You will get lots of chances. Once the sorting opens, and you are sorted into a house, you will have access to Diagon Alley. Go to one of the "restaurant" areas like Florean's or The Leaky Cauldron and read a little bit. See who is there. There are always students sitting at a table chatting... Ask if you can sit with them, or "bump" into one of them... You will strike up a conversation and maybe become friends while in school. You can always post in shops, getting your new wand, getting new robes, but to chat with other characters the restaurants and streets are best. If you miss Diagon Alley, don't fret, there is always the train. Post yourself in one of the compartments and chat with people there. And if you miss that, there is always the opening feast, or your common room. Hope that helped!

Ahhh... it's a hard question to answer. When that ONE time out of 10 I got the bride who was laid back and the parents weren't involved... things went smoothly and the weddings were a blast. But 9 out of 10 times, the bride is stressed beyond belief. Her mother is pressuring for one thing, the in laws for another, her father wants to save money, she can't agree with the groom, or worse the groom has no opinions... It's a tough time for a woman. And on top of that, the mother or mother in law will try to give you orders on the wedding as if it was hers. They have VERY specific demands, like they want an ice sculpture in the likeness of their dog (yes, I got that one.) There is soooo much arguing in front of you that it gets really uncomfortable. Oh and the stress on you is horrible. If the florist brings pink roses, instead of purple... her whole wedding is ruined (It will feel that way to her) and guess who's fault it will be in her eyes? The Wedding Coordinator's. That being said, I fairly enjoyed it, I even had a repeat client