If you are a bride reading this blog, I must forewarn you to beware the curse of late guests at your wedding. No matter how much time and planning you've put into your special day, it's a fact that people will arrive late to your wedding. I don't know why this is the case - but I think it's some form of incurable disease.

I always encourage my clients to put a time 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled ceremony start time on their invitations so people are in place well before the actual events happens.

The upside of this is that large numbers of guests will observe the time and arrive in time. The downside of this is that some people will STILL be late, even with a 30-minute heads-up. Personally, I think it's highly disrespectful for guests to arrive late to weddings. But it still happens. Family members are often the worst offenders.

Where couples are marrying in the Brisbane CBD, I encourage them to put information about available parking in their invitations so their guests can plan their travel. Parking in CBD parking stations is astronomical. An evening out to attend a CBD wedding (even at the Registry Office!) could easily take $60 or more from your wallet/purse. If you can find on-street parking for free on weekends - you deserve a medal. Now times that by the number of cars for all the guests and you can see the big problem that exists. Where do people park without spending a fortune?

My policy is to ask clients to book me a temporary parking space at their hotel so that I can arrive and leave with minimum of fuss. If I have to park privately and pay for that privilege, it's a cost I have to pass on to my clients, unfortunately.