The comment Wellies and Vogue left on this post made me giggle as I was already composing this post in my head. I’m fortunate to know a bagpiper and have a sister who knows a dress maker and they both flukily managed to have a trip to India in their work schedule at exactly the right time – #2 hasn’t been to India or travelled abroad with her work for almost 18 months so it was a complete fluke.
However apart from these two connections I don’t have any other ‘useful’ friends (not sure they’d be impressed by that comment if they actually knew about the blog). I always hear conversations at work from colleagues who are asking their cousins to re-do their bathroom or a friend who is a mechanic is going to fix their car. I’m tempted to put an advert in the paper for useful friends, I need;
Plumber, joiner, plasterer, IT wiz, carpet fitter, kitchen fitter, tiler, electrician, roofer, gas engineer, mechanic, painter & decorator........
Friends I need to make in the next 6 months or preferably right now;
Photographer, a whole ceilidh band of musicians, florist, stationer extraordinaire, hairdresser, make up artiste or instead of all of these just a wedding planner who could arrange it all for me.
I’m sure there are loads of people I’ve missed of both lists. Do you have useful friends? Am I being unrealistic, is it actually quite awkward to ask a friend to fit your new kitchen and replaster your entire house (I can see how it might be pushing the boundaries ever so slightly)?
Ha ha, I love how you say no 'useful' friends!
ReplyDeleteI do know a family painter and my dad is good with the DIY stuff if necessary.
Otherwise I do know a photographer but he is the fiance of one of my bridesmaids and we wanted to invite him to enjoy the wedding rather than asking him to work at it. Dont have any other useful contacts apart from knowing the organist and flower arranger at the church!
Ha! Useful friends. I suppose we have a few friends who are "wedding" useful (besides also being completely everyday useful as awesome hang-out-and-talk-or-play type people.) And I've actually been surprised by the small ways people have offered to help or the amazing skills they have. But, I really don't want to rely on anyone too much. I want to make it fun and easy and let them know that their time is more appreciated than any physical gift. It's delicate going, I've found. And I'm not sure about the plastering bit, due to that delicacy. I tend to think one day is my limit of imposition and I ply them with promises of pizza and endless thanks (or perhaps a trade-in-kind.)
ReplyDeletelol, I definitely try and ask my friends to help me out in whatever they are good at.
ReplyDeleteDo you know I felt really bad when I made that comment because of that very reason.. I am so lucky with the people around me... I have meat supplyed by brother... One of the moo cows.. Cousin is a florist and has 5 aunts that love nothing more than helping.. Dress maker/designer bridemaid.. Maid of honour is a primary school teacher with a whole closest full of tissue paper and have recently discovered exclent at pom pom making skills.. Mother is a cake decorating nurse who makes the most beautiful sugar roses and flowers.. Dad was wanting to do the photography but swiftly got told no.. And ummm oh boy and I are graphic designers so invites and everything else is done.. Boys Grandfather is a dahlia breeder so we'll be using them at the wedding.
ReplyDeleteBut dam you.. I want someone to go to india for me!
If anyone needs anything let me know.. I'm pretty much surounded by a whole wedding planning team!
Oh how I am jealous of your wonderful artistic friends. Hmm maybe I should hold off sending out invitations and get me down to a stitch and bitch!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be nice to know a wedding planner...
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I find friends and business rarely mix well.
Ha! Yes! But I mainly had that thought when we were doing up the flat - which was bad because we actually had a few friends who helped us out (an electrician and an architect) so I shouldn't complain at all!
ReplyDeleteWedding-wise I haven't really thought about the 'friends' aspect of it. I'm lucky to know designers, photographers, editors/directors (and a whole lot of lawyers strangely...) but as they'll be guests at the wedding I probably need to find new ones for the day!
That all said I'm agreeing with Mrs T, friends and business maybe not such a good idea!