some advice from an old married hag!

in the vein of matt's great advice, here are a few words of wisdom from my side...I just gave them to my sister, getting married in January and she insisted I pass them onto you!

1. Leave yourself plenty of time. If you think you need an hour for something, make it 1 1/2. I ran late w.my hair and ended up with no time to spare getting ready. I feel like I missed out on spending quality time w. my mom especially and because I was so frantic, my photographer had to get me into my dress! Who could have realized that the dress would need to be hung up high and a gaggle of girls 5'2' and under wouldn't be able to reach it! Better to have too much time to sit and reflect. Your hair will NOT fall in a period of a few hours - so don't worry about it.

2. Concentrate on your vows. There is no rush. You want to remember it. So take your time. I did and I am so happy.

3. If you have children there. I had my nieces and nephew. And he had his two nephews. They were wonderfully behaved. But do yourself a favor. You don''t have to spend a lot of time w. them. I got myself into a few situations with them, particularly on the dance floor, where I spent a lot of time . Not that it was bad - don't get me wrong, but it's easy to lose track of time when you are taking care of kids!

4. Look around. I just found out that there was a coffee bar at the cigar after hours party in the library!. It is okay to stand alone for a second and soak in all your hard work!

5. You don't need to dance all night. I dance around my living room with my friends regularly. I sort of wish I spent less time on the dance floor and more time talking to my guests. There are so many well wishes going on. Choose a few tunes you MUST get down to, and mingle during the rest.

6. MOST important. Stay with your husband. Truly. It makes for a wonderfully romantic night for everybody if you are hand in hand. We kissed constantly and it was so amazing!

7. Go to the tables. I did not want to do this becuause I felt it was rude - sort of asking for an envelope, but everybody wants to see you and wish you well. We didn't do it and ended up with envelopes in our hands, going back and forth to the 'basket', and saying hello to some guests as they were leaving!

Do not get me wrong - our wedding was the most profound and rewarding day of our lives. Just a few things I could correct if I could turn back time! Good luck - and it is MUCH more fulfilling and exciting on the other side!

Thanks Jenny. I will definately keep this in mind

Good advice - but I have to contradict one point...

we danced all night long. I can't tell you how many of our guests commented on how great it was to watch us together. How it really added to the night, and how it inspired others to get up and dance. (our tables were named after dances, so I guess you could say we fit the theme)

We spent a lot of time with our guests at the cocktail hour, we went around to all the tables and we had fun with the guests on the DANCE FLOOR.

I wouldn't change that at all. We had an amazing time.

Thanks for the advice I will certainly remember it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some more advice from another married hag...

Friends that aren't in your wedding party, family members, anyone who brought a camera, tell them to take a picture of you and them when they see you through the night. You will look back and say I never got a picture with so and so and if you do get a picture you will love that memory.

If you are having table cameras, have someone in charge at an hour before the end of the night, check that the pics were taken. If they weren't, there is an hour for more great dancing pics to be taken.

And most of all, remember to enjoy your day, it goes by way too fast, and don't sweat the small stuff, at this point it won't matter. Your video and pics will be great memories of your day.

I have to add my 2 cents. Dance, Dance, Dance
And really enjoy the ceremony. That was my favorite part!!!

I agree with what Jenny said...from another old married lady!! LOL

Definatly remember to sit back, with your husband and reflect on the day. My husband and I were sitting at our table, everyone was eating and enjoying themsleves He held my hand and thanked me for making this the most wonderful day of his life. It was very magical!!

Good Luck to all!!

Good advise but I also disagree about the dancing. We went to every table, but only stayed briefly at each. We danced the WHOLE time. And we also spent a lot of time with people on the dance floor. We didn't really eat because we danced so much. I will see all of my family and friends throughout the year but I will only dance at my wedding once in my life.

I also suggest: take photos with your friends. So many brides have photos only with their BP. I also had my friends take photos with their husbands, families. It is really nice to have prof. photos and for most people, they do not have the chance very often.

Another hint: if you have little ones at your ceremony, buy some crayons and coloring books. I did and it worked out great. The kids were very well behaved and it helped them during our full mass ceremony.