Married Ladies: Best and worst choices

SewInLoveWithDMB · March 2013

This might have already been asked...but...

What was the best decision you made about your day? Could be a specific vendor, or just an overall concept of the wedding.

"Worst" might be a harsh word - but what was something you did that was not necessary? Did not go as planned? Did anything kinda bad happen, and how did you handle it?

I guess I just wanted to get an idea of choices people made that were fabulous, as well as choices that weren't as hot. Thank you!

kozacs · March 2013

Best: Not going overboard financially. We picked quality vendors that had reasonable prices. I was by no means a budget bride, but tried to make smart choices. Looking back, I don't think spending more money would have made the day any better and I am really thankful now as we are looking at houses to have a little extra in the bank.

Worst: I wish my bustle had been stronger. It broke during our first dance and was pinned up very nicely by my bridal assistant, but people kept stepping on my dress ( I was in the middle of the dance floor all night) and it kept ripping. Eventually we just used a huge safety pin and brought it up higher and it stayed, but I wish it had looked a little prettier.

FutureMrsR5711 · March 2013

Best: Paying cash for our wedding. We saw a couple we know get into big debt from their wedding. We knew right away that we did not want that to happen. We did not finance or charge one single part of our wedding. We kept costs reasonable and splurged in areas we thought were worth it (ie photographer).

Worst: Not having a separate cocktail hour for the bridal party. We chose to do it with the rest of the guests, and we spent so much of the time mingling, that we barely got to taste any of the foods we got, or have a calm moment before the reception.

agu101 · March 2013

Best: doing a first look and pictures before the wedding. Since our ceremony and reception were at the same place, we would have missed coctktail hour and been very rushed to do photos. Plus I wanted to go off-site to do photos at the boardwalk. The first look was a very special moment I think more brides should consider doing. Plus, we were able to actually enjoy our cocktail hour and spent that time greeting guests so we didn't have to do it during the dinner.

Worst: I honestly have very little complaints about my day. However, not planning how we were going to give our wedding day gifts to each other meant we missed capturing that moment on video. DH texted me late in the day to tell me where my gift was hidden in the house, and because my phone was in my purse most of the day, I didn't see it until we left. I gave his gift to his best man at the rehearsal dinner, and his best man left it in the car when his wife dropped him off to meet the other groomsmen at the hotel. Also, give your phone to a bridesmaid so they can handle incoming calls/texts you may get.

Denise91980 · March 2013

Best: First look and I also loved the color combo. We had a fall wedding with navy BM dresses and flowers were red, orange and yellow. I was originally going to go with brown, but am happy I went with navy. Also, reasonable vendors because other than what I will mention below, our vendors were reasonable and great to work with for the most part.

Worst: Our choice in videographer. He sent college students with no experience, who missed our ceremony and the when they did show up, the footage was awful and dubbed over. I honestly would rather have had no videographer than the one I chose.

B2Z728 · March 2013

One of our best choices - choosing a venue that was close to our home. In addition to loving our venue choice in general, it made everything so much more convenient for it to be 10 minutes away from us - from planning process to the day of the wedding. This also negated the need for limos which saved money. We also stuck to the recommended vendor suggestions from our venue, who were also local, which again made everything easier.

After hearing many brides stories about their bustle breaking, I'm very happy I went a French Style bustle for a little extra cost. It took some time for it to be bustled up with all the ribbons inside the dress (I think there were about 5-8 that had to be tied) but it lasted all day and night without any issues and looked great.

I think my worst choice was letting myself get too stressed out certain wedding related things.