My advice to you girls here....

As I sit here a month before the wedding, there are so many things I learned along the way that I want to pass on to you ladies.....

1. Never ever lose sight of the big picture. I did that so many times, and now I'm at the point where it doesn't really matter. I will not be any less married that day if I don't have a slipper basket, if the CPs are high or low, if there are no favors, if someone doesn't show up. It's all about celebrating the union of me and my FH. Nothing else. Remember this: the reception is just a big party, nothing more, nothing less!!!

2. Shyt happens, be prepared. Yes family members, FILs and friends can drive you crazy, trust me I know. You get a group of people together and there is no guarantee everyone will get along. The best you can do is put on your poker face and deal. Life goes on.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff. Life is too short. My mother tells me her dress is maroon and yet my BM dresses are bordeaux. Basically almost the same color. Do I care? No. Because right now I would rather have my sick mother be happy than worry about how the colors are similar.

4. You don't know your true friends and family until you have a life changing event. Most of you know this already. You will be surprised at who is jealous, who treats you like crap, and who will come through for you in the end. Bridesmaids will drop out, even best men will drop out, family will threaten not to come. Yes, it happens, and you will be shocked.

5. I can't stress this one enough - DO NOT RUSH INTO BUYING THINGS OR TRYING TO BOOK ALL YOUR VENDORS RIGHT AWAY!!! Do your research and make a judgment that is right for YOU. Do not get something or book something just because everyone else is. Go by your own schedule. I felt pressured in the beginning because people getting married after me had everything booked already. But I still found great vendors anyway working on our own schedule. We even took a month long break in the beginning because we just wanted to enjoy being engaged before driving ourselves nuts looking at vendors. It made a world of difference!
I also say this because of rushing into buying things, I now have 3 tiaras, 3 veils, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 different types of favor boxes, you get the idea. Remember, more styles, favors, dresses, and stuff will come out between now and the end of the year. If you rush to get something now, you may miss out on something you fall in love with that comes out later on. Plus losing deposits is not a fun thing to deal with!!!

6. Trust your instincts. They exist for a reason. Whether it comes down to whether or not you should be marrying your FH, or doubting your florist, if you are having second thoughts, it's for a reason. Many brides bought 2nd dresses, changed halls 10 days before the wedding, you name it. If you feel you are not getting the attention you deserve, or if you feel something is wrong, say so and waste no time in doing so. There is nothing worse than accepting something less than what you want. Brides spend way too much money to be treated like crap.

7. Remember this is your FH's wedding also. You are not marrying yourself. Yes the bride should be happy, but so should the groom. If he makes a request, listen to him. For some of the guys, they've been thinking about this day almost as long as we have!!!

8. You will change your mind a million times on almost everything and will second guess half of your decisions. Especially on the small stuff. Trust me.

That's all I can offer for now. I'm sure after the wedding I can add more!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

aww, thanks so much for sharing your kind words

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Great advise, thanks a lot.

Re: My advice to you girls here....

WOW! That was really awesome of you to take the time out and write that all down for us! I will seriously take all that info into consideration as I start planning my wedding!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thanks so much for your words.
I feel the same way about what you said.

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thank you so much for your advice. It was so kind of you to take the time out and pass the info along!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thank you for the advise!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice!! Best of luck in the upcoming month!!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Janna- thank you sooooo much for this.... I think this weekend I took a step back and took a look at everything.... Now I TRULLY believe somethings just don't matter.....and not to sweatt eh small stuff.

Re: My advice to you girls here....

thank you so much for the advice and i wish you nothing but good luck on the next month as you get ready for your special day!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Janna-thank you for the advice!
Some of us tend to lose sight of the things that are really important!
I hope that your wedding day is beautiful, full of love and everything you want it to be!!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thank you so much for all of your kind words and advice! Good Luck with the last minute things and enjoy you and your FH's day!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Loved that! So many times people lose sight of what it is really about! So much time and money is spent on this one day when it's a lifetime we are joining together! thanks so much for posting this!

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thank you for the words of advice so true

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Thank you so much for the advise!!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thanks!!!

sounds soo true!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thanks so much for the advice, it was nothing but the TRUTH

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Thank you so much!!!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

It was really nice of you to take time out and leave us some very valuable words of advise. Thanks sooo much!!

Re: My advice to you girls here....

Wow! Thanks!