PART 2- Tips for Planning your Big Day- from those that have been there
While I have witnessed & been a part of many weddings over the years, I haven’t had to plan one, but I know the process can be overwhelming. Most websites lists tips from planners on how to prepare for your big day but I figured the bride & groom would be able to provide the best tips & insight. I asked my coworkers what tips they had for couples planning their wedding and if there was anything they wish they knew before the big day. Check out their tips for the bride AND groom;
Tips from the Wives
- It’s your wedding so plan it how you and your fiancé want, not how your family imagined it would be.
- If a detail is missing during your big day, don’t stress… you will be the only one who knows what it should have been so your guest will not miss it.
- When you are deciding on the details of your wedding ask yourself if I don’t have this detail will I regret it in the future
- Have a budget, this is a great way to negotiate with suppliers so they could match or come close to what you would like to spend
- If you can, start planning earlier, you will find great bargains and come up with new ideas as you plan
- Go with your gut on the decorations. What you like may not be what everyone else likes but it’s your wedding and not theirs
- Try not to let anyone persuade you into something that you know you don’t want for the wedding
- Discuss decisions with your future husband, he may not be interested but at least you told him
- Go through the day of the wedding from morning to night and do a timeline literary of how things are to go
- Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist should be highly considered
- Be sure to plan for breakfast on the day of for your bridal party and an activity for the men that morning.
- When you start doing your wedding invitations get an etiquette book. It will be your best friend on how the proper way to write out the addresses and etc.
- If your bouquet and bridesmaids bouquets show up the day of the wedding and they look nothing like you had told the florist you wanted…it’s ok! The flowers will most likely be gorgeous still and truthfully, no matter what detail doesn’t go as planned, you are getting married that day. Nothing is worth you stressing and ruining your happy mood the day of the wedding.
- If parents are paying for some or all of the wedding, you will probably have to compromise on some things. The compromises will work out great for all involved, maybe even better than what you or the parents had envisioned originally. Please don’t spend time fighting over every little detail, it just creates tension.
- Find a wedding planning timeline and use it! This was a lifesaver for me and will be for anyone who already has an insanely busy life before the wedding planning started.
- Grooms should get involved, they may not care about every little detail, but they should help plan their wedding in some way. It doesn’t have to be a stressful process and it can be fun to decide on stuff together
- Remember, it is a day based off of emotions. The planning will be based on emotions…grooms need to remember this! When your bride is a ball of emotion and you can’t understand why, just support her and go with it.
- Grooms, go to the cake tasting! You don’t want to miss out on all of the cake.
Tips from the Husbands
- Have a budget, but don’t be afraid to go over for something you really want. It’s your one opportunity.
- Flasks are good on wedding day, but some churches will excommunicate you for stuff like that. Be careful
- Make it “your” day. Forget all the traditional rules and do something that you and your spouse will look back on and say “It was the best day ever.” Don’t let other people guide your decisions.
- Take suggestions and comments from each other in stride. Your perfect idea may not be theirs. Listen and then calmly discuss.
- Spend time the following morning with your friends and family…Don’t rush off to a honeymoon at 4AM.
- Include alcohol and a band. Always
- Find someone to do all the work pre-wedding. Don’t try and take anything on and enjoy your day with friends/family.
Tips for the Groom, from the Guys
- Treat your future wife the nicest you have ever treated her for those days leading up to the wedding. She will yell at you, make mistakes then blame you for them. Just smile and say nice things and support whatever she says (as hard as that is). If you truly love this woman you will have to swallow all your pride for that 1 or 2 days and solve all problems and just make it to that honeymoon.
- Something WILL GO wrong (from the Bride’s perspective) on THE DAY so be prepared to be a rock when your Bride calls you crying and wanting you to FIX IT NOW. Act cool as if you “GOT THIS” and you can panic and go into SAVIOR mode once you two hang up.