8

Mar

2023

Advice From the Married Side – Real Brides Advice From Their Wedding Day

This afternoon we are back with our regular feature ‘Advice from the Married Side,‘ real life wedding planning advice from all the lovely brides and grooms I have featured on the blog.

I get to feature so many amazing real weddings here on the blog and with each wedding I ask the couple to share with us their wedding planning knowledge and experiences. This post is a super useful collection of wedding wisdom from those who have just got married, to help you on your own wedding planning journey. I hope there will be something amongst these experiences that help you. Happy Planning!

photo by Sarita White Photography. – full wedding HERE

General Advice

  • Weddings are as cheap or expensive as you make it! We gave ourselves enough time to save money getting crafty before the big day with the bridal party – we loved our weekends pre-wedding-ing!
  • Hire positive and energetic people.
  • And, brides – do a speech! Why should the man do a speech on your behalf, its 2019 and I can bet you do most of the planning for your wedding.
  • Etsy is your best friend.
  • If you can find a way to pay for a videographer, do it – moving images from the day are so precious.
  • Use petals as confetti, as this is not damaging to the environment, but do not, I repeat DO NOT use very dried petals, as these got stuck in my hair and I ruined my hair trying to get them out.
  • The best thing about weddings is that everyone does it differently to suit them so roll with that and it’ll end up just how you wanted it. Don’t compare yourself or your budget against anyone else – it’s your day and it’ll end up perfect.
  • Sign up for a good Honeymoon registry, even if you don’t want your guests to buy you gifts, they will want to buy you something and what better that help towards your honeymoon.

photo by Salt & Sea Photography – full wedding HERE

Planning

  • Keep people fed and watered! No-one cares about how pretty a centrepiece is if they are hungry or thirsty so invest in the guests! And go local.
  • Communication is key!
  • Have fun planning your wedding and don’t take it too seriously.
  • It’s always good to have a plan B for everything because if something goes wrong you don’t have think about it to much because of the plan B.
  • Plan for as much as you can but don’t worry when things go wrong, which they invariably will.
  • Do not stress so much, everything’s gonna be fine if you both love each other truly and with fully commitment.

Photo by Nathalia Frykman. – full wedding HERE

Make the day your own

  • Remember it’s YOUR wedding, do what makes YOU happy!
  • Try and inject your personality into your day – we love food and drink, we both enjoy public speaking and we love a dance – we therefore focused on these things and loved that the tipi gave us the flexibility to do what we wanted in a relaxed environment.
  • Do not stress and do not worry about what other people will think, it is YOUR day.
  • Don’t feel like you have to do all of the traditional things – we didn’t have a first dance, throw the bouquet or have a wedding car.
  • Try to remember that the day is about you and celebrating your love and relationship and try not to feel pressure to make it about other people, or doing things just to put on Instagram!
  • I also really urge couples to plan the day they want rather than let other people’s opinions influence the day. We had the perfect day for us.
  • It is your chance to have a day totally devoted to the two of you. Choose the food, music, entertainment that makes you smile.
  • Just enjoy, relax and organize the wedding you want, don’t think about the opinions of the others.
  • We had so much fun making/decorating things ourselves and that made it feel so much more personal.
  • I asked my husband for his thoughts on this question. A man of few words, he came back to me quite clear…“Do what you want”. At risk of reciting an old cliché, I actually think he has a very good point. Do what you want to do guys! And enjoy it all!

Photo by  Magills Film and Photography – Full wedding HERE

Getting organised

  • Life’s too short – go for it, but be sensible – what do you guests really want? They don’t want expensive and pointless wedding favours, and they probably won’t look too hard at ornate large floral arrangements, but they will want free booze and delicious food. Prioritise.
  • Look for decorations and other wedding bits and bobs on ebay and Facebook. In addition to Facebook Marketplace, almost every county has a “wedding items for sale” group where you can pick up some bargains.
  • When planning and spending, focus on the important parts of the day that you and your guests will remember.
  • Delegate delegate delegate – identify the people that will just get stuff done early on and reduce your own job lists.

photo by Karina Leonenko photography. – full wedding HERE

On the day

  • Give yourself time to actually enjoy the day. As much of a cliché as it is, it really does go by at 100 miles per hour! Have friends and family to work together with the running of the day, so the responsibilities aren’t all on the bride and groom. Don’t be afraid to deligate responsibility!
  • Try not to stress on the day, you’ll care very little whether the flowers match the bunting etc on the big day. Just have fun, it sounds a cliché but it whizzes past so quickly, take some time to enjoy the day just the two of you!
  • Stay with your bride or groom as much as you can. Lots of couples say they barely saw their partner on their wedding day, so we stuck together like glue! This meant I got to see lots of my lovely new husband all day and I would really recommend trying to do this.
  • Don’t spend time on the day worrying about perfect photos or staged group shots. Enjoy every moment, and trust the photographer to capture those moments that can’t be staged.
  • Find a quiet moment in all the chaos and fun, even if it is just for a few seconds, to tell each other how much you love each other. That is something you will treasure forever.
  • look at every single detail on that day because it only happens once and it ends so so fast!!
  • Take time to sit back and take it all in. Watch how happy people are for you, hear their laughter and happy tears, smell the wonderful food, flowers, perfumes and air of happiness. Allow yourself to feel all the emotions as it is so important and lastly spend time with those dear to you as it is a moment to look back on and cherish forever.
  • Ask people to help with the clear up!

photo by Sally Rawlins – full wedding HERE

 

 

I hope you found these pieces of advice helpful. If you are already married is there anything you would like to add ? Was there anything in these words of wisdom that has resonated with you?

Is there something you would particularly like to ask me  for advice? any questions just email me [email protected]

 

BIG BOHO LOVE

KELLY XX

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Comments

    Daniel Allen

    What a heartwarming read! As a soon-to-be bride myself, it’s so comforting to hear real stories and advice from those who have already walked down the aisle. Each bride’s unique experience offers valuable insights and reminders to cherish every moment of our special day. From managing nerves to embracing imperfections, these stories inspire me to focus on what truly matters: the love shared between partners. Thank you for sharing these authentic perspectives—it’s like having a supportive community guiding us through this beautiful journey of marriage.

    Reply

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