Ultimate Wedding Tips from Past Brides
What they wish they had, what they would change, and recommendations for other couples
Photo by Miranda Mader on Mirtography
Disclaimer: The tips shared does not indicate that the brides did not enjoy their day or that they see their wedding in a negative light. These tips are details they would like to share to help guide other couples on what to consider for their day.
Hindsight is 20/20, but if this is your first wedding you may be at a loss of where to start. Wedding planning is hard. After you pop the question, the floodgates open for receiving unsolicited advice. What little details actually turn into big memories? What are things that you should include or consider? This blog will share first hand experiences from 4 brides including their final recommendations.
Meet Our 4 Brides
Ashley
had a modern, September wedding with the ceremony and reception at a luxury hotel.
Guest count - 120
Brittany
had an industrial micro-wedding in southern Indianapolis in July.
Guest count - 50
Nadia
had a Lutheran church ceremony followed by a ballroom reception in August.
Guest count - 180
Whitney
had a ceremony in the Catholic church she was raised in with a large, rustic reception in October.
Guest count - 450
Photo by Kayla Davenport of Sonder Media
Summary
All in all, the most successful weddings are the ones where
You tailor the day to fit your needs
You are able to relax and not stress about the details
Each of these brides had different visions, vendors, and guest counts. Yet they all mention dealing with stress at some point during the planning process or day of. You don't need to be tying up loose ends when you're supposed to be tying the knot. Make the day about you and your partner. Hire a wedding planner or coordinator to streamline and de-stress the wedding process.
Q: What are some things you wish you did for your wedding?
Day of outlook
Brittany
“Day-of I wish I would have chilled out a little bit more. I let myself get worked up a couple times when I thought we were behind schedule and everyone wasn’t ready. I should have trusted in my planner more because she kept us on track, but was flexible enough to work through all the delays.”
vendors
Ashley
“I wish I would have hired a second hair and make up person so that we (1) did not have to wake up so early and (2) would have allowed us all to be ready sooner and not be rushed.
Whitney
“Be sure your band/DJ knows your exact first dance songs. Confirm that the version you sent them is what they'll be playing, that they won't be finding a separate version on YouTube. Two of our first dances had songs with the complete wrong versions. But remember in the grand scheme of things, if that's the worst that goes wrong, it's okay. No one else will even know that happened except the person you're dancing with.”
Photo by Miranda Mader on Mirtography
Ceremony
Nadia
“I wish I would’ve invited only immediate family to the ceremony, and invited everyone else to the reception. Our church had limited capacity and I was almost begging people not to come because I was embarrassed at the thought of people having to stand in a crowd at the back.”
Reception
Brittany
“My wedding was pulled together in less than 2 weeks. I wish I would have made an announcement thanking everyone who had helped me get the day together so quickly.”
Nadia
“I wish I would’ve reviewed the seating arrangement for the reception one last time before the wedding. Although I even gave my coordinator the table setups with numbers/people assigned to them, it was still wrong and there was one lonely couple sitting at a table by themselves.”
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Q: What is something you would change about your wedding?
Day of outlook
Ashley
“Make sure to have special moments with your parents that aren't rushed. Some events the morning of the wedding took these moments away from me. Make this is a priority in your schedule no matter what happens.”
Whitney
“I wish I would've done a better job thanking everyone involved, individually, after the wedding. We were able to pull off a wedding reception in a hog barn at the local fairgrounds that still had a beautiful, rustic feel to it. There were specific family, friends and vendors that jumped in to help make the vision come to life. I wish I would've given them a proper thank-you!!”
vendors
Ashley
“DO NOT USE A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER AS A VENDOR. I used one of my Nanas friends as our florist and it was terrible. She was super late that day which caused everyone (other than me because I had no idea) to panic and stress out. The flowers were not what we looked for and there was a lot of unneeded drama. If she was not a friend of the family I would have asked for a complete refund because she was unprofessional.”
Nadia
“I wish I hired a photographer that specializes in weddings... someone who was more organized and told me what to do instead of me telling her what to do.”
Reception
Brittany
“During our first dance all of our guests gathered around the dance floor. We HATED all the attention and people staring at us. I wish we would have tailored this traditional portion of the reception towards what we wanted instead of what others thought was best.”
Nadia
“Although my husband would disagree with me, I wish I didn’t do a FULL open bar. I think narrowing down to only free beer and wine (or even well liquor instead of top shelf liquor) would’ve been completely fine. The bar tipped our budget over the edge.”
Check out this blog on “10 Ideas for Your Wedding Reception”
Q: What are some things you loved about your wedding?
Ashley
“Not doing a first look or communicating with the groom at all the day of the wedding. It allowed for us to get all excited for that moment of walking down the aisle. I was able to see him in a crack in a door though, watching him all nervous was super sweet.”
Brittany
“We loved how intimate our wedding was and all the personal details we added to the day. We included our dogs in the ceremony, my best friend sang and played guitar for the first dance, and the venue was close to our home.”
Photo by Dave Mason on ISPhotographic
Nadia
“I’m glad I rented decor and that my venue did all of the setting up and taking down of decor and all cleaning. It was so easy and I didn’t have to worry about anything. We also had a late night snack which was a crowd favorite. The one other thing I’m glad we did was a photo booth and a photo album. We love looking back on those pictures.”
Whitney
“I loved that our wedding was in the hog barn at our local fairgrounds. We found the perfect blank canvas that we didn't know of anyone else that had used that spot, and were able to make it into whatever we wanted. And I'm so glad we followed our guts and made that happen because there was a lot of meaning behind the location for the two of us. My mom and husband's dad showed pigs there together growing up. And we have a lot of memories from when we first started dating, going to county fairs in the summer.”
Final Recommendations
Ashley
“To make your ceremony more personal and special, I recommend that your officiant knows you as a couple and to write your own vows. This adds a nice touch and makes the day more about the two of you. Also having a wedding coordinator through all the planning was super helpful as well. She took a lot of the stress off me through the planning process and kept me on task to make sure I did not forget anything.”
Brittany
“All in all, don’t let the stress of your family make you nervous before the big day. On my actual day it all worked out fine and everyone was pretty happy. I would also recommend hiring a wedding planner. My planner made sure that there truly was nothing to worry about and I’m so thankful for her!”
Nadia
“If you’re looking to have an easy peasy, no stress wedding day I recommend having a wedding planner. Mine mainly helped with the reception, but she also helped with the timing of the ceremony. Our wedding was very affordable and budget friendly because our wedding planner helped us out with that.”
Whitney
“The whole process of getting married can be stressful. It's very very fun, but can be stressful on everyone involved in the planning process. Just ask a Covid bride. Remember that it's YOUR day, you and your fiance's. Remember no matter what happens, you two getting married is the main goal. You'll have that memory no matter what happens. Shake the little stuff!!”
Disclaimer: All views expressed in this blog are from each bride and do not represent the opinions of any entity whatsoever with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. All statements are direct quotes from each bride with small edits made for grammatical errors. Executive Eye did not provide services for Ashley, Nadia or Whitney’s wedding day. Vendors were not disclosed to protect the privacy and opinion of the bride.