The mass coverage of - and debate over- the London riots and Libya left me desperate for light, fluffy relief. (Does that make me a bad person?). I finally got my hands on the hard copy of American Vogue . and it was just what I needed. I was taken by Kate Moss's wedding but it wasn't just about a wedding ( Kim K's nuptials did nothing for me). It was the fact Kate proved being a Bridezilla is not such a bad thing - and I wish when I got married I had the good sense to be one.
Like most fashion folk, I swooned at the wedding pictures in the current issue of US Vogue. I surprised myself because oddly enough, when I initially caught sight of a few unofficial pictures last month, I was somewhat disappointed. It was like going to the V&A and standing in the lobby the whole time. Yes it's nice but you need to see so much more of the building to really appreciate its beauty. Well seeing Miss Moss's big day in all its glory, I was truly mesmerised. Pictures aside, most intriguing are the insights that reveal Mrs Hince - the insouciance poster girl we associate with the ability to create fabulousness with ease - as a Bridezilla. Her idea for the day was thoroughly specific, "I wanted it to be kind of dreamy and 1920s, when everything is soft-focus... The Great Gatsby" John Galliano, her beleaguered close friend and designer tasked with the gargantuan task of creating the only other wedding dress we were desperate to see this year, is quoted as saying she was 'very demanding'. Kate herself talks about the intensity of the detailed planning which included not just 'looking at every piece of cutlery' but also waking up 'thinking about the ballet shoes for the girls; is the satin ribbon right? I've gone mental'. Yes it may have been mental but perhaps if I had gone a bit 'mental' in the lead up to my wedding, I would not now be dealing with post wedding Bridezilla symptons nearly a year after my big day. Like most women, over the years, I visualised my wedding day in various incarnations. I had exacting ideas of what I wanted. Little by little, various factors eroded this bubble. No longer did I want to hold it at a huge country house - too done - with hundreds of people - too big - a couture dress - TOO expensive - and a long winded sit down dinner - too long. After experiencing the wrath of control freaking, highly strung, neurotic brides-to-be, attending numerous identikit weddings ( 8 last year alone) and listening to what seems like millions of dull speeches (one wedding had 13) and taking part in jaw aching overly extended small-talky conversations with people you (hope) will never see again and having to hear 'doesn't the bride look gorgeous' a million times - when they either all look exactly the same as they normally do or worse (stop going overboard with the eyeshadow ladies), I decided I didn't want to be Bridezilla. I didn't want to put my guests/bridesmaids/family/husband-to-be through hell and therefore opted for something easy, simple and chic. I planned my wedding in 4months and once the planning started there were no hysterics, outburst or moments of madness. In fact I was so laid back there were times I had to check my pulse. My lace fishtail dress with hand cut flowers was the first and only dress I tried on. I saw a peek of the flowers in a store on the way to work and begged them to let me try the sample without an appointment and that was that. Job done. I chose my pregnant photographer, Ula Soltys, based on gorgeous reportage pictures she had taken of Krakow and Venice. She was due to pop the same week of my wedding and gave me the option to find someone else but I said I'd risk it - I really couldn't be bothered to look for another photographer. I got married at 4pm at St Luke's Church in Chelsea, a church so beautiful that to drown it in flowers would have been sacrilegious so I didn't have to think too much about the decor. I asked the florist to just use candles and 'something lovely and leafy' by the front. Whatever she thought best. Our stand up cocktail reception was in the Holland Park Orangery and my brilliant caterers Cooks and Partners - the amazing Jenny is the lady to speak to - took on so much of the responsibility for setting up the venue etc that I didn't have to do much. My only 'thing' was the food. For me bad food = bad wedding. Thankfully Cooks and Partners were amazing. We had bowl food - i.e proper food in bowls easy enough to eat from while standing. Risotto, Dauphinoise Potatoes with Duck, Fish and Chips, Coconut Rice with Lamb Malaysian Curry. We then had mini deserts such as cheesecakes, a chocolate fountain with fruit dips and mini Knickerbocker glories. We danced for a little bit and then by half nine-ish we said good bye and made our way to The Mayfair Hotel (where Usher was also staying - he was small and very hairy). The next day we went off on our honeymoon in Bermuda and New York. Anyone would read this and think, well that sounds lovely and yes it was an amazing, truly gorgeous day. However, perhaps if I was less laissez-faire about the details, I wouldn't, still, almost a year later, wake up in the middle of the night with palpitations. I have deliberated over whether I should have had white bridesmaids' dresses instead of the jewel coloured, two tone numbers inspired by Lanvin that season. I've beat myself up over the velvet ribbon at the waist - should it have been longer? I've had nightmares about whether the candles in the reception made the guests too hot. Also, should I have gone for Vintage Gardenia candles by Jo Malone? I have wondered what happened to my vintage glasses that held the flowers - why didn't I bother to get them collected? I've wondered if anyone left hungry - they shouldn't have as the food was excessive but I still travail over this. I also wondered whether I should have had a French manicure as opposed to Fuschia Flame by Estee Lauder. I wondered whether I should have asked all the guests to wear white so they could look more uniform in pictures. Should we have got married earlier in the day? Should I have had a soloist singing Ave Maria instead of it just being played on the organ? Why are there no photographs of my Christian Louboutin shoes? Should I have demanded my bridesmaids wear their hair like the girls in the Robert Palmer video for 'Addicted to Love'? Why didn't I insist on Peonies instead of French Anemones? So what if Peonies weren't in season? Almost a year later, I still muse, wonder, sweat and panic... I bet Kate is snoozing like a baby with the assurance that her zealous attention to detail has been totally worth it. If being a Bridezilla means you sleep better at night, long after the wedding is over, then so be it. I'm looking forward to the renewal of my vows - hubby hasn't quite bought into it yet. I've already begun to plan the details like a maniac - think Glorious 39 meets a funfair meets a vintage festival - because like Kate says, 'I did not understand the Bridezilla show, but now I do.'