To the wives out there- answer me this :)

AmberMarieTX

I guess this is a survey because I'm curious! If you don't feel like doing all four questions, that's fine

Tell me your program! What was your music during your ceremony for guests seating, seating of mothers, bridal party, etc, etc.

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc...

shortgirltx

Tell me your program! What was your music during your ceremony for guests seating, seating of mothers, bridal party, etc, etc.
The only thing I know that was played was "Kisses and Cake." 

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?
Favors and flowers.

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?
Rehearsal dinner.  We did something super simple but I wish I would have jazzed that up a bit more.

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc...
Trust your gut.  Don't let vendors bulldoze you down.  Try not to focus on everyone elses issues the day of- just shut them out of your mind and don't pay any attention to the trouble makers.

Donnaaries

Tell me your program!
We had a string quartet play the following
Music during seating of parents/grandparents: Beatles "All Across The Universe"
Music during bridal party processional: Beatles "I Will"
Bridal processional: Canon in D
Recessional: Beatles "All You Need is Love"

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?
I really don't regret anything (because I didn't DIY much at all).  I guess I wish I spent less on flowers but I really love the way they turned out, so maybe I can't say that.  Oh, I spent a long time agonizing over invitations, and ended up going with something really simple.  I should've agonized less and ordered less invitation samples.

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?
If I had more money in my budget, actually I would have spent more on flowers.  It's a total whimsical waste of money but I love love love the way weddings look when they are just flowing with flowers.

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Don't overload yourself with so many DIY projects that you get too stressed out leading up to the wedding.  Remember to enjoy yourself during the day, because those few hours of ceremony and reception time fly by fast!  Also, we decided to write our own vows about 1 month before the wedding and I don't regret that one bit.

NMac2010

Good questions. Can't wait to see some of the responses

tam427

Thanks for the post AmberMarie, it's good to hear what recent marrieds have to contribute to us soon-to-bes

NMac2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_wives-out-there-answer-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:f3cc2479-a101-4930-b698-248b7044ddddPost:2d3774bc-b55e-43e3-88d7-ef9d9f673c47">Re: To the wives out there- answer me this :)</a>:
[QUOTE] Also, we decided to write our own vows about 1 month before the wedding and I don't regret that one bit.
Posted by Donnaaries[/QUOTE]

We have known from day 1 that we wanted to write our own vows. (Ok, it's more me wanting to write the vows than FI, haha, lets be honest here)

I haven't written mine yet. When did you write yours?

Tiffany618

Tell me your program! What was your music during your ceremony for guests seating, seating of mothers, bridal party, etc, etc.

We had a harpist play all the traditional music.... Canon in D, Bridal March, etc. 

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?

Hmm... the only thing I can think of is this monogram I had made for the aisle runner that totally didn't work right so we had to scrap it last minute.  Other than that, everything was perfect.

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on? 

Nothing really.  I was terribly nervous that we weren't going to have enough flowers.... that our candle hurricane centerpieces would not be enough or that it would not be "pretty" enough...but to be honest the room was absolutely breathtaking.  

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc...

Have what you and your fiance want.  Don't let others (even if they are paying) take hold of you and make your guest list ginormous or take you in a different direction from your own vision.  I have friends who had 300+ guest list weddings (because of their parents) that were flat miserable by the end of it.   We partied all night with the people WE wanted to be there and would not change a thing.

Definitely listen to the married knotties recommendations, these vendors are tried and true.  Nearly all of my vendors (except my DJ) were rec's from this board and they were all flawless.   My DJ was okay, but not a home run.  Wish I had paid a little more and taken a rec from the board.

stephl3055

Tell me your program!
I can't remember everything right now.  They were very traditional songs that were played on a church organ. 

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on? 
I'm not sure I really regret anything.  We spent a lot of time on our DIY invitations/programs/STDs/etc., but we saved a lot on them.  So that was worth it. I would've invited less people, but that's a completely different topic. 

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?
Probably photography.  In general I love my photos, I wish I had spent more and chosen a photographer that was more of a photojournalist than mine. 

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be?
The little things won't matter on your wedding day.  Also, it's your wedding day, not your parents, your siblings, or anyone else's.  That's fine if you want their input or their assistance, but you are the one getting married and you need to make sure you have a say in the things that matter most to you. 

Jay+Marissa

Tell me your program!

I'd be happy to email you our entire program, but it is for a Catholic mass. Just PM me your email address if you are interested.

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?

Some of the DIY decorations, like flower topiaries, etc. They got really expensive and didn't provide much "wow"

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?

A better caterer.

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be?

Get a day-of coordinator if you can afford it
Hire a good DJ--ours made our wedding
Save money on flowers by doing them yourself

emimayor

Tell me your program! What was your music during your ceremony for guests seating, seating of mothers, bridal party, etc, etc.

LOVED our programs! I'm happy to send you a sample. All of our music was traditional and the program includes a Catholic ceremony (not mass). Also, I added a blurp on each bridal party member (how we met, who they are, etc). The guests said they liked it bc it gave them more info and something to do while they waited for the ceremony to begin.

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?

Nothing really. Looking back, I would have gone even bigger! I really LOVED most things about my wedding.

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?

I would have done a signature drink. We had an open bar, but it would have been fun if I had something a little extra. And I wish I had spent more money/time on my photographer.

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc...

Dont cut yourself short. Include the things that are important to you. Also, don't fret about guest lists/counts. You'll most likely not care once the day arrives and its fun to celebrate with so many people. Listen to others, even if its frustrating. At the reception, take about 10 mintues alone with your new husband and look around. You'll be looking around at the product of a lot of hard work...you both deserve to soak it all in....alone.

MissAngel

Thank you for this post!  I feel that is valuable to know how the married ladies feel

Emimayor - May I see a copy of the programs?  I was thinking about putting some additional information as well...  my email.... christine.dallasembroidery@hotmail

Thanks!

fallbride1109

Tell me your program! What was your music during your ceremony for guests seating, seating of mothers, bridal party, etc, etc.

We let the string musicians choose the music but I did ask for the last song to be played before the processional to be "All I ask of You" by Andrew Lloyd Weber.  The bridal party came out to Canon in D and I came out to the Bridal Chorus (Here comes the bride).  The recessional music was Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke.  All the rest is in my planning bio.

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?

Favors.  When I think about how much money I spent on them, I cringe.  Even if you don't spend much money on favors, no matter how much it is, it's better spent elsewhere.

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?

Maybe my dress.  I didn't spent much time or effort picking it out and when I see the dresses I could have had, I regret not looking more.

ETA:  Oh yeah--gold chargers.  I had them on my head table and they were gorgeous.  I kicked myself for not doing them on all the tables.

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc.

1) Allow more time to get ready than you think you will need.
2) Hire a videographer, at least for the ceremony.
3) Don't skimp on your vendors--cut the costs elsewhere--like favors!
4) Do a reveal--I don't care how old fashioned you are, you won't regret it.
5) If you don't do a reveal, have a sweetheart table or a private last dance--just something where you have a few moments alone during the reception with your husband. Our last dance was our favorite part of the night.

fallbride1109

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc.

I thought of another one: try not to stress out at the end and second guess yourself--it really WILL all look exactly like you envision in your head!  And if not, hey you're married and that's all that really matters.

emimayor

Angel - YGM

Donnaaries

I wrote my vows about 3 weeks before the wedding.  I'm a procrastinator

I completely agree with Emi and Stephie about the "taking time out to enjoy just by yourselves" thing.  The two moments I remember most vividly from the entire reception was 1) when we snuck out to do some photos on the roof of the building, when I came back to the reception, I sorta observed from the corner for just a few minutes to take in the party that I had spent so long planning and 2) our private last dance, the reception space looks amazing when it's just the 2 of you.

emimayor

And another...

Don't drink too much. I probably could of held off on the champagne a bit.

lacy1603

Emimayor - May I see a copy of the programs too?  Lacy1603@aol.com  Thanks!!

emimayor

Lacy - YGM

Valeriekay23

Emimayor  I would also LOVE to see your programs!   I'm having a catholic wedding minus the mass also!   valeriekay23@yahoo.com  I appreciate it!

linzcw04

Tell me your program! What was your music during your ceremony for guests seating, seating of mothers, bridal party, etc, etc.
   I have a PIB but for the seating of the guests we used fun songs like, L.O.V.E, How Sweet It Is, Your the One I Want, ect. For the bridal party and the seating of the mothers we used the same song - Jon Schmidt's "Love Story meets Viva la Vida" and for my entrance we used Michelle Featherstone's "We Are Man and Wife" - first verse only.
What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on?
    I wish I hadn't spend a dime on my wedding planner - that was my wedding mistake!
What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on?
    The aftermath, lol - basically wish we would have had a better plan for after the wedding and who was taking back what, who was getting our things in the car...things like that. Everything we perfectly fine but DH was stressed about his clothes (aka Tux) that we were going to leave with my dress at the hotel for my mom to come pick up the next morning. Just that - but nothing for the wedding itself
What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? Tips, advice, encouragement, regrets, etc...
     Time is your friend! Everything moves so quickly the day of the wedding it is unreal!!! All of my DIY paid off but I definitely put a LOT of time into it prior to the wedding. After we started getting ready time flew!!! I remember bits and pieces of the ceremony - I didn't see anyone except my husband though. The reception was a blast and I recommend partying until you drop but not too hard. Dance with you new husband often but don't forget those who came out to see you...I danced with people I haven't seen in years and some who I hang out with all the time that I never would have known would want to dance! Best piece of advise...be able to step back and take it all in!! You are officially MARRIED - and it is the best feeling in the world. Don't forget to say goodbye as you leave and don't leave too quickly! I remember nothing about the sparkler exit except for seeing my DH grandmother at the top of the stairs and then next thing I know I'm in the back of the Rolls!

Terriniski

Tell me your program! Don't remember too much... it was a Catholic wedding, so a lot of the music was somewhat pre-determined, but my husband picked the particular arrangements that he wanted.  I think everyone else walked in to Canon in D and I walked in to I Vow to Thee, My Country.

What is one thing that you wish you didn't spend the money/time on? 
Maybe favors.  We didn't do formal seating, so we didn't put the favors at the tables and as a result, few people took them.

What is one thing that you wish you DID spend the money/time on? I would have spent more money on our photographer.  Ours turned out to be OK, but I look at other brides' photos and they're just so much more artistic.  We have a good set of photos to document the day.

What is one (or two, or three, or four) thing(s) you would tell a Bride-to-Be? 
Have a receiving line - as lame as it sounds, it gives you an opportunity to say a quick hello to everyone so you don't spend the rest of the reception trying to say hi to everyone to make them feel welcome.  I didn't have a receiving line, and I felt like I was playing hostess for the entire reception, which meant I didn't eat much, and I stupidly kept drinking wine to keep my throat from getting parched from all the chatting.