"Deep breaths, head up, shoulders back."
Nicole repeated her mantra to her sister as she strode confidently ahead. Evette scuttled behind her, trying her best to cover her nerves with a stiff smile.
"Evette, Nicole, my darlings! We meet at last!"
Amanda jumped to her feet as soon as she saw the sister's approaching. She smiled widely at them, displaying a perfectly even row of dazzling white teeth. She grabbed their hands and kissed both their cheeks in greeting, leaving a bright red lipstick mark on their faces. Evette narrowly avoided kissing her on the lips.
She was quite taken aback by the other woman's overly-enthusiastic and rather unexpected greeting. Amanda was treating them as if they were her long lost best friends.
"It's nice to meet you both," Nicole replied primly. She tried her best to regain her composure after Amanda's assault.
"It's great to put a face or faces to the emails," Amanda said in her loud, obnoxious voice.
It was all Nicole could do to restrain herself from asking her to tone it down a notch.
Nicole could tell already that Amanda would be a force to be reckoned with. She seemed like a very opinionated woman, who more than knew her own mind. She was fairly attractive with a trim figure, despite having had her sixth child less than two years previously.
She'd posted lots of "before" and "after" photographs on her Facebook page, detailing her strenuous diet and weight loss regime. Evette had already signed up to a six week Pilates class when she'd seen Amanda's toned results.
Nicole held out her hand in greeting to Kian, who was standing quietly beside his fiancee. Amanda hadn't bothered to introduce him. He looked a little uncomfortable.
Kian was a farmer who had recently inherited the family farm from his father. He was a quiet, unassuming sort of man, who acted as if his suit was wearing him, rather than him wearing the suit. It seemed that he would rather have been anywhere else other than in such a flashy hotel bar.
"Would you like Champagne, ladies?"
It was a statement, more than a question, as Amanda was already filling two champagne flutes for Nicole and Amanda.
"Cheers!" They clinked glasses loudly.
It was obvious to the sisters that Amanda had had a glass or three of bubbly before they'd arrived.
They sat awkwardly on their bar stools, sipping their Champagne and making polite small talk. Evette was secretly glad of the alcohol as her nerves were slowly beginning to abate.
"What made you decide to become wedding planners?" Amanda asked curiously.
Evette almost choked on her Champagne.
"It's something that I've wanted to do for a while," Nicole replied.
"I like the idea of making people's dreams come true."
"You're very sweet," Amanda smiled.
"I suppose choosing a wedding planner is as personal as choosing a marital bed."
She laughed loudly at her own joke, while her fiance squirmed uncomfortably beside her.
"Yes, indeed it is," Nicole agreed. "If you choose well your wedding planner will become your best friend, cheerleader, stylist, confidante and shrink."
"What happens if I've made the wrong choice?" Amanda asked.
"You won't have to worry about that," Nicole sounded very convincing.
"For the next few months, Evette and I will be on hand to help you deal with any problems. We'll help you to perfect your theme and deal with the most difficult of suppliers. We will take a lot of the wedding pressure and stress off you so that you can get on with your daily life."
"It sounds like a match made in heaven," Amanda sighed happily.
"I certainly never have enough hours in the day. It's not easy juggling six children, a grandchild, a fiance and a wedding!"
"That's where we come in," Nicole said easily.
"Wedding planning has a nasty habit of snowballing and taking over lunchtimes, evening and Saturdays. You may not have the time to deal with all the phone calls from suppliers and pound the pavement to find your dream styles, which is where your wedding planner comes in.
We will handle the stress for you and we will help you to achieve your vision. Once we have a clear view of what you like and of course what you don't like, we'll be able to tackle the suppliers for you.
This means that you will only have to attend the vital appointments, where the important decisions can be made, which leaves you free to focus your time where it is needed the most."
"Sshhh, listen everyone." Amanda hushed their little group.
"Can you hear the sound of my stress disappearing?"
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 girl- friends. 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."
"Do you 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.
"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 stationery right through to the decoration of the reception venue itself," Nicole continued.
"I never thought of 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."