What I Wish I Knew While Planning My Wedding
Planning a wedding is no joke. There is A LOT to keep in mind and coordinate, from the venues to the decorations to your attire and more… not to mention conflicting opinions and all your life relationships to navigate. With all of that going on (especially if you aren’t using a wedding planner) it’s easy to miss something there and there. A wedding is also a once-in-a-lifetime event, so of course you aren’t an expert in planning one either!
As someone who is married and runs a calligraphy business in the wedding industry, I know a little something about wedding planning, so I’m going to share a few things I wish I knew while planning my wedding. (Also, head to the bottom of this post or click here for my FREE Wedding Stationery & Sign Guide!) I don’t want this post to come off as though I didn’t like my wedding – on the contrary, I loved it very much! It was beautiful, memorable, and everything I had hoped it would be! I wouldn’t change it for the world. These are just my top pieces of advice that I give friends and clients when they ask what I wish I had known. So, let’s get right to it!
1. Do the hair trial.
I didn’t get a trial for my bridal hair. Honestly, I wasn’t stressed out about my hair at all. It was very low on my priority list, and while it did look great, it just wasn’t what I envisioned, despite all the photos I showed the hairdresser. This may have been due to the fact that I wanted a style that just didn’t work with my hair type, or even due to the skill of the hairdresser. Either way, if I had gotten a trial, we would have been able to troubleshoot to come up with a style that I loved and worked with my hair! So, if you are able to get a trial session with your hairdresser to test out your style, I highly encourage you to do so! It’s my number one piece of advice I give all my friends getting married.
2. Know what's going on at the venue that day.
We got married on an island. Well, the island was on a river and the river was in a park in the Midwest, but it’s a good opener, right? It was beautiful, the weather cooperated (although it rained the morning of!), and I would do it all over again at the same location. Little did I know, however, that a carp festival – yes, a festival all for fishing carp out of the river at the park – was going to be happening at the venue on the same day! While this didn’t interfere with the wedding, I would have liked to have been prepared because I was rather surprised while setting up with my family that morning to see so many people at the park and signs about the festival. The bulk of the festival was over with by the time the ceremony started, but I probably would have just liked to have been prepared mentally!
3. Plan a moment away with the groom.
This was something that I thought would naturally happen, but it didn’t. While we did get some beautiful photos with just the two of us, I wish we would have planned for some sunset photos later in the evening. We just got pulled in so many directions during the reception, and the time went SO FAST. I would advise making sure to schedule in whatever shots you are looking for (and communicate that with your photographer) so that it actually happens!
4. Get photos of the venue all set up without guests.
Our photographer got some beautiful shots of our reception hall and the centerpieces that I love, but I also would have liked some photos of everything all set up without guests. One reason why this didn’t happen was because there wasn’t that much time between the ceremony and the reception, and there was about a 30 minute drive between the two, so between getting bridal party and family shots, there just wasn’t time for the photographer to arrive at the reception before the guests did. I’d recommend working with your photographer to set up the day’s schedule – they are the pros and know how much time everything takes!
5. Think about what you want to do with your dress after.
I actually don’t remember if I thought about this beforehand or not, but either way, it’s definitely something you should think about while planning your wedding! When deciding where you’re staying the night of, how soon to leave for a honeymoon, and whether you’re doing a family brunch the next morning, you should also consider what you’ll do with your dress afterwards. I’d recommend getting it preserved with a professional company. They’ll clean it and set it up in a box to prevent it from getting dirty or stained. Or, perhaps you know you don’t want to keep your dress! Then maybe consider doing some sort of “trash the dress” shoot with your photographer.
6. Consider getting a videographer.
At the last minute, literally the day of the wedding, we asked a family member to videotape the ceremony with a simple camera and I’m so glad we did. While I haven’t watched it all that much, it’s something I know I’ll treasure for years and that one day I’ll want to go back and watch or share with my children. See if your photographer also takes video, or consider looking into a videographer.
7. The memories really are what matter.
In the end, the memories are truly what will matter. Save some keepsakes – the photos, invitations and paper goods, maybe something from your bouquet – to have something tangible to look back on. Most importantly, learn to let go just a little bit and ENJOY the day! Honestly, I wouldn’t have remember the things that “went wrong” if I weren’t writing this blog post! The purpose of your wedding is to celebrate your marriage to your best friend, with all your favorite people. So enjoy their company and celebrate!
Getting married?
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