Hi, ladies! A few of you were asking for some advice from the married ladies and here a few months ago someone posted this in the May 2011 board. I figured I would sticky this for a while.
I hope this helps you guys!
Look into his eyes when yall are saying your vows and at the moment you will truly see how much he loves you and how much you mean to him.Schedule your bachelorette party at least 2 weeks out from your wedding day. That way any craziness has time to heal over. (Think: bruises, lingering hangovers, etc.) I did mine a week out & ended up with 2 bruises on my arm on our wedding day. Grr.
Choose your wedding party carefully. Don't pick someone just because they expect you to, or because they had YOU in theirs. Pick the people you're closest to, the people who will be most supportive, the most easy going. You'll be stressed out; you will need people who will make you feel relaxed.
The thing you think won't be a problem, is the one thing that will. So don't sweat the small stuff.
Finding a theme for your wedding is a good idea. It can be a pattern, a place you enjoy, anything really. My husband is an arborist (tree man), and we went with that: trees. We incorporated the centerpieces, the cake, the favors, pretty much everything, into it, and everyone we've talked to after the wedding has commented on how beautiful and creative/unique it was. Not only does it make it look well thought out & put together, but it also makes it SO much easier to plan.
Receiving lines are a must for big weddings. I know they seem outdated, but It's really hard to get around to every table to say personal hellos. Every time we tried to, we'd get pulled aside for a chat or a picture.
Make sure to designate people for certain cleanup items. (ie: who takes gifts, where to deliver them, etc.)
Nix anyone who is being difficult. It will work out. We had scheduled my cousin to help us with our bouquets & she got upset about something, started being hard to get along with, and even hung up on me in a phone call. I politely said I wasn't going to deal with that in the final week of the wedding, and thanked her for offering to help. The next day, I found out my aunt works in the floral department at Safeway & was more than willing to help. They turned out beautiful. No drama. Just don't allow it. Don't be rude about it, but you don't have to put up with it.
Steal some alone time for a special moment w/hubby on your wedding day. We had the photographers follow us after the reception to the place we had our first kiss and had a mini-photo shoot there, and it was SO much fun. It was a special moment no one else saw, just for us. Really nice. Another option is to schedule an extra hour or so with the photog for downtime relaxing, husband & wife photos at the hotel after the reception.
If you're looking for more than just rest & relaxation for your honeymoon, know what activities will be in season where you're headed. We went to a GREAT resort, but everything we called to do was between seasons. So we ended up with a very blah first 4 days. We made the most of it, but ended up taking off for an impromptu road trip on the last 2 days. That was a blast.
Give someone else your personal camera to take photos. That way you don't have to wait for the pro photos, or for your guests to post pictures they took. You can download pics from your own camera right away.
It's a lot of planning and a lot of stressful chaos, especially in the last couple weeks. But keep your eyes on the prize. The main thing is that you'll be marrying your prince, and the marriage is much more important than the wedding. Roll with the punches. And if you have an inkling that you want to do a destination wedding or just elope, seriously give it some thought. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks/wants. It's your day. Good luck & have fun! 
I would say to definitely get a photographer. Also get a videographer if you can swing it in the budget. The day goes by so quickly and you won't remember half of it. I have already seen pictures that I had no idea we had taken, and these we actually posed pictures. Choose vendors whom you trust. If you have any feeling that things might not be as you hope, pick a new vendor, deposit or no. I should have done that with the DJ, but got talked into using a friend of a friend's company. Things were baaad.
Don't wait until the last minute to do your DIY stuff.Make sure you take time to eat and enjoy your food and cake! I ate a little bit of fruit and the only cake I got was what we fed to each other. I'm seriously thinking about getting our top tier out of the freezer to eat now because I'm afraid it won't be good in a year and because I didn't get any ha ha!Do as much in advance as you possibly can - DIYs, gifts, cards, schedules, etc. - so that the week before the wedding you will be able to relax.
Create a detailed schedule and give it to everyone involved in the ceremony. Include directions, contacts and phone numbers, and any information you think will be helpful.
Do a first-look photo session if you want to! Don't feel bad about breaking tradition. It was so special and relaxing to be around my husband before we went to the church, and it saved time on pictures later. I haven't seen the pics yet, but I'm hopeful that they'll be good.
Relaxxx and remember to breathe - everyone says this, but it is so true. Your day will go by SO fast. Try to remain present and really enjoy the moment, especially during the ceremony!Have a back up plane in place before the big day. Talk with your DJ, Caterer, Photographer, and Venue. You never know what could happen. You could be running late or a vender could leave. My photographer left without telling anyone, no it wasn't an emergency. Have make up, nail polish and other beauty supplies with you just in case you miss an appointment. You will still look beautiful.
Have a a print out of all important paper work such as contracts, receipts, contact information for venders and bridal party. Give whom ever is decorating writen introductions and pictures of what the decor is too look like. If you you buy a special purse for the day of carry it all during the day. that way you will get some use out of it. that what I did and I was glad because once the ceremony starts you won't be using it at all.
Have a print out on had of the ceremony. If the officiate is running or can't make it for some reason you can't make it, then you can have one of your guest do the ceremony. You can have that person ordained online or wait later that evening or the next day and say your vows with your officiate so they can sign the marriage license.
Have some seat aside some food and cake for you two and the bridal party. that way you know you will get to eat. lol don't jinx yourself, if you think something is going to "ruin your day" then most likely it will, think positive....squash the details and the small stuff so you can allow yourself to really enjoy your day and the people around you.
we trashed our timeline the morning of and it was the best thing we could have possibly done!!!
pick and choose your battles, its only one day and weddings are emotional and bring out sides of people you may have never seen before, you need to collect your thoughts before reacting and figure out if its even worth reacting to.....9 times out of 10, its not worth it.
-Dreama
May 21st,2011
"to make you feel my love"
dreamaandavid.weebly.com/
Photo taken by Bit of Ivory Photography