Weddings are not my thing. I was never the little girl that played pretend wedding with the pillow case over my head as a veil. I never dreamed about a huge reception with hundreds of people, most of whom I've never met, trying to talk to me for ten minutes a pop. I never wanted to throw away thousands of dollars on flowers I'll never see again, food I didn't get to eat and centerpieces no one noticed.
That just wasn't me. I was the girl who wanted to elope in Hawaii or Europe and only invite our parents. I was the girl who desperately wanted to get married on a beach at sunset with only my fiance, myself and the priest.
Unfortunately, you can't have everything you want. So I dedicate this blog to young girls out there trying to get started on wedding planning. These are some tips I've learned along the way.
1) Pick your dress alone. Don't invite anyone to your dress fitting. You already know what you want, you know what looks good on you. Try on hundreds of dresses if you must, but do it alone with only the help of your bridal consultant. This will save you the most pain and stress of all. Once you've picked your dress, don't let anyone, including mothers and MOHs, talk you out of it. Period. Stick with your choice!
2) Don't purchase floral centerpieces. They're expensive and pointless. Honestly, what are you going to do with the centerpieces after your wedding? Don't waste the money there. No one notices them anyway!
3) Opt out of renting a tux for your groom. They're expensive and sooo last decade. A nice suit will be something he'll wear all the time. Get a tailored suit and call it good.
4) Don't use a DJ. Unless said DJ is your best friend since birth, don't allow some stranger to run the show at your wedding. No one likes the same old songs DJs play anyway. Either get your own iPod mix and just have it playing throughout the night, or better yet, hire a cover band! They're so much more fun and cost the same as a DJ.
5) Choose colors that are 'in' for the season. When you choose a popular color, you won't have a hard time finding nick nacks that match. If you choose an out of season color, don't even bother going anywhere but online to shop for decor.
6) Hire a photographer well in advance. Get to know him. The best thing about our photographer is he took my 3 sets of engagement pictures, graduation pictures AND my wedding pictures. After going through so many sessions with him, he felt like part of the family. We actually call him Uncle Jared now.
7) If you're on a budget, skimp on everything but the photography. You won't remember the food, the entertainment, the decor or the cake, but you will remember the photos taken on your special day. See number 6, and make sure to hire someone comfortable so you look comfortable in front of the camera. Be willing to spend a pretty penny for a great photographer because you'll have these forever!
8) Don't worry about food. Unless you have an army of ladies ready to potluck your wedding, don't bother with food. It's expensive and not worth it. Just provide hor d'oeuvres and dessert and no one will no the difference. People come to wedding for cake anyway. Dessert bars are super popular. Do something different like a s'mores bar or a candy bar. People will remember that.
9) Read reviews. For the venue, the entertainment, the vendors, everything. Make sure you know what you're getting by reading about previous gigs. Learn from other people's mistakes, not your own!
10) Let things happen. If your sister-in-laws don't want to wear your dress, don't make them. If your fiance wants to wear a tie with paisleys (blah!) let him. If two of your bridesmaids are pregnant at the time of your wedding, who cares?! If your dress doesn't fit right and your sleeves look retarded, get them fixed. This is not something you just let happen :)
11) Love your in-laws. There is nothing more horrible about starting a marriage off with feuds. Forgive and move on. They are now a part of your family. They will be in your life forever, so you might as well learn to love them and get passed your differences because guess what, people are going to be different. Not everyone is going to love your colors or your dress or your choice of anything, and they might speak out. Who cares.
12) My number one piece of advice I can give is to stand by your fiance through everything. Let little things go. If things don't go as planned, who cares. It's a fun story. And if things get too heated, don't go through with it. Don't worry about disappointing anyone. You want to look back on your engagement with nothing but happy thoughts.
13) Love your fiance's ideas. You don't always have to use them, but make sure he knows his opinion is valued.
14) Take deep breaths. When that doesn't work, cry and eat chocolate. A good sob session followed by a Snicker's bar was the best therapy I've ever had. And always watch 'Friends' in times of stress.
15) Let your mom wear whatever the heck she wants to wear!!! A happy mom makes for a happy wedding.
16) Get names of vendors from friends and relatives. Utilize your resources! We learned that one of my dad's friends was the lead in a cover band. A lady that makes cake was in my fiance's ward. One of my bridesmaids was a hair stylist. Use who you know!
17) Start your birth control well in advance. Learned that lesson the hard way.
18) Get on Pinterest! If you don't have a Pinterest, first of all, welcome to the 21st century, second of all, you cannot plan a wedding without Pinterest! No, seriously.
19) Don't send out invitations on Facebook or any electronic invitations. I don't go to weddings where I haven't been formally invited, or at least I don't bring a present. So tacky!
20) Don't go into debt for your wedding. Again, I learned this the hard way.
Those are the main lessons I learned from my wedding planning adventures. After it was all said and done, I can now look back on that day and honestly say it was the happiest day of my life!
17) Start your birth control well in advance. Learned that lesson the hard way.
18) Get on Pinterest! If you don't have a Pinterest, first of all, welcome to the 21st century, second of all, you cannot plan a wedding without Pinterest! No, seriously.
19) Don't send out invitations on Facebook or any electronic invitations. I don't go to weddings where I haven't been formally invited, or at least I don't bring a present. So tacky!
20) Don't go into debt for your wedding. Again, I learned this the hard way.
Those are the main lessons I learned from my wedding planning adventures. After it was all said and done, I can now look back on that day and honestly say it was the happiest day of my life!
