Men believe every woman begins planning her wedding on the first date. WeTV embraced this philosophy with its insanely popular scary brides show, Bridezillas, and Style Network gave us a peak into the flip side of its romanticism with Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? Wedding planner Linnyette Richardson-Hall starred on the latter program as herself: “The Wedding Diva.”
So much on TV is negative. Your show is really beautiful. I’ve seen it a lot. What are your favorite memories of the program so far?
Being a cast member on “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” was a simply awesome experience! I’d have to say my favorite memories were just the fact that I had an opportunity to work with some amazing brides and grooms!!! Even though we were filming a television show – I liked that fact that my FOCUS was always on their wedding..not the cameras.
Have you ever consulted brides who initially had an “I could care less” attitude and transformed them into being excited about the wedding process?
Yes – I think that a lot of women are “socialized” to want the big wedding with all of the trappings…yet there are a great many who just want to say “I DO”. However….the moment a bride-to-be sees herself in a wedding gown, everything changes. She realizes that indeed, she’s making a monumental decision…and with that comes the excitement of it all.
The show acknowledges same sex marriages and different cultures. Either from working on a wedding or viewing it on the show, what kinds of things do you now know thanks to that diversity?
Celebrations are diverse because as a culture and as humanity in general..so are we.
What lucky superstitions can women do to meet someone special, or if they have someone, to marry that person?
Since I don’t believe or buy into superstitions, I’ll say that if you want to meet Mr. Right, make sure you’ve done enough homework and research as to what kind of man you want for a husband. It’s easy enough to get engaged….but married life is HARD. Be ready to be a wife…and unfortunately – it doesn’t come with a handbook or DVD. You have to honestly be able to weather a lot of storms and still come out deeply in love with that man…….
If someone has an issue like gluten allergies, lactose intolerance, a peanut allergy, diabetes or something preventing them from enjoying planning a wedding menu, what can be done? Is it possible to find the perfect menu and cake?
Wedding gastronomy has grown by leaps and bounds, so with the inclusion of more concientious chefs, banquet managers and venues – there is no reason at all as to why various types of food “situations” cannot be handled tastefully well!!
Money is hard to come by since 2008. For someone who cannot afford the wedding of her dreams, what can a girl do these days?
I am a realist. The average wedding is clocking in around $27 – 28,000…so if that’s not your pocketbook, own up to it! Don’t ever feel pressured to do what everyone else is…..no matter what any of the websites, magazines, television shows, Pinterest or blogs say!! Do YOU – and if that means heading off to the courthouse on your lunchbreak, so be it. At the end of the day, you have to be extraordinarily comfortable with YOUR decision – a wedding is basically a 6 hour event. A marriage needs to last a lifetime……..
How much planning, if someone wants a wedding inspired by her dreams, should be up to the man? Or the other person, if a same sex couple?
I am a fan of BOTH people having input….planning a wedding is a GREAT “trial run” to see how you’ll handle compromise and conflict in your relationship. There are two people getting married…so TWO people need to be doing some serious work!!!!
What is the right way to involve children if the couple had kids before marriage?
There is no right or wrong way to involve children in your wedding. For some couples, they’ll want to include the kids in vows, readings or presentations. Other couples will simply have them sit in the audience. It really depends on what makes YOU comfortable as well as how much the children wish to partake. One word of caution: Never MAKE the children participate. It needs to be as organic and honest as possible…….
Hair! You probably feel like ripping it out at times like everyone else. And for a bride, there’s nothing worse than a bad hair day. What should women do, besides planning food and everything oh so pretty, so she won’t look awful? Anything can go wrong. Should we stick with weaves or extensions?
I am a fan of being authentically YOU on the day of the wedding. Please know that he loves you…on a good hair day or not, so don’t stress out over this. Planning ahead will help you mitre out what looks good and what doesn’t. So have a chat with your stylist and discover how to “dial up” your current fabulousness just a notch!!!
Dating can be awfully bleak. Do you think a beautiful wedding should be every woman’s dream? Should women never give up hope?
Actually – no. What should be the goal of every woman is to live the best life she can possibly manage. IF that happens to include being married. – great. And if it happens to include having a simply gorgeous nuptial celebration – bonus. Too many people get married for all the wrong reasons. The wedding – is a short-term proposition. Being a Mrs. – well, that’s a heck of a lot longer. I counsel woment to NOT focus on grabbing the diamond ring…rather ensure that the life you’ve created for yourself is one that matters to YOU. And if he comes along, he can see that you are grounded and true to your beliefs. Which can make for an awesome marriage……
