Married ladies: What's one peice of wedding advice you can give the to-be brides?

Well let's see.. based on my very little experience.. don't forget yor bouquet! ;D

My advice:

1. The wedding is a party that lasts a day. The marriage is what should last forever. In the whirlwind of wedding planning sometimes planning for the marriage is overlooked.

2. Spend what you can afford!!! No one should be going into debt OR taking loans for a wedding! I've been to one too many weddings - each one with a different budget. Let me tell you: The weddings that had smaller budgets were a LOT more fun than the over the top/expensive ones. As long as the bride & groom are having a blast - your guests will have the time of their life!

3. When you're feeling frustrated/annoyed & burnt out: It's OKAY to take a break from the planning. Taking a few days off will do wonders. Not only will you get back to the planning more relaxed, but you'll come back with more/better ideas.

Happy Planning!! :o)

Lol, good one, Jen.

Make sure you schedule in at least 5 minutes where you and your new husband can sneak off and soak in the fact that you are married...it's a special moment you'll treasure forever.

If you can, hire a wedding planner or DOC, do it...it will save you so much stress.

EAT!!!!!

Enjoy this day as much as possible...don't sweat the small stuff...your day will fly by faster than you can imagine.

Hire a videographer if you can afford it...going back and watching our video teaser and hopefully our final video soon is always so much fun and puts a smile on my face every time I watch it!

Pick your bridal party wisely. Have girls there who are there for YOU and will support you during your planning and stand by your side with pride as you stand at the alter marrying the man of your dreams.

I would say:

hire a DOC. seriously you do not want to be stressed out (any more than you will be anyway)

have fun!! the wedding should reflect you and your FH. as long as you are treating your guests well - they will all have fun and enjoy the fact that your wedding is a reflection of the relationship that you/FH have.

don't scrimp on photography. seriously.

and finally marriage-related: i think i will get some pushback here - i honestly recommend spending some time living together, on your own, together before marriage. i understand that there are religious reasons for not doing so - in which case don't listen to me! but DH and i have lived together for several years - and we honestly have had NO trouble transitioning to married life (the hardest part is remembering the word 'husband'). you need to understand each other's habits (good and bad) and be sure you can live with them.

In regards to eating: my dress alterations lady reminded me that I should let out my dress a little teeny bit (corset back) before dinner so I have room to eat comfortably =). It's italian dinner and I was half complaining that there was no way food was going to fit in my stomach given the way I want my dress laced up =).

Eating is an excellent piece of advice!!! Everyone pays so much attention to the menu planning & cake details gotta make sure you get the chance to enjoy it all on the big day!

Something almost always goes wrong. Whether you decide to let that ruin your day is up to you. A wedding is a celebration that you should enjoy, and not a PhD exam in event planning.

Treat your guests the way you would want to be treated as a guest.

Oooh Sami B, GREAT advice! We have a Italian family style menue and I'm not one for portion control when it comes to Italian food.. haha..

1. Make sure you eat.

2. Don't drink on an empty stomach.

3. Make sure your plan b shoes are the same heel height as your plan a shoes. Otherwise, your gown drages.

4. If you hire a DOC, make sure you thoroughly vet him/her. References and pictures can be faked.

5. Have someone you truly trust be watch over your DOC.

6. Have someone who is good with a camera take pictures. When the day is finished, and it is gone in a flash, you will want to see everything. This way you can see pics, share and do a recap without having to wait for pro pics.

7. Enjoy your day! It goes by so quickly.

For just starting ppl... for me it was dont plan to make huge decisions (plan to make a plan??? smh...) too far in advance.. i had way to long to think about my dress appointment before it actually happened.. will i find one i love for a reasonable price? will i find too many? will it come in in time? will i make the right decision? .. i made myself sick the morning of my appointment.. i was actually puking!! so for me.. dont make the appointment until you absolutely have to and do it fast!

ps.. once i got there..i chose the first dress i tried on and cant wait to see it again!!

Do a first look

Eat!

Enjoy every moment, and breathe!!!

Wow this is great advice from people and will definitely take some of these on my wedding day... This is what the 3 most important ladies said to me (Grandma, mom, and Aunt)

1. Breathe don't get over whelmed and if you do just stop and walk away (During the planing) which I have done and it helps.

2. Smile (I can't imagine why you wouldn't after you married your best friend) no one wants pictures of there wedding and they were upset or not smiling.

3. Eat you don't want to get sick on your wedding day ( Luckily I have a pre meal before my wedding)

4. My Advice Get a wedding planner if at all possible. They help so much and you can be as much involved and still do DIY. on the wedding day itself you will be thankful you did.

Planning a wedding and on the day can get pretty chaos but remember why your doing this. It's not just for a celebration but also to start a beautiful marriage and getting stressed is not how anyone wants to start.

Ok, ladies....any advice for a bride that is not to fond of public speaking? When I have to speak in front of a large group of people at work I feel like I'm having a panic attack....uggg! Maybe I should have a drink before I walk down the aisle to releive some of the nerves. Anyone else have this problem???? advise welcome!!!

@Josie, don't drink before you walk down the aisle. Quite honestly, when I got the alter and was finally with my FH (now my DH) I didn't notice any one else in the room. I just remember it being me and him.

You're not making a public speech. You're making a vow to your husband. Two totally different things.

I totally agree with Kimi K. Don't drink before you walk down the aisle. You want to be able to remember every detailed. We were in a very small room and were surrounded by our 62 guests and honestly, the only people there were DH and me.

Now, drink many after the ceremony, but don't chug a six pack on an empty stomach during pictures.

Josie - just don't think about the other people there. when you're speaking you're just going to be looking straight at your husband. or you can have a convenient sound system failure so that you won't feel like everyone is listening when you speak

Another little piece of advice: Don't drink too much the night before OR before you walk down the aisle.

Hungover/drunk brides and the ladies don't look nearly as beautiful as the sober brides. Hungover/drunk = redness, loss of color, bloodshot eyes, you smell like a drunk when you sweat & worse of all you feel sick all day!

Now, after the ceremony is finished and you've had some food have as many beverages as you would like and enjoy the night! :o)

Thanks Ladies....I feel a little better now.

Well, I don't know about the no booze down the aisle rule. I did have 1 calming glass of champagne before I took my walk But, I had a crazy lead up to the day so it was needed.

My number one lesson learned: Choose your bridal party wisely. If there are issues prior to the wedding, they won't resolve themselves miraculously on your wedding day and you don't need anything or anyone there to tarnish your beautiful memories.