After My Wedding, By Sara Fawcett

I’m officially a Mrs.!  I can’t believe the day has already come and gone!  It feels like just yesterday we were packing up all of our cars and heading up to the venue.  You know how everyone always tells you not to blink during your wedding because it’s going to go by so fast?  Well I can tell you that it’s completely true!  The whole weekend starting with our rehearsal on Friday evening to the morning after brunch on Sunday just flew by, but we had such an amazing time with our family and friends!

I’ve heard from many brides that there is always something they wish they would’ve done differently when they look back at how their wedding went.  I was very organized (almost too organized) when it came to planning and coordinating with the people involved in my wedding.  This is definitely something that brides should be, in my opinion, because it saves a lot of the stress on the actual wedding day.  I knew exactly how I wanted the tables set up, who to stand where and so on and so forth.  Now I know not everyone can be organized, so I definitely suggest hiring some help.  Having things organized truly does help the day go by much smoother.

Another important thing in my opinion would be to tell people about your vision!  You want to be happy on your day and not have to worry about what others are doing, right?  Make sure you tell the right vendors how you want things to go and perhaps entrust one bridesmaid. Be respectful of the fact that all of these people are on your team, rather than letting your stress be flown around each and every way. I told myself, okay if I am going to stress, pick one thing to stress about. My choice for the morning hours was my hair and this actually helped me, instead of allowing my excited and slightly nervous mind jump all over the place. Also, many people may want to chime in on how they think xyz should be done. Some people who have been informed remember things wrong or don’t take notes, so make sure you entrust those one or two people that can stand up for your vision when other people are trying to sway them a different direction, a direction that you did not request.

There aren’t many things I would have changed at my wedding.  Well, I might have made it a longer celebration because it seriously went by WAY TOO FAST!  We decided early on that we didn’t want a videographer at our wedding.  In hindsight, we’re thinking it could’ve been nice to have a videographer to be able to re-watch our wedding.  Our pictures are gorgeous though and our photographer was awesome!  Pictures last longer anyways and we’re so happy with ours!  The only other piece of advice I can offer is to have your bridesmaids pack tissues into their dresses!  I told everyone beforehand that I would NOT be crying during the ceremony, as I didn’t want to ruin my makeup!  Surprisingly, I made it through the ceremony without becoming a teary, sobbing mess, but hearing my maid of honor and bridesmaids sniffling behind me did make it a little hard.  So ladies, make sure you pack those tissues!

The actual day of our wedding was so much fun!  I hung out with my bridesmaids all morning while we were getting hair and makeup done and we just laughed about the past we had shared together.  In a way, it was a welcome distraction.  I’ve witnessed many weddings as a bridesmaid, guest or an assistant and have seen the brides leading up to their own weddings.  They didn’t look nervous or worried, so surely I could handle this as well!  Plus, being able to laugh with my girlfriends allowed me to keep my mind from wandering to worries about the set up and whether or not it would look like what I wanted.  I did trust my event coordinator at the venue, but I’m very OCD in that regard where I like to do things on my own.  However, I DO NOT suggest to any bride or bridal party member that they do this stuff on their own!  Even I had to relinquish complete control of these things and it was tough, but totally worth it.  You should have seen my husband and family laughing when I had to hand over my table decorations with a frown on my face.

My husband and I decided to do a first look before our ceremony as a way to have more time to take pictures instead of cramming them all in during the cocktail hour.  Also, I might’ve been a little greedy in that I wanted to be the first to see his reaction to me up close and not share it was all of our wedding guests.  As the minutes were getting closer to “the big reveal,” I’m not going to lie, but I was starting to freak!  Looking back, it’s funny to think about how I was feeling.  After all, this was a man who I’ve known for over 6 years and we’re already a family with our son and all!  What was there to be nervous about?  Having seen James before the ceremony took the nerves off much more for me, but I understand that many couples have traditions and everyone should respect everyone else decisions.  I know my mom did not like the idea of the first look, because it wasn’t traditional in her sense.  However, she did like the fact that it gave us more time for pictures, which in turn would give us more time to be with guests during cocktail hour.

Seriously, if there is one thing I could tell brides, it would be to just go with the flow and enjoy your day!  In the end, there are some things that are just out of your control and it’s better to just roll with the punches than get worked up over something silly.  It’s a very emotional day and it’s a time everyone truly wants to enjoy.  Relish the moment with your partner and all the loved ones who are sharing the day with you!

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Ashley Douglass Events is a boutique events company, planning weddings, mitzvahs, social and corporate events throughout Connecticut, New York and beyond. Years of experience in both design & coordination, ADE is the right event planner / wedding planner for detailed oriented couples. We are your project managers with a heaping dose of creativity thrown in the mix. We plan social gatherings, corporate events and weddings all over the eastern seaboard. We have offices in both Greenwich, CT and Huntington, NY. We are also members of the North Shore Wedding Collective. Learn more by contacting us today at 917.748.6281 or click here for our short form. Call us today to book your HOLIDAY EVENT, small or large, social or corporate, in your private home or at a fabulous venue!