For such a joyous, longed for occasion, weddings can cause a lot of work and stress! I hear again and again from baffled brides and engaged couples who just wish there was someone to guide them through the process. That's the reason I share these blog posts, and it's the reason I advocate so strongly for couples to hire an experienced wedding planner. But sometimes the person with the very best advice is the person who has been in your shoes!
With that in mind, I reached out to my past and present brides and asked them for their very best wedding advice, based on their own experience. I knew they would have great wisdom to share, and they did! Here are the top five pieces of advice from MJP brides:
1 -- Carve out some private time.
Ashley (the beautiful bride above) says, "Set aside 10 minutes with just the two of you, either after the ceremony or during the reception, just to soak it all in. My new husband and I enjoyed a glass of champagne, some snacks, a few selfies and lots of kisses! Time stood still during those 10 minutes while the rest of the night was a happy blur."
Absolutely! It's easy to get caught up in the wedding whirlwind and lose sight of the person by your side! A little alone time can help strengthen your connection and your joy in the day!
With that in mind, I reached out to my past and present brides and asked them for their very best wedding advice, based on their own experience. I knew they would have great wisdom to share, and they did! Here are the top five pieces of advice from MJP brides:
1 -- Carve out some private time.
Ashley (the beautiful bride above) says, "Set aside 10 minutes with just the two of you, either after the ceremony or during the reception, just to soak it all in. My new husband and I enjoyed a glass of champagne, some snacks, a few selfies and lots of kisses! Time stood still during those 10 minutes while the rest of the night was a happy blur."
Absolutely! It's easy to get caught up in the wedding whirlwind and lose sight of the person by your side! A little alone time can help strengthen your connection and your joy in the day!
2 -- No one will notice the mistakes!
Bethy who has been a delight since I first shot her wedding eight years ago, pointed out, "No matter what happens, no guest knows your vision, so if things go not as planned, the guests won’t know the difference. Example: our dinner was completely wrong, but only those at the tasting knew."
This is a brilliant point that is easy to lose sight of. Just because YOU know that something is off, doesn't mean that anyone else will. If you relax and enjoy the day despite some hiccups, your guests won't even guess that anything went awry.
Bethy who has been a delight since I first shot her wedding eight years ago, pointed out, "No matter what happens, no guest knows your vision, so if things go not as planned, the guests won’t know the difference. Example: our dinner was completely wrong, but only those at the tasting knew."
This is a brilliant point that is easy to lose sight of. Just because YOU know that something is off, doesn't mean that anyone else will. If you relax and enjoy the day despite some hiccups, your guests won't even guess that anything went awry.
3 -- Let go of the details.
Laura, the lovely bride above, agrees with Bethy 100%. She says, "Don’t sweat the small stuff (or the big stuff) — in the end it all works out and you won’t care about what went wrong!"
In the planning leading up to the wedding, you'll take care of as many details and contingencies as possible. But on your wedding day itself, try to let those things go!
Laura, the lovely bride above, agrees with Bethy 100%. She says, "Don’t sweat the small stuff (or the big stuff) — in the end it all works out and you won’t care about what went wrong!"
In the planning leading up to the wedding, you'll take care of as many details and contingencies as possible. But on your wedding day itself, try to let those things go!
4 -- Don't try to do it alone!
Shannon is not only one of my past brides, but also a dear friend and designer for my album design company Align Album Design. So she has seen MANY wedding besides her own! She says, "Use a wedding planner!!! And if that’s not something that you can do financially, have a friend who is not in the wedding be the point person on the wedding day. Give them all the information they might need (even have them come with you to appointments before the wedding) and give every vendor their number. Then let them handle any last minute fires or questions so you don’t have to deal with anyone on your actual wedding day. Just enjoy the day and let someone else handle the stress."
Shannon is not only one of my past brides, but also a dear friend and designer for my album design company Align Album Design. So she has seen MANY wedding besides her own! She says, "Use a wedding planner!!! And if that’s not something that you can do financially, have a friend who is not in the wedding be the point person on the wedding day. Give them all the information they might need (even have them come with you to appointments before the wedding) and give every vendor their number. Then let them handle any last minute fires or questions so you don’t have to deal with anyone on your actual wedding day. Just enjoy the day and let someone else handle the stress."
5 -- Remember what matters.
Amanda, the amazing bride pictured above, reminds us of the big picture. She says, "Keep your eye on the prize! The wedding will be memorable no matter what, but the marriage is the most important part."
I love this advice! While your wedding will be amazing, it's the marriage that really matters, and that will last a lifetime!
Thank you so much to all of my past brides for sharing their experience and insight! I feel so blessed to be able to document the love stories of so many incredible people!
-----------> As you begin your wedding planning process, it's a great idea to start thinking about the timeline of your day! If you would like to have a timeline to start from delivered right to your inbox, click here to take a quick 2-question quiz, and we will email you back with an ideal preliminary timeline based on the sunset time on your wedding day as well as whether or not you would like to do a first look!
Amanda, the amazing bride pictured above, reminds us of the big picture. She says, "Keep your eye on the prize! The wedding will be memorable no matter what, but the marriage is the most important part."
I love this advice! While your wedding will be amazing, it's the marriage that really matters, and that will last a lifetime!
Thank you so much to all of my past brides for sharing their experience and insight! I feel so blessed to be able to document the love stories of so many incredible people!
-----------> As you begin your wedding planning process, it's a great idea to start thinking about the timeline of your day! If you would like to have a timeline to start from delivered right to your inbox, click here to take a quick 2-question quiz, and we will email you back with an ideal preliminary timeline based on the sunset time on your wedding day as well as whether or not you would like to do a first look!
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