“My bridesmaids know I’m a control freak – it’s just part of the territory of being my friend.”
It’s fair to say bridezillas get a bad rep, outraging the internet with “diva demands” meaning guests are urged to swerve their invitations.
But this “proud bridezilla” says she’s not ashamed of how she’s acting. In fact, given the stress of planning a wedding, she reckons her behaviour is completely reasonable.
Mum-of-two Charlotte Skinner, 31, from Kent in the UK, is set to marry fiance Jack on August 21 and says the last six months have been a whirlwind of emotions.
As a result, she’s embraced her “inner diva”, with strict rules for the buck’s night and a threat to get a bouncer for her church wedding to ban people who’ve broken the outfit guidelines.
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Mum-of-two Charlotte Skinner is a “proud bridezilla” and is not ashamed of how she’s acting. Source: The Sun
“My bridesmaids know I’m a drama queen and a control freak”
“If people don’t like it, they don’t have to come,” says the mum to India, 7, her daughter from a previous relationship, and Jack’s son Marley, 2.
“Drama just follows me because IтАЩm not an easy person to shush. If I feel strongly about something, thatтАЩs how itтАЩs going to be,” Charlotte tells The Sun.
“It was all fun and excitement when we first got engaged on Christmas Day 2018, but with the stress of the last year and COVID, I’m feeling stressed and nervous now.
“My bridesmaids know I’m a drama queen and a control freak, it’s just part of the territory of being my friend.”
Charlotte was originally planning a big manor house wedding, but changed to a church and hotel reception to keep costs within their ┬г8,000 ($AUD15,000) budget.
“My biggest rule for the wedding was no strippers on the stag do,” the part-time mobile beauty therapist said.
“I told Jack тАШIтАЩm not going to see Dreamboys. If you want to see other women strip then go and be single, I donтАЩt think we should be getting married if thatтАЩs what you wantтАЩ.”
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“Jack was set on a green tweed suit but I thought it was disgusting, so now he’s wearing blue.” Source: The Sun
“Our guests aren’t allowed to wear navy blue or blush pink”
The happy couple are inviting 50 people to their wedding and 110 to the reception, and Charlotte’s put certain outfits off the table.
“Jack was set on a green tweed suit but I thought it was disgusting,” she says.
“I said ‘No, you’re not wearing that, sorry. I know itтАЩs your wedding, too but I want you to look nice in the pictures, not like someone just threw up on youтАЩ.
“I got in an argument with the lady in the shop about it, because she was telling Jack ‘it’s about what you want’, trying to cut me out just because she wanted commission and there were loads of these tweed suits left.
“In the end I put my foot down. I walked out of the shop and we got Jack a lovely blue check suit from Moss Bros.
“After that was sorted, I posted on Facebook, telling our guests they weren’t allowed to wear navy blue or blush pink, which is the bridesmaid colour, to the wedding.
“Most people were fine with it but it really angered one guest, who called up and said ‘this is a step too far’. I said ‘c’mon, itтАЩs not like we have circus performers going up the aisleтАЩ.
“But she replied тАШIтАЩm just going to tell you now, I have a blue outfit and IтАЩm not going to change itтАЩ.
“The final straw was when she said to me тАШno oneтАЩs asking you to change your dressтАЩ. I went mad, some blue words came out, and said тАШif you donтАЩt like it, you donтАЩt have to comeтАЩ. I havenтАЩt spoken to her since.”
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“This has been so much stress for me, IтАЩve planned this wedding completely on my own.” Source: The Sun
“That did bring out the bridezilla within me. Nobody gets a say in our wedding other than us”
“It’s our wedding, if we wanted you to wear flamenco suits, thatтАЩs what youтАЩd wear,” Charlotte┬аsaid.
“This has been so much stress for me, IтАЩve planned this wedding completely on my own. ItтАЩs nice JackтАЩs given me free rein, but itтАЩs also more difficult.
“That did bring out the bridezilla within me. Nobody gets a say in our wedding other than us.
“If people ignore the request, we have said weтАЩd hire a bouncer.
“Jack even said heтАЩs happy to stand at the door and say тАШyou knew the rules, donтАЩt come in, wait outside the door until weтАЩre doneтАЩ. He can be a bit of a groomzilla, too.
“His view is тАШif they canтАЩt respect our wishes, they can go homeтАЩ. At this point I don’t know if he’s joking or is for real, but I’d happily go along with that.
“If not, we’ll have to put them at the back of the church so no one notices them anyway.”
And Charlotte has a surefire way to cut anyone ignoring the outfit rules out of her wedding memories.
“The photographers are under strict instruction to only photograph the people we want,” she says.
“Because otherwise youтАЩre going to be there for hours while people are going тАШooh can you just do this?тАЩ
“ItтАЩs not about you guys, go and have your own wedding if you want that, IтАЩm not having people trying to take over the day, itтАЩs too exhausting.”
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“I won’t be messed around when it comes to my big day.” Source: The Sun
“I didnтАЩt want my photos ruined by having an odd number of bridesmaids”
CharlotteтАЩs cut-throat attitude even extends to her own bridesmaids, with her replacing one of the four at the last minute.
“I didnтАЩt want my pictures ruined by having an odd number of bridesmaids, I want to be in the centre, so I had a pal on standby,тАЭ she says.
In February, just six months before the big day, Charlotte’s original evening venue cancelled their wedding via email, because of an issue with catering.
She was devastated, crying “every day for a week”, but determined to cash in on the situation.
“I said to Jack тАШIтАЩm not having this, if weтАЩd already sent out our invitations, that would be hundreds of pounds wastedтАЩ,” she explains.
“So I kicked up a fuss, made sure they refunded us our deposit and gave us ┬г300 ($AUD560) towards our invites, although we hadnтАЩt actually sent them out yet.
“I won’t be messed around when it comes to my big day. It’s meant to be the best day of your life and I’m determined to do it right.”
Jack’s son Marley, 2, and Charlotte’s daughter India, 7, her daughter, both from previous relationships. and Source: The Sun
This article was published in The Sun and republished here with permission.
