The second night after our wedding, we were cuddling in bed and read each other our vows in our own time. I feel that this was more meaningful. We loved the way it happened. I feel it was more meaningful to give these to each other, and only each other.
My oldest son walked me down the aisle. He is nearly 9. He literally agreed to me marrying my husband and it was so heartwarming. My oldest girl is 11 and she was a jr. bridesmaid. Our venue came with all of the vendors, so it was easily put together.
Our event event was about 3 hours in total. We had our closest and dearest with us. To us, it was perfect. We didn't have any alcohol. By the time we to our staycation/honeymoon suite, we were so tired. We enjoyed the night with a relaxing bath and went to bed. Not having sex on your wedding night is 100% okay. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Being nervous to actually do it, is okay too! I had so many jitters that night. Everything went back to normal by the next day.
The things that I wish had gone differently were how fast everything happened. It was non-stop going from start to finish. I hardly got to eat any of the dinner, and the only bit of cake I got that night was when my husband and I gave each other a bite. (We did enjoy the cake after a couple of days back at home. It was still super moist!) Otherwise, nothing really was had for me or my husband. We didn't do most of the dances we had planned, but the 2 most important ones did occur: mother and groom dance and the dance between our oldest daughter and my husband. The songs he chose were perfect. Our oldest cried at the song choice because it was so sweet. "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. She is a Daddy's Girl through and through.
The other thing that I regret is my dress. I wish I had gotten a less expensive dress. I paid $750 for my dress, and I wish I had gotten a different one. My husband and everyone liked my dress. But it was so long and it was hard to manage. I wish I had gotten one that pinned to the upper part of my dress. During our first dance, I had to move it twice and stop dancing with my husband. It was a real pain. I actually heard it rip at one point in the night because of how long it was, even with alterations! I feel I should have spent closer to $200-400 for my dress, but it is what it is. Everyone is different and they may not regret theirs. I also wish I had not gotten a strapless dress.
I also wish we had had a moment to ourselves, but the only time we had a moment was during photos. The entire night was non-stop going. One thing after another. I wish I had gotten another hour or so for the entire event, so we could have enjoyed our time with the loved ones. I am glad, however, that our wedding was done by 8:30PM. I was finally able to get back to the hotel, gather my things, and sit with my husband AT LAST around 10PM.
Other than these things, our night was perfect for us. We enjoyed our time in our staycation suite with a few drinks and relaxing for the entire weekend. We didn't leave town, and we just hung out. We got to sleep in a bit and focus on us. This is what we wanted for our honeymoon.
My advice in all of this...
Don't stress the minor things. Things will not all go perfectly as planned. Your guests will not notice the minor things that go array.
Take a few minutes when you can to see your new spouse. Take a moment to love each other, alone. You will treasure it.
Do what makes YOU and YOUR SPOUSE happy. We paid for our entire wedding and everyone enjoyed themselves. We had comments from the guests how great everything was and how well it was planned.
Breathe.
Drink water. I forgot this part and had lightheadedness a lot! I also got a headache.
Eat. This played a part in my headache and lightheadedness.
Enjoy yourself. We played the shoe game, which gave us a minute to sit down.
Write your vows down. Don't save them on your phone. You might forget them.
Wear comfortable shoes. Beauty does not have to hurt!
Smile! It fits your face better.
