It's been a couple months after our wedding and I miss everything about wedding planning and executing. Yes, for some it may sound a little bizarre. I guess when something so big like this takes over your life for almost a year you really don't know what to do after. Every time I watch this trailer it makes me feel so proud of all the little details that I made for our wedding. Making trips to the craft store almost every other day, antique shopping every weekend, having our condo filled with wedding stuff truly made the whole wedding experience compete. All my hard work did pay off. We did well (I did) experience some bumps in the road, but those things don't really matter anymore - it's all about the love our family and friends shared on our special day.
For all future brides/brides-to-be out there here are my tips...
- Enjoy every moment because it will go by so fast.
- Do things you always wanted to do for your wedding because you don't want to regret it later down the road. We weren't going to have a videographer but I am so happy we did!
- Be organized!! Put together a binder with tabs for vendors, wedding party, etc. Always print out invoices and emails to stick into the binder in case something happens. My binder was filled at the end and I am so happy I was organized it kept me insane.
- www.weddingwire.com a great online website/tool to help manage your wedding guests and seating chart. No more doing it on paper it's all on your computer. Also download the app from the app store to have on your phone so you have it with you on the go.
- For the first couple of months start getting some inspiration from wedding blogs and pinterest. Be warned that you will totally get overwhelmed, I did. After the 3rd month I picked out my colors, theme and elements that matched our venue and us a couple - once I completed this I stopped looking at all the wedding blogs/inspiration. Its gets to be too much and then you want to change what you have going. Stick to a plan all the way through or else you are going to go CRAZY!
- If you are DIY bride (like I was) always get your supplies on sale or search the internet for cheaper prices. Coupons from Michael's and Joann's really help! Look at their weekly ads to see if there's anything you will need. Your local Craig's List is a great resource too.
- Network around your friends/family members perhaps your sister knows a graphic designer that likes to design wedding stationary. Or your friend's cousin's fiance works at a bakery. By networking this really helps keeps costs down, and trust me the expenses pile up each and every week!
- Hire a wedding coordinator and delegate a team to help set up and need be take down. So happy I hired a wedding coordinator just to make sure everything was organized the day of. I am very hands on and I always want things to go my way, but on your wedding day you can't be everywhere. Your wedding coordinator will be you running around while you enjoying everything. If you can't afford a wedding coordinator ask a friend of a friend who is very organized and has attention to detail.
- Plan out your budget by listing your important things first. Pick 3 things that are important to you and then 3 other things important to you and your fiance.
I hope this helps for all you bride-to-be's out there, just a little insight of what I learned. Happy planning!
P.S. I will be posting in depth details of our wedding when I get the pictures back from the photographer.
