Not everyone who gets married spends her time dreaming of just the right dress or where her honeymoon will be. My fiancé, Luc Deschamps and I, will be right here in Malawi, Africa, surrounded by family and friends who will come from around the world to celebrate with us when we get married. And most importantly, we will be with our 400 beautiful children from our school, “The Jacaranda School,” for children living with and orphaned by AIDS.

Luc first came to Malawi as a journalist. He immediately understood my passion in helping the children who have lost their families in my village. He knew I had lost most of my own family. From the day he decided to move here, wonders have happened at the school. As our love has grown, so has the Foundation. A school, a physics and science lab, a library, running water and our first college graduates are starting University.

I am sure I am not the only bride who has more important things on their mind than finding a florist, a caterer or the perfect band. There are woman around the world fighting against injustice, working for a woman’s freedoms, doing humanitarian work in war-torn countries or perhaps misplaced and on the move. I am sure they, too, are falling in love, getting married and making a life for themselves without the benefit of a Vera Wang. It doesn’t make it any less wonderful, exciting and special. Love is love. And believe me, I do have a plan!

On my wedding day, I will be wearing a dress designed by our school children. And for the traditional wedding, will wear traditional Malawian dress. Patterned material. Fabric made locally in Malawi. It will be a wrap around the waist, long with a frilly blouse and a traditional headdress. Malawi, Africa has some very special customs. We will have a traditional wedding where everyone in the village is invited, including our village chief. There will be traditional dances and the custom here is to do “Perekani,” translated as “the giving.” Songs will play and people will throw money in any amount to the bride and groom. People come forward to dance to their favorite songs while throwing money. This money is a gift for the bride and groom to help start their lives together. All the children will attend with their guardians and friends and dance and celebrate with us.

As for planning a registry, well, the things we need won’t be found at Bloomingdale’s. If we had a Jacaranda Registry, we would ask for donations through Pay Pal to purchase desks, as we have a shortage, with three children sitting at one desk. We would list school supplies such as pens, pencils, geometry sets, exercise books, calculators, school shoes, sneakers, computers/laptops, musical instruments, art supplies, sewing machines, a dictionary for every secondary school student and nine camera video/photography/flips.

Instead of dresses for bridesmaids, we’ll have school uniforms. Believe me, they will come to much better use than a set of china for 402!

Putting a wedding together is much easier than building an orphanage, so I think we have this one covered! But the two do have a lot in common. Passion, undying love for each other and what this means to our children, honoring those we’ve lost and a commitment to making the most out of the time we have together.

Read all about how we met, how Luc nominated me to be a CNN hero and our full love story on lovepost.com.

By
Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

15:58 EST, 11 September 2012

|

UPDATED:

01:54 EST, 12 September 2012

She’s only just announced her engagement but Avril Lavigne is already planning what she’ll wearing on her wedding day – and promises it will be ‘badass’.

The pop star turned designer,  27, is set to marry Chad Kroeger after he popped the question last month.

When asked about plans for her gown at the spring collection of her Abbey Dawn
clothing line last night, she said: ‘Either it’s something I’m going to
design, or partner up with, collaborate with another designer.’

Newly-engaged: Avril Lavigne, at her New York Fashion Week catwalk show yesterday, is engaged to Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger 

Future husband: She’s eager to exchange vows with the Nickelback front man

‘It might be something that I buy a few different dresses and rip them up and put them all together and dye them.’

Of the 37-year-old Nickelback
frontman’s proposal after a whirlwind romance, Lavigne said: ‘It was
really natural, and we met in the studio and were friends for a while,
and one of our last days in the studio was when he proposed, and it was
super romantic and it had a lot of meaning behind it.’

Lavigne was mum on the subject of her ex, Brody Jenner, whose family she remains friendly with.

She used one of his sisters, 15-year-old Kylie Jenner, to open and close her downtown runway show in New York.

In a messy topknot, the teen wore a
tight, white dress adorned with the brand’s initials in black, block
letters. Kylie was also the last to walk, in red, ultra-short shorts
with garters attached and a black leather and lace biker jacket.

Lavigne debuted Abbey Road in 2008
and also sells signature perfumes. Her rocked-out clothes for spring
include human skeletons in black on the front of stretchy, striped
dresses and in white on others.

Lavigne also used skulls in black lace on jackets and at the hems of minis.

Skulls with little neon rainbows were
in another print used for tops, shorts and more mini dresses, matching
pink and purple buns atop the heads of models and the streaks in
Lavigne’s hair.

Attitude: Kylie sticks her tongue out at the end of the catwalk as she flicks rock horns

Clash: A selection of flattering dresses were shown on the catwalk, from a white classic scoop neck to more funky beach dress, all teamed with sky high platforms

Showbiz roundup! Watson nip slip, Pink’s giant knickers and the Duchess dazzles 

• 
  Woman discovers ex-boyfriend living in her attic 12 YEARS…

• 
  Boyfriend stabs his lover to death after she didn’t tell him…

• 
  Revealed: The heart-breaking story of four-year-old’s battle…

• 
  Father ‘killed young sons, aged five and one, in revenge…

• 
  US ambassador and three staff ‘killed in rocket attack’ in…

• 
  Ex-professor pleads guilty to shooting dead three colleagues…

• 
  Orchids for Kate – and Diana: Floral tributes get Far East…

• 
  Tears as brave flesh-eating bug victim Aimee Copeland WALKS…

• 
  ‘Shame on them’: Viewers’ outrage as Today show fails to…

• 
  The pain that never dies: 11 years on, the heartbroken…

• 
  Angelina Jolie’s tears as she visits Syrian refugees at camp…

• 
  World’s ‘oldest man’ dies at 122 after attributing his…

Sometimes brides and grooms get hung up on politeness as they start the process of selecting their wedding resources. They may think it’s rude to ask some of the below or even awkward trying to negotiate something into their package but in the end, it’s better to know the good and the bad before selecting some of your most important resources. Just remember, a little charm and humor go a long way.

Event Designer
“What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened at a wedding you designed?” I’m not talking about a groom being stood up or a bride running away with the best man. I mean what went wrong with the design, coordination, anything that falls in the event designers realm of pulling off an amazing wedding event. This is kind of like the interview question we all dread when a recruiter asks us “to talk about our weaknesses.” There is a reason this is asked — because you can learn so much from the answer. Of course we are looking for a real example. If someone tells you that all of their weddings have been perfect without a detail out of place, most likely they are lying. There is only so much an event designer has control over especially because they are dependent on other resources — what you want to hear is how they overcame the issue despite of it happening. This actually can be used with all of your wedding resources. And don’t be afraid to dig deeper and ask follow up questions or for more examples.

Photographer
“Can I see ALL the photos from one or two weddings?” As most photographers tend to showcase their best images, you will be able to better gauge their skills once you see the whole package.

Florist
“Do I get a mock up of what the centerpiece will look like?” I think this is a must no matter how big or small the order. Though some florists may have a minimum number of centerpieces you must order before they do a mock up, you may consider having them including this in your package to seal the deal. I think most florists would prefer to book the wedding vs. lose one over a mock up.

Cake Baker
“Can you coordinate with the florist?” “Huh, I just bake cakes?” Wrong answer. Well, it is if you want to use fresh flowers on your cake. Yes this happened to me — and a guest actually helped me add the flowers and it was not at all how I had envisioned the cake, not to mention it felt weird having my guest help when she should be enjoying the party. So make sure if you do want fresh flowers on the cake that you know how they will get there and what it will look like.

Custom Wedding Dress Maker
“What if I gain weight?” Yes it happens — the stress of planning a wedding may have you tipping the scale in the wrong direction. Especially you DIY brides to be, who sometimes take on more than you can chew! Make sure dress seams can be let OUT or in. I write from experience — when I was pouring over details of my big day and planning everything from ceremony to reception, I tended to visit the sugar shack a little too much. At our last fitting I found out that my dress could not be let out and my strapless silk mikado sheath dress may spontaneously pop during the ceremony. It didn’t!

Videographer
“Can I see a CUT and UNCUT version of your most recent wedding?” Just like your photographer you should see the good, bad and the ugly. By seeing before and after you can assess his cinematography skills — or lack thereof.

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