Planning a Wedding? 9 Things I Wish I Knew

I absolutely loved our wedding, every part of it (maybe I will do a post about it in the future)!  They say hindsight is 20/20 and, looking back, there were a few things I would have done differently.  These are not changes to my wedding, but things that would have helped the planning process to run a bit smoother.  Some of my friends are engaged or soon will be, so I put together a list of 9 things I wish I knew from the start.

1. Be specific about things that matter to you!

• If you want flowers placed in a certain spot, the photographer to get a specific picture, or your flower girl to walk backwards down the aisle - tell someone! Whoever will take care of it, needs to know about it.  Be clear about exactly what you're looking for.
• For example:  I had the first seat in the first row reserved in honor of my dad.  I had a framed picture of him and a small bouquet of flowers on the chair.  The flowers were left in a jar with a big white label with my last name and wedding location (really?!).  Needless to say I didn't get a picture of something that I planned to be really special to me.

2. Don't worry too much about the tiny details.

• Details make events unique.  I totally get that.  However, do not let yourself loose sleep over how to fold the napkins or what color paper straws to order for breakfast on the morning of your wedding (I debated this for over 10 minutes, took a step back, and I realized I had been thinking about paper.straws.for.TEN.minutes).

3. Ask for help & accept it!

• Your friends and family are all so excited that you're getting married!  If you're a control freak like me, you want everything to be perfect and you may think you're the only person who can get it all how you want it.  Newsflash - you're friends and fam are totally capable of helping!
• For example:  With a few days left to the wedding, there was so much left to do.  My mom and aunt had offered to help and when I finally let go of some control, they were incredible!  Putting together welcome bags, helping organize everything, and packing the cars are just a few things they took off my shoulders.

4. Stay as organized as possible.

• Sounds like a no-brainer, I know.  But this is going beyond normal organization.  Label everything, separate it into boxes, bags, whatever will keep you organized!  When we delivered everything to the venue, I had it separated into boxes and labeled with the contents and where they should be placed.  This helped me with packing ahead of time and cut out a lot of additional questions my event planner had.

5. Cry before you walk down the aisle - forreals.

• Unless you want your pictures to look like this:
  

  

  It might look like a smile - trust me, it's an ugly cry.

   

6. Set a time for no wedding talk.

• Your life will start to revolve around your wedding.  You'll complain about things to your fiancé, your friends will want to hear about it, and you will find yourself always talking about it.  Have a life besides planning.  Set time to go through details with your fiancé and don't talk about the wedding after a certain time each night.  If you're out with your friends, share some details and updates, then kindly ask to change the subject to something non-wedding related.

7. Do something nice for yourself!

• Planning a wedding is stressful.  Make it a point to do something nice for yourself every couple of weeks to keep your mind at ease.  Maybe it's getting a mani/pedi, going for a hike, or trying a new recipe.  Do something that you enjoy to keep your mind from spinning out of control.
• For example:  For the three months leading up to our wedding, I got a facial every three weeks.  It was an hour to relax and was beneficial to my wedding day (probably the best my skin has ever looked).

8. Questions + Decisions = Planning a wedding

• Accept this fact.  I kept a "to-do" list throughout the planning process.  It quickly turned into a questions I need to answer list.  What songs do we want playing before the ceremony starts?  Where do we want the bridal party bouquets placed?  How do we want the order of toasts and courses to go?  These are some of the broader questions, trust me there will be tiny detailed questions.  Just answer them and move on.

9. Eat lunch on your wedding day.

• Another no brainer, right?!  As you can guess, I did not have lunch on my wedding day.  When we finished the ceremony, we walked through cocktail hour to take pictures.  I walked past all the caterers carrying trays of mini caprese bites, bacon-wrapped scallops, and peanut chicken kabobs.  Pretty sure I may have drooled.  I hadn't had anything besides champagne since breakfast (which consisted of a donut) and was starving.  Perks of being the bride, you get your meal served first.  Still - eat lunch!

Good luck brides and brides-to-be!  Enjoy every minute of your wedding (and your marriage!!) and it will feel like all the time spent planning was totally worth it :).

P.S. If you're wondering about my new tattoo, I will be posting about it Friday :)