5 Wedding Tips You Might Not Hear Anywhere Else
In order to keep the flowers fresh at my wedding, the florist included a special grip around the base of the bouquet that was filled with water. Not only did it end up dripping ice-cold water on my dress during the ceremony, but it made the bouquet weigh what felt like 10lbs. My elbow was literally shaking during the ceremony, and not from the jitters! The day after the wedding, I could barely move my arm. See to it that your bouquet is lightweight and easy to hold, so that you don’t have any distractions from the important vows you’re about to make.
2. Make Photos Priority Number One.
Don’t ever skimp when it comes to your photographer at the wedding. This should be your highest priority because your wedding day is about the memories; long after the cake has been eaten, the flowers have died, and the bridesmaid gowns have faded, you’ll still have the photographs. If you’re disappointed with how the photos come out, it will color your memories of your special day. And every bride deserves to be beautiful, and have pictures she’s proud to show her family and friends. If you have to cut back on your wedding budget-do it elsewhere. Your photographs are the touchstone you’ll have to remember these moments in time; make them count.
3. Don’t Try A New Cosmetics Regime.
You may be tempted, days before the wedding, to try an entirely new cosmetics regime, or to use tanning lotion, or to use Nair, or to get yourself waxed. Word to the wise: Don’t. In the two weeks before your wedding, you’re likely to be more stressed out than ever before. Your skin is likely to be more sensitive too. While trying a new foundation might not normally make you break out into hives, these are not normal times. If you’re going to wear new make-up or tanning lotion for the big day, start making the transition a month in advance. Consider plucking instead of waxing. (Sometimes, a sensitive layer of skin might come up with the wax strip, leaving you a slightly red seeping wound-no reason to chance that on your big day.)
4. Keep a Control Journal.
I thought it was a joke, really, when I heard my DJ playing Cool and the Gang, since Cool and the Gang topped our Do Not Play List, just above the Chicken Dance. The DJ would later claim (under much pressure from my bridesmaids – hell hath no fury like bridesmaids trussed up in wine-colored lace) that he did not receive the Do Not Play List. I knew I’d written one, but I was kind of busy being the bride-too busy to go argue with the DJ about music. If I’d kept a control journal of everything I wanted and didn’t want, I could have whipped out an extra copy and handed it to him. If you have instructions as to how you want your day to go, from the flowers to the cake, to everything else, write them out in a Journal and have one of the bridesmaids bring it to the wedding. This way, if the waitresses are giving your vegetarian Uncle Henry chicken when he was supposed to get the egg souffle, you can have someone whip out an extra copy of the menu sheet and order will be restored.
5. Take your Time on the Aisle.
Hopefully, you’ll get to be a bride exactly once in your life. That walk down the aisle, when all eyes are on you and your escort, is one that you want to remember and savor. Walk much slower than you think you should walk. Stagger your steps even, if you like. What most people don’t tell you is that it’s the reverse trip that’s the most fun. Once you’ve said your vows, been pronounced man and wife, and find yourself leaving the altar, that’s the most beautiful moment. All your guests are there, clapping for you and happy. Resist the urge to run. Take in their love, cherish the moment, and really stop and feel it.
