Greetings from the knotties over on the August 2011 board! With the last handful of our brides are getting married this weekend, we've had our share of excitement, anxiety, and drama, with some of us having spent 3 or more years planning. We thought we would share some advice that we found helpful in our own wedding planning with you all, in hopes that it will serve you well in the upcomming year of planning! We hope you find our advice helpful, and we wish you all the best of luck with your wedding plans!
Sincerely,
The August 2011 Knotties
Our advice for the August 2012 Knotties:
- Plan the wedding you want. Want a small, intimate wedding with just your immediate family and a handful of friends? Do it. Or maybe you want the 300-person extravaganza? Whatever it is, stick to your plans regardless of what other people say. - Is relaxation worth the price? - One of the earliest decisions you'll make in planning a wedding - if you haven't already - is whether or not to have a wedding coordinator. While it's certainly possible to plan your own wedding and remain relatively stress-free, some brides swear by their coordinator. One bride said their biggest regret was not having a coordinator; when it rained on the day of their wedding, they found themselves stuck dealing with things, when it could have all been handled by a coordinator. Reflect on how well you and your future partner handle stress and decide if a coordinator is worth the price tag. - Rain or shine. Thinking about an outdoor wedding? Make sure your venue offers an indoor back-up option, or make sure you can get a sturdy tent for the reception. You don't want a drizzle halfway through your vows to spoil the moment (or your guests' mood!). It may not as glamorous as the botanical garden you had your heart set on, but you'll still have a place to get married. Some venues even offer partial refunds if your outdoor location is rained out. - Avoid buyer's remorse. It's never too soon to start shopping for a dress, but you don't necessarily have to settle on one a year before the wedding. Many girls buy their dress so far in advance, and after seeing more dresses later, decided they are no longer happy with their dress. Give yourself time to explore all your options. Dress shopping is one the most exciting parts of getting married - no need to rush it! And when you do settle on "the one," stop browsing wedding dresses so you're not tempted. - Don't stress over the BM dress. No one wants to spend a fortune on a dress that they will never wear again. It's always nice to find something that your girls might wear to a party or hey, another wedding, down the road. That said, it's not always practical or easy to find a dress that every girl will re-wear. Sometimes you just have to aim for a price range and commit to something rather than spend months agonizing over rewearable options. - Research your vendors before booking them. Nothing is worse than having to find a last-minute cake baker weeks before the wedding because yours flaked out. One August 2011 bride had her DJ drop out just weeks before her wedding and was left scrambling to find a replacement. Make sure your vendor is registered on your state's Secretary of State website, check their rating with the Better Business Bureau and search for reviews on other wedding websites (Wedding wire is a good one). A catastrophe like this can be avoided if you do your homework! When you are done with your wedding, be sure to write a review for your vendors (good or bad.) YOU can help prevent a bride from making a similar mistake, or you can sway a bride's choice in your vendor's direction (if you liked them.) - Handle input with grace and sometimes a grain of salt. Everyone will have an opinion on your wedding. They mean well. But sometimes their suggestions just aren't for you, which can lead to some serious drama... if you let it. Listen to what they have to say, nod appreciatively, and let it roll off your back. You can't please everyone. This day is about you and your fiance. It's not your parents' day. They had their wedding, so they can let you have yours. To minimize any potential drama, spare them the details. The more details you give them, the more criticism they can give you. When one bride's in-law's found out they weren't having floral centerpieces, they criticized them, saying they didn't know how to plan a wedding. But the bride stood up for herself and stuck with the nifty book-themed centerpeices she and her husband wanted. - Try to keep some things a mystery. A choreographed first dance or snow cone maker make for awesome reception surprises. Keep some details a secret so that your guests can be awed at the wedding! - Don't procrastinate on big projects. Some DIY projects take a lot longer than you think, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time for bigger projects like hand-made invitations or pommanders (assembling those things can be a pain, but the end product is great!). - Forget about it. When wedding stresses mount, take a breather. Stop agonizing over the guest list that somehow ballooned into 400 people and go for a walk, get a mani/pedi, and take a weekend off. You'll come back refreshed and ready to deal with whatever issue arises with a clear head. - "Wedding-free days." - Make dates with your fiance periodically where wedding talk is taboo. You have so many other things to talk about, too! - "No one will know." - It's SO easy to get caught up in making sure the ribbon on your card box is the exact shade of pink as your bridesmaid dresses. But guess what? You're the only one who is going to notice. Don't stress yourself out worrying about the small things that no one will notice or remember. -"DIY vs I.O.U?" - DIY projects can be a great money-saver, but they can also be a major time committment. Think about whether DIY projects will be worth the money they save you. One bride bought chair covers instead of renting them, only to then be faced with steaming, hanging and keeping 300 chair covers wrinkle free until the wedding. She says if I they were doing it again she would just shell out the extra money to let the venue deal with the hassle.