comes to the fine details. I learned most of it from planning my own wedding. Paul wouldn't let me hire a wedding planner so I had to do everything, and I mean everything. I even had to choose his suit! I should have paid more attention to the signals he was sending out right from the start. The closer to the wedding we got, the cooler he seemed to become towards the whole idea, but I was so caught up in planning my dream wedding that I forgot that it was his wedding day too."
"Weddings are supposed to be about the bride," Evette insisted.
"Maybe, I don't want to talk about it right now," Nicole said. "I'm starting to bore myself thinking and obsessing about where he and I went wrong and if some of it was my fault."
"Don't be ridiculous! Paul dumping you at the altar was in no way your fault."
"So what did you think of our first clients then sis?" Nicole abruptly changed the subject.
"Amanda is quite glamorous, isn't she?" Evette pondered.
"I suppose so, in a fake, flashy sort of way. I think she'd be a lot prettier if she toned down her hair and makeup. Her hair is bleached and processed to within an inch of its life and she looks like she's shovelled on her makeup with a trowel."
"I don't know how she has the time, money or patience to be bothered with her fake tan, fake nails and fake eyelashes. I'm sure she's had her lips done too and she's definitely had Botox. Her forehead is wrinkle-free." "I was admiring her skin, actually. It's as smooth as a teenager's."
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