Wow, I can't believe we did it! Wedding preparation is such a crazy process, I want to share a few lessons learned and reflections from my big day:
1. The details really don't matter that much.
I spent a lot of time and emotional energy on the DIY details of the day. For some things, I wasted way too much time and energy. Yes, the details are great and some guests will 'ooh' and 'ahh' over them. But, at the end of the day, this is not a photoshoot. This is your wedding, and it's the big picture items (the ceremony, guest comfort, the bar, food, dancing) that make a wedding awesome.
2. Engage your emotions.
I found it really difficult to engage emotionally regarding the wedding. It was just easier emotionally to think of it all as a big event I was planning. The day of, it hit me. This is my WEDDING. This is the day I commit my life to my husband. This is the day that friends and family come to celebrate our love. I really could have gave a crap at that point if the napkins matched the centerpieces.
3. Mental snapshots and time management.
Everyone says it and it is so true: the day goes by SO quickly. I tried to take mental snapshots throughout the day, which was super helpful. One of the worst parts about the wedding is that there are so many guests you want to spend time with. I encourage you to take advantage of the week before to visit with out of town guests. At the reception, don't just hang out with your wedding party -- visit with the people who you don't get to see often.
4. Photography
On the same note, it's super helpful to get the pictures out of the way early. I'm still kinda bummed about missing cocktail hour for our wedding photos, but it would have been SO much worse if we hadn't gotten family pictures done beforehand. The first look is really special. Professional photos aren't in yet, but here's a family friend's shot of ours:
5. Bar decisions
We decided to only host beer and wine, not hard alcohol. I kind of regret that decision. Part of our rationale is that we knew there would be some partiers at the wedding and we wanted to keep things from getting too crazy. The thing is, those people still got crazy even without hard alcohol. The people who did shell out for mixed drinks were folks that were staying respectable. Of course, this was their choice but I felt bad that they had to pay out of pocket for anything the day of the wedding. I realized that people will behave how they want to behave, no matter what's hosted.
6. Vows and amplification
I really encourage everyone to write their own vows. It made our day so special. However, don't be fooled like we were by the officiant who said that the mic on her lapel would amplify us. We found out later only the first few rows could hear us.
7. Giving away centerpieces
I didn't give too much thought to what we would do with the floral centerpieces after the wedding. I assumed folks would take them but I forgot to offer them out to people. I definitely encourage you to specifically offer centerpieces to people unless you want to take home more than half a dozen centerpieces like we did! Luckily, our centerpieces and archpieces have lasted the week and brightened up the house.
I hope this helps!! This board was so helpful during the wedding process.