What My Wedding Taught Me
//All photos by George Street Photo//
Kick Back With Your Bridesmaids: I always suggest spending some quality time with your bridal party on the wedding day. While this might not always be possible due to a strict timeline, I recommend trying to make it work… even if it’s having a cup of coffee together or a few minutes to mingle and laugh. Keep in mind that your bridal party is there for you, so make sure you’re there for them and spend some quality time together – after all, they’re your closest friends and the ones standing next to you as you marry the man of your dreams.
Forgo The Sweetheart Table: The common wedding reception dilemma: sweetheart table vs. communal table… I get asked this question all the time – Which is better? What is etiquette? Well, since you asked (wink wink), personally I love the idea of sitting with your family and friends. While having a designated sweetheart table is great so guests can see you, the bride and groom, there’s something unexplainably endearing to sit and dine with your closest peeps. For us, a meal is a time where everyone comes together for one moment and one occasion and to relax – to eat great food with great company and put all other worries aside. I will get to spend the rest of my life sitting next to my husband, but it’s not everyday we can sit across from all of our friends at once.
Make it Personal: Make it personal, make it personal, make it personal. I can’t say it enough. Trust me on this one – I’m not suggesting you need a billboard of your favorite songs or a slideshow of your baby pictures, but add personal touches. Because it’s these small, thoughtful details that people will remember. For our wedding, we had over half of our guests travel across the country so we knew we wanted to include them in this special day. With the help of our print designer, we created custom Thank You Notes to be placed at every place setting. We were forever grateful for people taking the time out of their schedules to spend with us and we wanted them to know!
Let Your Bridal Party Choose: Trying to find the perfect bridesmaid dress – Ugh. Need we say more? I argue this process is more stressful than finding your wedding gown. Yup, there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to find one dress that fits the style and preference of six different girls. So I took the leap and trusted my girls. I’ll admit I was nervous about this. After shipping, receiving and returning dress after dress, I made the decision to let the bridesmaids choose their own dress. And guess what? I truly believe that because they were able to shop and try on their own personal favorites, they were happier than ever before. Maybe I just didn’t want to feel responsible or guilty for making an executive decision, but regardless of the reasoning, it all worked out for the better and it was a win-win for all! The girls looked stunning (and the guys looked pretty sharp as well)!
Don’t Skimp on Floral: So let’s get real… before my own wedding, I always thought floral was overpriced. Truly. However, having been so in love with our custom bouquets, I can vouch for the fact that I was absolutely blown away. Because we were having our dinner served family-style, there were platters of food, wine bottles and candles lining our tables. With that said, we opted to keep our floral centerpieces minimal and spent most of our floral budget on bouquet arrangements. Your florist is a vendor I definitely recommend meeting with prior to booking. After sending them an image of your vision, it’s important to chat with them and see what creative contributions they may have and that they grasp the look and feel of your wedding.
Escape For A Few Minutes: What? Why would the bride and groom leave the party? Well, this was actually not included in our timeline. Luckily our photographer understood the outdoor lighting mid-dinner and asked if we would be up for snapping a few pics… and we went for it. But I can honestly say that to this very day, my husband and I still talk about how these few minutes together were probably our favorite moment the entire wedding day. There were so many nerves and emotions during the ceremony and once the reception began, every minute flew by faster than the last. I’ll never forget walking outside away from the craziness hand-in-hand. We walked down to a quiet space and could hear the party still going on behind us (the music and the laughter of our guests in the distance). We were able to look at each other for this moment in time and say, “We did it!”
Make Your Exit As Memorable As Your Entrance: Oh, the grand exit! Some may argue it’s not necessary or that guests won’t stay until the very end, but I beg to differ. Rather, if they know there’s going to be a final activity, they’ll want to stay (no one wants to be the guest who misses out). Personally, I always find it anticlimactic when the music just stops and you’re told to leave. We wanted the final few minutes to be just as memorable as the ceremony entrance and I’d like to think it was a success! Nothing beats walking through a sparkler tunnel with family and friends whistling and shouting final sweet words. I couldn’t think of any better way to end what still remains the best day of my life.
