Each year, I ask some of my prior year couples to share advice while planning for and favorite memories from their wedding day!!
Tina & Robert shared:
- “day-of coordinator was essential; having one decreased the amount of stress significantly
- smaller guest list meant that we actually were able to spend time with every guest
- drone pictures are cool but they are unexpectedly noisy so I would not use them
- invest in a great photographer (Scott Cech was everything we wanted and more)
- plan for an unexpected guest or two
- doing pictures of the two of us before the ceremony meant we could spend more time with our guests”
And their favorite memories:
- “Walking down the aisle and seeing my groom waiting for me probably my favorite moment.
- The pictures in the pine forest were also great.”
Kathleen & Jeffrey’s advice:
- “Share the effort of wedding planning. We split the responsibilities 50/50 and it kept either of us from stressing out too much, and it was also a sign of how committed we both were to the wedding itself.
- Talk. That seems obvious, but making sure we wanted the same thing out of and had the same expectations about a wedding was key to making sure it was a day we’d both love. Also true of married life in general!
- Allow yourself to feel the stress. Be patient with yourself and your significant other as you’re going through things. It’s a stressful time, and that’s okay.
- Get a coordinator, at least. Having a day-of coordinator took SO MUCH stress off of us. I wouldn’t have been able to guess just how much at the beginning.”
Favorite memories include . . .
- “The First Look.
- Hiding under trees from the rain to get photos.
- When the officiant popped up out of the crowd.
- Closing our eyes during the ceremony and just feeling the magic of the whole moment.
- Changing my dress onstage and then breaking out into a Viennese Waltz for our first dance and flooring people.
- That there was no drama (or if there was, we didn’t know about it, which is also great!).”
From Steve & Matthew . . .
- Steve: “Decide early on in your wedding planning process what your priorities are for the wedding. In our case, we wanted to make sure the food served was unique, delicious, and helped give our attendees an idea of what kind of couple we wanted to be (we did a BBQ dinner to help create a fun, casual atmosphere for our reception).”
- Matthew: “To kind of piggyback off Steve’s response, the best bit of advice I can give is that if there’s something you don’t want to do or care about, then don’t feel pressured to do it. This is your special moment so make it an event you would want to be at rather than trying to fit yourself into someone else’s wedding.”
Their favorite memories . . .
- Steve’s Response: “Walking down the aisle with Matthew and realizing that it’s finally here. We’re together. We had our wedding just shortly after COVID restrictions were first beginning to lift in Maryland so it was wonderful to have our special day be kind of the first celebration many of our attendees had been to in some time.”
- Matthew’s Response: “That it’s finally done? Haha, but for a more serious response sitting at the reception and seeing everyone have a wonderful time celebrating with us. It felt good to hear from so many of our guests that our wedding was one of the best they’ve been to (especially when they complimented the food). I also greatly enjoyed doing the mother’s dance with my stepmom as I knew how much it meant to her.”
Be in touch to learn how I can help you have amazing moments on and memories from your wedding day! Give me a call or shoot me a text at 410-978-2048.
Lexi
Images from Tina & Robert’s wedding by Scott Cech Studio at Comus Farm Events.
Images from Kathleen & Jeffrey’s wedding by Wendy Hickok Photography at Cloisters Castle.
Images from Steve & Matthew’s wedding by friend, Zachary Hayes, at The Lodge at Little Seneca Creek.
