NEWLYWEDS GIVE YOUR TIP HERE TO ALL BRIDES TO BE

From a very laid back newlywed:

Don't get all crazy over doing everything listed in all of the wedding planning books! Make it your own...someone else's guidelines may not be what you have visioned for your wedding day! Go with your gut feelings about vendors. What is perfect for me, may be horrible for you. By all means, listen to others reviews of vendors but when the time comes choose who you and your FH feel best suits your needs.

Start everything early! Who says you have to wait until the week or two before to do your programs? Do them now! I had so much down time at work and had my menus printed 5 months before the wedding for example. It is never too early to get the details done!

Also, I survived the day without any emergency kit. My gut told me I probably wouldn't need it.

Freshen your lipstick! I was so into dancing and having a great time that by the time it came to cut the cake, I had very little lipstick on and did not freshen up. I didn't look bad or anything...but just could have looked better. :-)

And most importantly: HAVE FUN..DANCE...AND EAT. Try to eat at least a bite of every course...you will be sorry if you don't.

And one last thing: do the table cameras. I went back and forth on this so many times and decided to do it and it was so worth it! My pics are amazing! And don't skimp on the ebay cameras! Go to Costco or whereever and buy the Kodak ones. THe couple dollars extra are worth it.

Finally, if you are debating about getting video (like I did until a month before!), debate no more...GET A VIDEO! There are so many things people told me, like 'did you see when....' and I didn't. BUt I know I will on the video. And if you don't want a cheesy video, don't be afraid to tell them exactly what you want. I told them no interviews, no baby montage...

That's it.!

Do NOT buy refurbished disposable cameras.I did and half of them didn't work.Only buy NEW!
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Make sure you eat something.
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Make sure you have a list of some photos you definately want.
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Try to mingle during the cocktail hour so you can enjoy your reception.
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Enjoy,enjoy,enjoy....the day goes by so fast.

One more thing....

Don't worry about the weather, have contingency plans if necessary, but don't spend time and energy worrying about it. There is absolutely NOTHING you can do about it.

-Confirm ALL vendors the week before, and the limos get an extra confirmation call the day before. Go over addresses, directions, payment arrangments, details.
-chose your BP wisely. Just because your friend that you barely speak had you in her wedding party does not mean you have to ask her to be a BM. Think 'In 10 years from now will this person still be in my life' before asking someone.
-Don't ask for opinions if you don't want them. My wedding was NOT a democracy. If I wanted something one way, I did it that way. I didn't check with 100 people first. When I needed/wanted an opinion I asked someone I trusted.
-Details matter! The small stuff counts. People notice, I swear. So when you want to spend $10.00 on a cute extra something for the favor table don't let people tell you 'Nobody will even notice' that is total BS. People still compliment me- 'you paid attention to every detail' or 'I cannot believe how you thought of that little extra something to make it so special'.
-Be flexiable with your budget. Don't set a budget that has no 'padding' built in. You will need some extra towards the end of the planning.
-Don't spend all your cash on the wedding then post that you only have $10 left for bridal party gifts. These people are spending time and money to be in your BP, show them the same respect. It isn't the money it costs to buy them a gift, but make sure that you are fair to them in your budget. Also, think about what you are buying. Will the person really like or use the gift?
-go with your gut. If a vendor gives you that 'something is not right' feeling, don't book them or change vendors. Your gut is never wrong.

Michelle you are so right about the BP. I cant tell you how many ladies have told me that. The girls I chose are all girls I know in 10 years I'll still be talking to and will still be in my life (my matron who lives in FL and Brian and I are moving to FL and about 6 blocks from her and hubby who is best man), my best friend I have known for 10 years is my maid of honor, my 3 bridesmaids are my cousin, his cousin and my sorority sister who i am close too.

That is the best advice anyone could ever give when it comes to choosing your BP.

Get an organizer or notebook to keep track of your ideas and things you tear out from magazines

Do as much as possible ahead of time

Ask for help! Sometimes giving people like FMIL. Mom, or FSIL small jobs keeps them quiet and happy. When I didn't give FMIL anything to help with, I found she would put her input in whether I asked for it, or not! Then she'd complain to others how I wasn't 'telling her anything'. Giving her a task to help with seemed to help the situation.

As your wedding day approaches, sit back and let things happen. Enjoy your day!

Break in your shoes ahead of time. Consider having a back-up pair or slippers for the reception. I did break in my shoes ahead, but found them very uncomfortable after two hours on my feet for pics.

At the beginning, have a 'meeting' with all the parents to find out who plans to help or contribute money or time. Some parents want to be involved in everything, some would rather sit back and let you choose. This caused us several arguments!

Early on, ask your Fi how involved he's like to be with the planning. Some guys want to help choose flowers and invites. Mine chose to leave it up to me and to view only my 'final choices'. He became very bored viewing pages and pages of invites. This saved us a lot of arguments.

We did as much as we could as early as we could so we could enjoy some of the time right before without stressing. We got to visit with family and friends that came in early from out of town for the wedding.

Remember, you planned as much as you could. Try not to stress that day. It is what it is, and if anything does not go exactly how you planned it, try to just roll with it.

Take time to look around and take everything in. We did this a couple of times, and it made such a difference. We don't have to wait for pics and video to see everything, we made a point of it that day.

Assign someone to help you collect all your belongings after the wedding from the hall. Remember everything you dropped off a couple of days before will need to leave also. Maybe give someone a list so they know what to take.

Try to eat. The food is so good, and as hard as it is you will geel better. I actually know someone who had to leave their after party to go to a diner to get something to eat.

Relax and enjoy your day. Make sure you get some 'alone' time with your husband.

Thanks a lot!!

ok. first of all enjoy enjoy enjoy!!!

Make sure you have a list for your photographer...list EVERYTHING you want....I didn't and I regretted it..however, 4 months later I forgot already..but it was dissapointing...

don't sweat the small stuff....just enjoy yourself, guests are more likely to notice an angry miserable bride than whatever you knew went wrong...

reapply your lipstick! I notice pics after I actually ate a little of my dinner and I definately needed it.

Have fun! Happy brides take the best pics!

Thanks so much for the great tips ladies!!!

1. Use an organizer. It doesn't have to be big. Mine was small enough to fit in my pocketbook and it was the best thing I did. I made sure that as I booked vendors I wrote in the dates to call back either for additional appointments or confirmation. It made everything so much easier especially toward the end when there was a lot to do.

2. Do not, do not worry about the weather. You will drive yourself crazy worrying about the one thing you have no control over.

3. Make sure you schedule in time for yourself, by yourself. The day before my wedding I spent doing nothing but relaxing and getting my nails done. Leave yourself time to take a deep breath and relax. If it's not done by now, there is no point in worrying. It really all does get done in the end.

4. Have fun! Have fun! Have fun! Our wedding was the best party I have ever been to and I would love to do it all again (without all the work this time though).

1. Realize what is in and out of your control, and go from there. Don't waste time stressing over things you can't control - the weather, your annoying relative, etc. Use your time and energy on what's important to you and what you can control.

2. Consistently update your to-do list. I became very overwhelmed realizing ALL of the things I had to do, but knowing I was on top of it all made me feel better.

3. Once the day approaches, pick a time and decide NOT to stress over anything from then on. I tried to do this the day of our RD, but I had some last minute gown issues the day before my wedding. Ideally, just relax the day before and enjoy every minute

4. Then, on the day of the wedding, RELAX and take it all in. We had the time of our lives, and really enjoyed ourselves. Make sure you eat - I had my entire dinner! We were on the dance floor the entire night, and had the best time. Lastly, be sure to dance a few songs with your DH - it may sound obvious, but we were each with our own friends for many dance songs, and it would have been nice to dance a few more together.

Enjoy!

bump..this is a great post, thanks Shamma for starting it

Maybe it has been said before, but definitely get a video!
The day goes so fast and you are constantly being pulled in different directions and you miss most of what goes on... If you are on the fence about a video (like we were), I highly recommend it...That's my 2 cents.