Weddings | Advice For The Weary Bride
Weddings are beautiful, intimate and down right stressful. I've planned my own wedding as well as had a heavy hand in planning my friends'. Picking your wedding photographer is pretty high up on that stress list, but it doesn't have to be. Picking someone who fits your style is so so important, but you also want to pick someone whose personality messes with yours as well. I'm the furthest thing from a hair and makeup artist, but in a time of need I've fixed bridesmaids hair, touched up makeup, bobby pinned the heck out of some fly aways. I've wiped tears, banned family members all while zipping up a dress and pouring a mimosa. Your day is YOUR day, and while weddings tend to make us all a little crazy it is important to remember these few things!
No one knows if it's wrong. I'll repeat myself for the ones in the back! No one knows if it's wrong. That means, if your cake is leaning, or you flowers are wrong, if you forgot your veil.. No one will notice that it wasn't how you had it all laid out in your mind. I tell my brides this with in the first 15 minutes of me showing up, and it's always seemed to calm them down.
You DON'T have to let that person in. Your Aunt's best friend's cousin's daughter can wait to see you walk down the aisle, just like the rest of the guests and that doesn't make you a bad person. We are in a day and age where mental health is starting to be widely accepted and the importance of it is not meant to be lost just because it's your wedding day. People think I'm crazy when I mention this but I actually got ready alone, partly because allll of my people were setting up but mostly because I lost my mom when I was younger, and I just needed a minute. It was me and my photographer/friend alone in that room. I ate some nugs, had a mimosa, laid in a robe and got ready when I was ready (and of course followed the timeline for photos etc!). You are allowed to protect yourself and that means you can have as many or as few individuals as you desire around you during that day.
You DON'T have to invite that person. I know, I know your mom's best friend from saturday night book club HAS BEEN DYING TO SEE YOU IN YOUR DRESS, and while it probably won't cause any harm to let her come... weddings are expensive, and you DON'T have to feel guilty about saying no to people who don't affect your everyday life or who haven't impacted your life in general.
You CAN elope. If it's too much, and your mental health is at stake, of if your soul is always wondering to new places an elopement or destination wedding is just as meaningful, even more intimate and honestly probably less expensive. But, you CAN have that fairytale princess wedding you've always dreamed of and you're allowed to pose everything as if it's going in a bridal magazine. Again, it's the day you want - don't let anyone ruin that of make you feel guilty.
EAT. EAT. EAT. Wedding dresses are tight, nerves are everywhere and you may have had a few mimosas. Not to mention you probably feel like you're going to Disney for the first time and you're lying awake in your bed wondering what the next day is going to bring. Except you aren't six and tomorrow you'll be a bride. Please don't forget to eat. Snack when you can, and if possible opt to eat before all of your formalities during the ceremony. This is the most important part.
Weddings are for everyone else, but are they really? Why should they be? We've all heard it before, and honestly if you're in the middle of wedding planning you've probably said it. Weddings are just a party for everyone else. Sometimes it's true - only if we let it.
This is YOUR party. I spent hours curating my song list. It included every country love song, and it included what I thought the majority of the guest would want to hear. My playlist went out the window after my first dance! My husband is Colombian and his family "hi-jacked" the playlist. At first I wanted my songs to be played to be played because I thought it would be safer, that people would know more of the songs and the mood would be lighter. What I failed to remember was it was OUR wedding and that included my husband. I had included his culture of course but I spent so much time trying to perfect what I thought everyone would want that I forgot what felt fun. I love spanish music and often spend saturdays dancing around to bachata cleaning, but I was worried how it would all mess together. I've never seen so many southern people (okay, rednecks haha!) dancing to Romeo Santos and honestly IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT. It was our party and I wish I could relive it over and over again.
Spend that extra time with your husband/wife. This day goes by FAST and you'll feel obligated to speak to every table and to make your rounds. You'll thank everyone for coming and they'll want pictures but, don't forget the purpose of this day. Sneak away while everyone is dancing and spend a few minutes alone with your new hubby/wifey. Dance alone, in the dark or under stringed lights. Make out behind the venue. Whatever it may be, just remind yourself to be present in that moment with your person. Take it all in, together.
From my first wedding to the most recent ones, I'm constantly learning and trying to improve. Check out Current Moments Photography on Instagram for more content :)