Totally honest right now? I had nothing planned for this post.
Then I started thinking... okay, my wedding is 11 (whaat!?) days away now. Everyone keeps asking "Are you getting butterflies yet?" and to be totally honest. I'm really not. I've never been more ready to marry Caleb then I am right now.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a little nervous. Mostly about everyone staring at me as I try my hardest to be graceful walking down an aisle. Or that something horrific will happen the morning of, but I keep reminding myself that at the end of the day, I'll be married to my best friend.
I'm going to keep this post short, but I leave you with one question... whether you're married or not;
What is one piece of advice you'd give me for the DAY OF my wedding?
Is it to be sure I have Advil? Starbucks? Extra lip gloss?
Or to soak in every moment as much as possible? Only play a few slow songs?
Whatevvveerrr it may be, lay it on me.
I want the advice!
Sincerely,
This excited bride.
Are you doing the money dance?! That's always fun. :)
ReplyDeletemy advice: EAT SOMETHING. don't forget to tell the people you love that you love them. Dance and have the wedding you want, despite what ANYONE says.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I've seen (and what I wish I would have seen before my wedding) was to stay with (like seriously right next to) your husband as much as possible. I know this sounds silly- obviously it's your wedding day; but it's so easy to get separated talking to different people or dancing with different groups. But again- it's your wedding day, so you want to share memories, which you can only do if you're actually with each other!
ReplyDeleteI was the same way. Ready to be married to Tyler, but worried I would make a fool of myself in the process. I ended up tripping over my dress twice at the altar (which nobody saw under my dress (I think)). Now, We're married (it'll be two years on 6/11... WHAT?!) and we have a 7 month old little girl. Marriage is a beautiful, wonderful thing and no matter what happens, it always has a happy ending. My main advice here is a little different than the 10,000 word essay I just wrote. My advice is not to stress about saying hello to everyone at the reception. It was my biggest stress until about an hour into the reception when I realized we had a receiving line, we had our speech, and we would send out Thank You cards to everyone. I decided that it was our night and we could do what we wanted. And we wanted to dance. It was the best night of my life. Well... one of them. Having a baby was pretty great too :)
ReplyDeleteEat. Have a point person/personal attendant, so you don't have to answer any questions about what's supposed to be happening and you can ENJOY your day!
ReplyDeleteHello! I just stumbled across your blog today and love it so much that I instantly followed!! I was just married in November and the best piece of advice I can give you is to pray with your family, friends, bridal party, and husband before you walk down the aisle. I think what calmed my nerves the most and what gave me the most peace about flowers being off, or messy, wind-blown hair, or anything, was just giving God the praise and the glory for the day that my husband and I were to be married. :)
ReplyDeleteHope that helps!
All of these tips are so good! One thing I wish I would have taken to heart is to not place expectations on others. I wanted my day to be perfect and, therefore, figured my family would behave in ways that were outside who they truly are. My dad came into the room after I had gotten ready and never once mentioned how pretty I looked. Of course, this put a damper on the day. I wish I would have remembered who my dad is and that he wasn't going to behave the way I wanted. I hope you don't have family/friends that are difficult but, if you do, don't place unreachable expectations on them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get really nervous until about 2 days out. All my out of town guests were arriving, the premarital counseling was finished, everything was coming together quickly and I was a wreck. I think I lost a few pounds in those last days just from anxiety! Ha! It wasn't cold feet, however (We celebrate anniversary #7 in July!)... it was just endless worrying about how everything would play out on the big day. And I'm not going to lie, there were plenty of stressors on our wedding day. One of the bridesmaids was unhappy with her hair and whined incessantly about it. The cake looked like a total mess. We lost the "toss" bouquet. BUT it was a wonderful day, surrounded by people who love both of us and really could care less about the little details I was so obsessed over. I wish I'd remembered that at the time. Our friends and family aren't people we have to impress... they are the people who have walked beside us through our journey and were delighted to see the joining of our lives. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone is giving you great tips!! 11 days eeeee!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteeleven days! woohoo. girl i think you got this one already in your pocket, but definitely lift up your day in prayer that God can guide you and everyone else and that He be the one walking you too down the aisle to meet Caleb. and of course let loose and have the best time!!!
ReplyDeleteMake sure you eat!
ReplyDeletehmmm.... let me refelct ;)
ReplyDelete- Eat a good breakfast and make your bridesmaid have you a snack for about an hour before the ceremony because I can almost guarantee you won't eat at the reception or if you do only a few bites..
- Have the going away car go through a drive through, just go ahead and plan it after the reception you'll want a snack!
- Remember to potty about 15-20 minutes before the ceremony!!
- give a few copies of the day of schedule to other people. You think you remember it but you'll completely blank
- Take as much down time as you can get!!! It's a whirlwind but so worth it :)
- Tell someone what bags go where!! I needed one bag to make it to the limo and one bag to go home with my family... give them a written check list as to what things go with you and what does not!
That's all I can think of by i'm only a email away if you have ANY questions in the next 10 days!! So excited for you miss pretty! You will be BEAUTIFUL!
I didn't really get nervous until the night before when we set everything up for the reception. Then it felt real. soooo, my biggest advice is to get some alone time with your spouse. Take a half an hour and just so spend time with them and relect on the ceremony and tell them how much you mean to each other. The way we get married for our religion we had like 20 minutes together while we waited for everyone to go into the sealing room and it was the most beautiful time to talk about how we felt about each other before we made such a big committment. That was probably my favorite part of my day. And if it rains, please dance in the rain, that was my second favorite part. Take a million bajillion pictures. Take pictures with people on their phones. Those will hold you over until you get your edited ones back from the photographer. 11 days, that's SO exciting.
ReplyDeleteI never got nervous. I was always just really excited. Here are a couple tips:
ReplyDeleteEat before the wedding, because you won't eat a lot at the wedding.
I did a first look and it was something I toyed with. I am glad I did because it gave Kevin and I a moment of peace to ourselves within all the madness.
Something will go wrong. Most likely more than one thing. Be strong. Everything works out for a reason.
Be yourself and have fun.
Why would you get nervous? You're marrying the man of your dreams and headed off on the best vacation of your life with him as a new Mrs :) Things might go wrong, but I know you, and I know on the day of... you won't care! You know I've got your back on the food situation and I WILL make you eat ;) Try to stay with your groom as much as you can at the reception.. it goes so fast and it's easy to get carried away talking to friends/family too long!
ReplyDeleteMy biggest piece of advice for your wedding day is to not worry about ANYONE except for you and Caleb. Seriously. Don't worry about making people happy, don't do what other people say...it's YOUR day!! haha..that sounds so bratty...but it's true...do YOUR thing..and don't let anyone upset you. Wait..that's another piece of advice. Have a person who can play your buffer...so say there's going to be someone there that you know is going to make you mad, have a designated person that when you give them "the look" they know to get rid of them or do something to get them away from you!!
ReplyDeleteOohh...yeah...I second Helene's advice. Eat something!
ReplyDeleteEat a whole lot of somethings! (and have plenty of chocolate) Ok, am I blowing up your inbox...sorry about that :/
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid to tell people what you want, not in an "It's-MY-day-Bridezilla" sort of way, but be clear.
ReplyDeleteI told the photographer we were done when too many guests were there for pre-ceremony pictures, I asked a bridesmaid to stay with me when everyone else went out to decorate our cars and I sent someone to the DJ to request another slow song during the reception. No one can read your mind and at the end of the day it's your marriage that's important, but don't be afraid to tell people what you want.
Also, get a piece of your own cake other than the one bite you feed each other. It won't taste nearly as good after your day.
Ahh!! So exciting!! I would say EAT. I'm not married but my friend just got married and she made sure her, her husband and the bridal party ate ASAP after we entered the reception and I think that was very important. My mom said she never even tasted the food at her reception and she hated it since she had paid for it all! And make sure to dance and have fun while also talking to everyone you need to :)
ReplyDeleteMy advice...make sure you EAT! If you get hot and flustered when taking group pics (before or after wedding) it's okay to step back and take minute to sit. And do whatever you want to do at your reception. If you wanna dance, then dance the night away! It is your wedding after all :) And last but not least, smile and tell that man you love him because he's your hubby now!
ReplyDeleteRemember it's YOUR day. Everyone can try to take over, but ultimately, it's about you and Caleb!
ReplyDeleteEat!! And just remember, that at the end of the day you will be married to your man come hell or high water!! :)
ReplyDeleteMake sure you steal a moment, just the TWO of you. No photographers, no wedding party, nothing. Just even 5 minutes, in a secluded corner or a separate room of the reception area to just breath together and take it all in.
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful friend. Just enjoy you and Caleb's day. Don't stress about what didn't get done, dont' stay connected to your phone all day...just enjoy that moment getting ready with your girls, eat a good lunch, I mean I had McDonalds, and just soak it all in. I was so thankful that my girls made the day so easy. We had such a blast and I never got nervous....I just enjoyed our day. LOVE YOU!
ReplyDeleteIt's all about you and Caleb. Nothing and no one else should matter on that day! Just enjoy yourself and soak in as much as you can!!! I can not wait to see all the photos :)!!!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't have any personal experience of getting married, the advice I'd give you is to remember to eat! When my sister got married, she was to focused on getting ready and everything else that she forgot to have a proper meal all day and then she rarely had time to eat during the reception so at the end she was starving!
ReplyDelete- Carrie
I agree with everyone who has said try to have a moment where just the two of you can steal away. Even if it's the ride from the ceremony to the reception alone. Josh and I didn't see each other at all the morning of (not by my choice), and then the ride from the church to the reception was in a 15 passenger van with our wedding party. Considering we were STAYING at the reception venue, we didn't have a moment alone until around 1am and by then we were so drunk/hungry/exhausted that we opened our cards and went to sleep.
ReplyDeleteTake it allll in! Seriously! It might be a super stressful day, things might go wrong, get behind, etc etc, but once it's gone you'll be sitting there wondering where the heck it went. It goes soooo slow, yet soooo fast!
ReplyDeleteThere are some details that I can't fully remember of mine, of course that's probably due to the nerve pill & took & alcohol I drank, oopsie. But still, just try to take it all in. Lots of pictures, videos (I didn't have a videographer & I wish I would have), etc.
Also, I don't like all eyes on me either, that was one of mine & Dougs big things, we just don't care to be stared at, but once you see him & he see's you, it really is one of those things where no one and nothing else matters. Once you see him at the end of the aisle all you'll focus on it getting to him (& your walk, lol I worried about fumbling up too, but I didn't, just walk slow. :) )
Just be you (same for Caleb.) You're hosting a huge party essentially & you want to entertain everyone so be sure to try and at least say hey to everyone personally throughout the night. But don't let it stop you from having fun, people know how hectic a wedding can be and if they are nice enough they'll understand that you didn't get to have one on one time with them. Don't let it take away from you two. When you can get a few minutes alone, take it.
I also agree with everyone who is saying eat. Eat breakfast, &/or either while or before you're getting ready. Just don't wait until the reception to eat, other than snacking on fruits and stuff, I got seriously ONE plate of food & ONE piece of cake, which is the one that was shoved in my face...lol. It just gets so busy so it can be overlooked easily.
Above all, have FUN! Our wedding turned into a huge party & we even got the staff involved with dancing and such and it was so. much. fun! This day is for you and Caleb, and you and Caleb only! Just keep that in mind. Don't let anyone or anything steal that from you! And then enjoy relaxing on your honeymoon, and married life. It's not too different, but yet it is. You'll love it.
;)
Can't wait to see pictures!
Give yourself about 5 minutes alone in the morning to scream and jump up and down with excitement, maybe cry a few SUPER happy tears and silently be grateful for all the people who are going to help you celebrate. Then, drink a big cup of coffee because it is a BUSY day.
ReplyDelete