Much as getting engaged is undoubtedly one of the happiest times of your life, planning your wedding can most definitely be one of the most stressful! But who better to offer advice to couples starting on their wedding planning journey, than couples who have just come to the end of theirs! So today I have rounded up 22 of the best words of wedding wisdom from couples whose weddings have been featured right here on Chic Vintage Brides….

1. Roll with it!

“Stop worrying about making everyone happy. Remember that is your day!! Don’t let the little things discourage you, even if your friends bringing a plus one you didn’t plan on! You just have to roll with it, because before you know it the day is here!”

Photography – Meghan Elizabeth Photography || See Tricia & Aaron’s Mid-Century Inspired Wedding here

2. Make rainy day plans you love.

“It rained a lot throughout our wedding and although it was disappointing not to have our outdoor wedding amongst the trees, like we had originally planned, we were really happy we had a good alternate indoor venue plan. “

Photography – Rebekah Senter Photography || See Jenn & Teague’s Earthy Yet Elegant Rustic Wedding here

3. Less is more!

“Even looking back at my own wedding there are a lot of things I would have skipped on if I could go back!”

Photography – Kerlyn Van Gelder || See Bri & Tim’s Boho Vintage Garden Wedding here

4. Take a moment as newlyweds.

“Build time into your day of agenda for the two of you — a few minutes before the reception or during the reception to enjoy the moment!”

Photography – Erin Stubblefield || See Sarah & Nick’s Romantic Fall Wedding here

5. Be organised!

“Make spreadsheets! I would have lost my mind if we didn’t have spreadsheets with addresses, phone numbers, who gifted what, etc. Have your photographer make the schedule. We followed Kristen’s schedule almost to a T. It gave us time for all the photos we wanted and made the whole day run smoothly.”

Photography – Kristen Marie Parker || See Alex & Ian’s Vintage Green Wedding here

6. Don’t forget your guests.

“For us it became a priority to focus on the guest experience, while also holding true to what we really want because it’s our day. Food is super important to us so we went with an amazing caterer that was still reasonably priced and customized to include a tater tot bar – because who doesn’t love tater tots? We also recommend going the route of a day of coordinator! Because we had Alyssa we were able to enjoy and be a part of the day rather than handle any details.”

Photography – Lieb Photographic || See Jackie & Todd’s Gatsby Inspired Wedding here

7. Try premarital counselling!

“We highly recommend premarital counselling as you prepare for the big day. There are a lot of big conversations that need to take place and high stress levels as wedding planning takes place. It is easy to get swept up in the event and the food and the flowers and forget about the other person (your future spouse) and the important, life changing decision your are making together.”

Photography – Glorious Moments Photography || See Morgan & Dillon’s Super Sweet Wedding here

8. Follow your heart.

“Don’t feel the need to do or not do something “because that’s what happens at weddings”. If you love a trend, run with it. It’s not about making anyone else happy other than yourselves, after all it’s probably the only time there will be a lot of time, money and effort spent on the celebration of your love, so make sure the majority of the decisions are about you.”

Photography – Bless Photography || See Patrick & Amy’s Colorful City Garden Wedding here

9. Don’t rush!

“Sure, you want to be married! I get it, but our 25 month of engagement was actually a wonderful season of life in and if itself! We got to hand pick every detail we wanted to and with no time crunch. I can honestly say I wouldn’t change a single thing about the day, because I had plenty of time to love every decision we made!”

Photography – Jyn Allen Photography || See Rachel & Jordan’s Rustic Vintage Fall Wedding here

10. Stick to your budget.

“Stick to your budget, guest list, and theme. Skip the stuff people don’t remember or care about ie: personalized napkins, excessive flowers, 4 different choices of meals to choose from, matching bridesmaid dresses and shoes.

During the actual ceremony stop and turn and look at the audience.  Take in the love and friendship of all the people there to celebrate your union.  It is such an amazing feeling.

Do a first look! I am so glad we did because we didn’t take time away from our reception by taking hours of pictures. So after a few family pictures, we got to enjoy the cocktail hour and then lined up to be announced into the reception with the rest of the wedding party. “ 

Photography – Erica J Photography || See Mandi & Ed’s Boho-Vintage Garden Wedding here

11. Prioritize!

“Best thing we did was create a list of all the items/vendors for a wedding, then we prioritized them from most to least important (for us as a couple). What are we willing to splurge on? What is something we have no care in the world on? This REALLY helped put things into perspective.   Another thing Alex constantly reminded me was to focus on what WE wanted, not anyone else. This is our special day that should reflect us and have the people there that mean something to us. Of course, this wasn’t always easy but it helped at many times throughout to focus on important things and put the drama or the guilt aside.”

Photography – The Ganeys || See Alex & Amanda’s Romantic North Carolina Wedding here

12. Quality over quantity.

When it comes to the guest list – quality over quantity. I remember the hours we spent pouring over the quest list.  Thinking through who we should invite, who we needed to invite and who we probably shouldn’t haha. Both of our parents has their input as well.  In the end, when the day finally came, all that mattered is that we were surrounded by our closest family, friends and loved ones.”

Photography – Koby Brown || See Katheryn & Andy’s Rustic-Chic Wedding here

13. Stay away from Pinterest!

“I was a bride on a mission to keep to our vintage theme – everything had to be unique in my attempt to have a Pinterest perfect wedding.  I want brides and grooms to know it is OK (almost advisable) to stay off Pinterest, or at least limit your time on there.  I put far too much pressure on myself to scour Pinterest and replicate my beloved pins. I drove people around me crazy and did not relax on many of the details until the final days leading up to my wedding. 

Photography – Laura Lee Photography || See Kaitlin & Chris’s Marsala & Dusty Rose Fall Wedding here

14. Embrace DIY.

“Do some of the creating by hand!  I love that I had so many hand made or things that were 100% unique to our wedding.  Sure, it was a lot more work, but I wouldn’t have traded the many, many (many) hours it took to do things by myself.  I now have an heirloom veil that I toiled over, embroidered numbers that I have hanging off of my wall with my collection of framed needlepoint, and tea cups that say ‘bride’, and every time I see those things I worked so hard on it brings me back to our wedding and that always brings a smile to my face.”

Photography – Sambajoy || See Samantha & Steven’s Bee & Honey Themed Wedding here

15. Let go of expectations.

“Plan as much as you can and want to, then do your best to let go of your expectations before the big day.  At least one thing will inevitably go wrong and the more you can let go, the more you will enjoy the day.  Of course, it’s easier said than done, but just try to be gracious with everyone and most importantly, yourself.”

Photography – John and Colette || See Elizabeth & Louis’s Candlelit Carondolet House Wedding here

16. Don’t go overboard.

“Identify what is most important and what is least important to you as far as decor and details go. Don’t go overboard on everything… just a few things that are most important and that will make the biggest impact.”

Photography – Elizabeth Wells || See Amanda & Ryan’s Ghost Ranch Wedding here

17. Choose your photographer wisely.

“Choosing a great photographer is so important because after the wedding day all you have are the memories and photographs/videos. And trust your vendors!! Let them be creative because afterall, that’s what they are best at!“

Photography – Dana Fernandez Photography || See Betsy & Joel’s Showstopping Floral-Filled Wedding here

18. Start early.

“I suggest that you check off as many items on your to-do list as soon as possible. Even if that means overloading yourself with a bunch of work because it will pay of in the end. You want to enter the week before your wedding as calm and relaxed as possible so you can focus on the most important thing…getting married!”

Photography – All Bliss Photography || See Samantha & Kent’s Glamorous Gatsby Inspired Wedding here

19. Hire a wedding planner.

“If you can stretch to having a wedding planner, we can’t recommend the decision enough. It helped make the process so much less stressful as you always have someone providing useful recommendations and more importantly you have someone there on the day to help ensure you get to fully enjoy your special day.”

Photography – M and J Photography || See Lucy & Andrew’s 1930s Inspired London Wedding here

20. Give yourself time.

“Give yourself time for planning mishaps! Give yourself a planning cut-off date- mine was the Wednesday before the (Saturday) wedding. I needed a few days to celebrate and NOT worry about the details. Make a word document with all those little details, DELEGATE, and then drink wine and relax : ) ”

Photographer – Erin Morrison Photography || See Meagan & Adam’s Industrial-Vintage Wedding here

21. Forget What Everyone Else Wants

“For the sake of your sanity, worry about yourselves. And I mean that in the best way possible. Before Adam and I decided to elope, we had gotten so caught up in what everyone else wanted us to do for the traditional wedding we were planning. It started to cause tension and arguments not only between us and family members, but us as a couple as well. Let me be the first to tell you, it’s not worth it. Your wedding day is YOUR wedding day. Be considerate and kind to others, but make sure you put yourselves first, it is YOUR special day. If you wanna run off and elope, go. If you prefer a DJ over a live band, get a DJ and give him every song you want played. If you want pie instead of cake, get a pie. No one will remember the little details that cause the tension. What they will remember is how much fun they had, how happy you are as a couple, and the beautiful pictures that you have to look back on your day.”

Photography – Avonné Photography || See Faith & Adam’s Magnolia Plantation Elopement here

22. Involve loved ones!

“Try to plan as much as you can in advance. If you are planning on your own, like we did, then make sure to ask friends and family for help. They love to be included on your special day… And remember no one but you will see all the little details. Don’t stress to much about making everything perfect.”

Photography – C + E Collective || See Kristi & Michael’s Glamorous Winter Wedding here

So much great advice! A big thankyou to each and every couple who shared their beautiful weddings and their words of wisdom. And if you’re in the midst, or at the start or even the end, of your wedding planning journey, keep them in mind as you approach your big day – because these people know what they are talking about!

Amy

x