Perfect planning: Our advice to you

Advice from one bride to another

Just married and past brides recently shed some light on things they wish they'd known in the days and months leading up to their own weddings. In this article started by MrsC2be, past brides in The Ring share their best advice with almost-married couples in The Ring...

From Mrs.C2be...
1. My advice to you, futures brides, for your wedding day: Cry if you want to... and don't feel ashamed if you do.
2. Give someone your camera for the day, and ask them to make sure they get pics of all of your guests. It's great to see everyone after everything is over and how they looked on your big day! (We did this and it was the best piece of advice I received!)
3. Something WILL go wrong... whether it's big or small, there is nothing you can do about it.
4. ... And when something DOES go wrong, designate someone to take care of it.
5. Buy umbrellas! We had them just in case the weather turned, and they turned out to be lifesavers!
6. Make sure you and DH take a breather... by that I mean, leave the building/reception whatever and take 5 minutes BY YOURSELF. Sneak out so no one knows you're leaving and spend 5 minutes breathing and talking to your new DH!
7. Don't feel like you have to stay until the end of the party... we were absolutely exhausted by 12:30am and snuck out early, without doing our last dance... no one was the wiser.
8. Don't forget to eat on the day of! Have a light breakfast, pack a snack for the hairdresser and eat a small lunch...
9. Drink white wine! You don't want a red stain on your expensive, lovely gown, now do you?
10. Enjoy every single minute of your day, because although you'll be told many times... it goes by REALLY fast.
11. I also suggest someone with a video camera.
12. But when I watched the video, I bawled like a baby. It was so great to see everything from a different perspective.

From EngagedTeacher...
13. You've dreamt about this day forever, planned for several months, are hoping that everything will be perfect BUT make sure to take a moment to realize what the day is really about...the wedding is only the icing on the cake. Your wedding is 1 day, your marriage - the rest of your life. As long as your FH is standing at the end of the aisle and you are pronounced husband and wife, the day went just as it should have.
14. Don't only take a moment with your new husband but squeeze some time in for yourself before the ceremony. I chose to get dressed alone. While I was doing so I called my husband to see where he had put my jewellery. I knew where it was but I just wanted to talk to him. It is one of my best memories of my wedding day because when we said bye he said "well, I'll see you in a bit" and I could tell he was excited and nervous at the same time and it gave me butterflies.
15. Share the day with the people YOU want to share the day with. Many people might have thought I was crazy but I invited my entire grade 1 class to my wedding and they are the people I met with immediately following the ceremony. Some people were probably put off that we were not around to congratulate or have a receiving line but it was so important for me to see them and have pictures with them. I had also taught them in Kindergarten so they went through the whole engagement and planning stuff with me.
16. Go with the flow, even if it isn't flowing the way you wanted. Don't get upset on your wedding day unless you legitimately have something to get upset about...the day goes so quick that you don't want to waste a moment being upset.
17. If you don't have a wedding planner, designate someone you trust that knows how things should go and can handle any issues that might arise. Your vendors should not be seeking verification from you on your wedding day...let them speak to dad or something.

From prettyc...
18. Even if you don't get a videographer, have someone with a handy cam take lots of footage so you can sit back and watch it later on. You'll miss a lot that is going on and it would be fun to sit around with just you and DH to watch the shenanigans that you may have missed!
19. Have ice handy in case anyone should fall and get a black eye 
20. You are NOT going to get to see everyone and spend time with everyone and don't feel guilty about that either.
21. Comfy shoes!!!

From Babysweetheart...
22. My only big advice is. HIRE A GOOD PHOTOGRAPHER Pictures last a life time. Videos are nice, but I'd sit & look at my pictures a lot more than I'd sit & watch a video tape.
23. I had friends who had a cheap photographer, and their pictures aren't horrible, but not that great either. It's so sad to see that you spend money and ridiculous things like a limo, and cheap out on a photographer.
24. DONT CHEAP OUT! We had his sister do it, because she was suppose to be good. NOT. It didn't turn out, and I was heartbroken. Never take the cheap road on something that matters. TRUST ME!

From paulzbride...
25. Nothing is going to be absolutely perfect, but it's not worth getting upset over on the day of your wedding. Not at all.

From Judi Douglas...
26. Have one of your brides maids carry a stick of "tide to go". I carry one in my camera bag and it gets used almost every wedding. It's works for almost everything on your gown...lipstick, grease from the car door, a shoe print, etc. Best friend to a bride!!! LOL
27. Take a private moment with each other.