**Wise Words from the Brides of 2009**

I cant stress this enough. Please make sure you stop & look around & really take it all in. Its the very best day ever! Make sure you stop to remember it. Im so happy DH & I did this a few times at ours. Also make sure you enjoy yourself. Dance eat drink even if it means having to not say hello to everyone. Get that dance time in. DH & I did a divide & conquer since we had 210 guests. Then we met up in the middle said the rest of the hellos & then danced for the last 2.5 hours of our night. IT was the bestidea/thing we did. Dont stress out!!! I was so calm the day of my bridesmaids couldnt believe it. They were more nervous then i was. If you keep a cool calm mind & body the entire day will be fine no matter what happens. Last thing keep everything in perspective. Try not to get to carried away with wedding planning. The love & life you will build with FH is the most important thing about this entire day. Remember that.

I wish all of the 2010 girls the best of luck & Congrats to u all.

If someone in your immediate family or the bridal party has a stomach virus - two days before the rehearsal DO NOT let them come to the rehearsal. Have them stay home even IF they are better. Otherwise, half the bridal party and you and your DH/FH could wind up sick the night of the wedding.

I learned this the hard way! Feelings might be hurt but remember its for the greater good.

I never fully had the memories of our wedding settle in my mind that night b/c I was to busy getting sick.

Ladies....very wise advice. I really appreciate your insight and hope I remember it throughout the rest of the planning process. Can not believe we're up next. This is sooooo exciting!!

THANKS!!!

* have your bk preserved...it is my one and only regret

* dont let others tell you what you and FH should do, include, etc on your wedding day

* make yourselves happy...don't cater to anyone else for the wedding day

* have video

* pick a place with GREAT food, great staff and that is unique...I did and I can't tell you how many people raved for weeks after about our wedding

* spend every second of the day with your DH...we didn't have a set plan to do this but it just happened and I love that we shared every moment together

* dance all night with DH

I'm just going to say one thing here... maybe I will come back and add more later but..

Don't bother making sure you go around to each table. Have fun and party! going to each table really eats time and then as you get to each table everyone tries to talk to you and whips out their cameras etc. and it really takes more time than you can imagine! It's more likely to be able to do this for smaller weddings but esp those of you with larger weddings it gets really hard.

DH and I tried to go to each table... we got to about 5 tables and I missed the sorbet chasher shots that went around on the dance floor... then Madonna came on and I just had enough and ran off onto the dance floor. I couldn't stand missing anymore of my wedding.

Instead, meet everyone on the dance floor while you are having the time of your life!!!

OK i'm back sooner than I thought with another one..
take every problem or situation and handle it with grace and a smile. everyone is looking at you that day and pictures are being taken from all angles all the time... so just pose it up!!! If things go wrong... just smile and look like you are the happiest person in the world no matter what!! I had a BUNCH of nutty things go on... but you couldn't tell AT ALL!!!!! At the end of the day... i was VERY proud of the way I handled myself.

It's been said before and I'll say it again

1. ENJOY THE DAY - EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!! It truly is the fastest day of your life.

2. Spend a moment or two ALONE with FH in the middle of it all. Our Maitre D' took DH and I up to the bridal suite towards the end of the CH (before the intros). He brought us food and then waited about 10 minutes before rounding up the rest of the BP. We sat and talked and ate and just enjoyed the moment with each other.

3. Have fun - dance, sing, etc. Don't make yourself crazy going table to table. Try to get your hellos out of the way ASAP and then enjoy your reception.

4. No matter what goes wrong, remember at the end of the day YOU WILL BE MARRIED! That's what's important.

5. It's hard to remember during all the planning, but this is leading up to marriage not just to a wedding. Keep that in mind and you won't sweat the small stuff so much.

Good luck to all the 2010 brides!

Here is the best piece of advice I can give...

Plan the wedding of YOUR dreams...not the one that everyone around you and FH want you to have. Remember that this is the only day in your life where all of the people you love and love you will be in one place to celebrate the special bond you and your FH have. Enjoy every single second of it, really smile and appreciate all of the love and warmth around you...even if things go wrong!

Great advice ladies- keep it coming!!!!!!!

Thanks so much for the tips!!

1. If you can get all pictures done before CH do it! Then you can spend the CH saying hello and enjoy the entire reception.

2. Eat!! DH and I ate at least a couple bites of every course served and when the entree came out I planted my butt in my chair and cleaned my plate.

3. Dance. I was on the dance floor all night and had a blast!

Good luck girls! Have fun ringing in your year!

thanks girls and congrats to all of you!

Thank you to all the 2009ers! And Congratulations!

Thanks for the advice!!!! I love reading these.

Just a few words from me that Im sure will turn into a book... hehe

--- Enjoy the time you have left before your weddings... It goes by faster than you even realize... You will run out of time and most likely will have unfinished wedding projects/tasks, but it doesnt matter... NOTHING matters that day except the love you have for each other...


--- The only thing you cant change is the weather so dont stress out about it... Make the best of it and continue to enjoy your day... It rained my entire wedding... Sure I was bummed for a little, but at that point, you just move on because the day is sooooo much more important than the weather outside!


--- Dont be afraid to fire a BM if necessary... If you have any inkling that she will ruin your wedding in one way or another, kick her to the curb ASAP! Trust your gut...


--- Ignore family requests as much as possible... They will annoy you before the wedding with their seating requests, addition of guests, etc... They will annoy during the wedding with complaints about the music... And lastly they will annoy you about not receiving their thank you's ASAP... You cant win with them so just learn to tune them out... It's your day, not theirs...

---ETA: VERY IMPORTANT!!
Have a formal receiving line at some point whether that be before CH or the reception!!! I soooo regret not doing this bc we spent WAY too much time going around to the tables... You really do not realize how much time is wasted