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When I'm a Bride and When I'm a Groom by Kimberley Holgate

Something for anyone thinking about getting married (or engaged!) in 2006 - two ‘his and hers’ pocket guides that claim to reveal the ‘secrets’ of wedding success, new from DillyDally Books.

Debut author Kimberley Holgate is unleashing two survival guides for engaged couples. The nattily titled When I'm a Bride and companion volume When I'm a Groom are ‘his and hers’ humorous guides to all matters betrothal and matrimonial.

Aimed at couples of all ages, When I’m a Bride and When I’m a Groom offer an invaluable wedding reality check, based on the author’s own first-hand research. The books provide a light-hearted insight into the thoughts of a bride and a groom as they plan what should be the biggest day of their lives.

Such A Perfect Day?

Containing 56 pages complete with quirky colour illustrations, the books encourage readers to focus on what’s really important when they decide to get married. For example, the wedding day doesn’t have to go exactly to plan to be a roaring success – no matter how much time and money go into the organisation.

Kimberley decided to produce the wedding books after witnessing the dramatic rise in divorce statistics – coupled with what seems to be a worrying trend for couples to spend astronomical amounts of money on their special day. The statistics speak for themselves: an average British couple currently spends somewhere between £15,500 and £18,200 on their wedding day - and according to figures from The British Council almost one in two marriages in the UK end in divorce. Author, Kimberley believes these statistics illustrate that many couples focus on the day itself and forget the real meaning of marriage.

She said: “I’ve written When I’m a Bride and When I’m a Groom to show couples the main focus of a wedding should be to stand up in front of everyone you care about – family and friends - and state clearly that you are choosing one partner for the rest of your life. Getting married should not be about staging a showy and expensive day simply to impress hundreds of guests. With so many divorces taking place in the UK, I’d like to think my books will remind people, in a fun way, that marriage can be a joyous celebration if undertaken for the right reasons: love, commitment and companionship.

Soul Mates?

“A bride and groom may think their wedding should be perfect - but life events cannot be controlled, they simply unfold. Surely two souls choosing to walk together through life is more important than having histrionics about whether Aunt Beryl’s blue rinse will clash with the meticulously planned colour scheme in the reception hall? A wedding that’s organised to within an inch of its life is likely to wither before the two war-torn participants have even cut the cake. It doesn’t matter if the ceremony has a few hitches and glitches – it’s not the end of the world. My books aim to demonstrate that modern day weddings should be about fun, joy and laughter – not tears, tantrums and stresses!”

Author Kimberley Holgate is a former management consultant, now working as a freelance HR consultant, who specialises in organisational change and diversity management.

A pair of handy, stylish and savvy ‘must-haves’ for anyone who’s planning – or thinking about planning - on getting married, these two books are out now, from DillyDally Books. Further titles in the When I’m a... series will follow in 2006.

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