by Johanna Osborne

 

Nothing is more exciting than planning your wedding, but simultaneously the excitement sometimes – just sometimes – gives way to unwanted anxiety and stress. Hey, it’s normal, but to combat some of the niggly worries that plague even the most on-to-it and organised bride, we thought we’d piece together a list of our favourite wedding advice; some dos and don’ts to see you on your way to happily ever after!

 
1. On your wedding day, soak up all the love, joy and bliss! Take a moment to breathe, sneak away just the two of you, pinch each other, look into each other’s eyes, make each other remember this very moment, hold on to it and really savour it. A quiet shared moment taken to reflect and take it all in on your wedding day is simply worth gold. You will always remember it, we guarantee it!

2. Enjoy the planning. Take your time and don’t rush. The more time you have, the more like you will feel informed and not pressured into making decisions. Involve your guy, he might be more into it than you think! Whatever you do, don’t panic. Millions of people get married every day all around the world. Someone planned these weddings and they are all beautiful. Yours will be one of them, only more amazing of course.

3. First look – it’s becoming more and more popular. Why? It takes the pressure out of doing the photos quickly after the ceremony, and it’s a beautiful sacred time for the two of you to see each other, capture it in private- before the masses devour you with their eyes! The images we have seen from first look ceremonies are always divine, we highly recommend looking into this as an option.

4. Don’t get too caught up in making everything perfect. Sometimes the best moments are the unplanned ones, the spur of the moment hiccups -from a broken dress train to a smashed glass. Who cares? It photographs beautifully, genuine emotion and surprise, and as long as the groom is by your side what could possibly be so bad? Don’t take things too seriously and worry too much, the universe knows if you are relaxed and will send good things your way. Let. Your. Worries. Go.

5. Share something special, unique and personal with your guests. The more you involve them in your love story, the more invested and emotional they will be during – and after – the big day! It could be a brief story of how you first met written on the order of service, it could be a slideshow of your romance over the years during the ceremony or at the reception, it could be a special “thing” you both share, perhaps a love of cinema and everyone gets a film reel as a keepsake? Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to show the essence of “you” on your big day, your guests will love you for it!

6. Whilst every aspect of a wedding is important, in order to allot your budget to the right places, choose what is most important to you and focus on that. It might be food, it might be flowers, it might be music… they are all important. But if there is one thing we can share from experience, we would advise that you should not scrimp on photos, as they will be the thing you will have forever. Your photos will be on your walls and are your one memento of the day that you can physically hold and look at over and over again. And the same goes for your wedding bands, these have to stand the test of time, so make ’em good uns!

7. Hire a wedding planner. They are the experts for a reason! Wedding planners can help you make a list, check it twice and be an immense source of advice, inspiration and guidance in the lead up to your big day, and even more importantly – the key that holds it all together when it counts most. Coordination, time planning and knowing all the tricks of the trade; there are few things and people that wedding planners don’t know. If your stress levels and sanity are important to you, then this is one investment that will pay off tenfold.

8. Don’t fight – with anyone! Wedding planning can be full on (hence our advice above) but don’t lose sight of why you are doing this. You are getting married to the love of your life, so it should be a happy and exciting process. A celebration of love! All too often brides get a bit too wound up and end up lashing out at their grooms to be, mothers or friends. Our advice: forewarned is forearmed. Whatever you do, don’t upset anyone by your side, they are all there because they want to make this the best day of your life. Instead head out for a mani-pedi, a massage, a run or a swim, your head will be much clearer once you’ve let off some steam.

9. Remember that the reception is just a party. Keep things simple. You don’t need 20 bridesmaids, a 6 course meal, 4 dress changes and a 12 piece band. You do need to make it nice, and so that it reflects you. Put yourself in the shoes of the guest. What makes a wedding good/bad and what things do you remember from previous weddings you’ve been to? Take that advice on board and use it to your advantage.

10. Get a photocatcher! Before your guests leave the party try to get them to hand over their digital cameras (for just a moment) to a designated person who will then upload the photos they have taken to a laptop. Even if you do have a fabulous photographer on hand, the guest photos are always special and this way you have them right away. Alternatively you could place disposable or even polaroid cameras on the tables and document the guest festivity that way. It’s a great idea!