I know the title of this blog post sounds a little silly. I mean, it’s your wedding OF COURSE it’s about you…right? Sure, Mom is going to invite her 3rd cousin once removed but it’s still all about your everlasting love. And his best man keeps talking about how at HIS wedding they had a cigar station and an open bar and that he EXPECTS to see the same as yours…but it’s totally there celebrating the two of you becoming one. Oh and great grandma Louise is expecting to have several portraits done of all of her great grandbabies…but it’s still all about your love story…right?
I may be going a bit overboard here, but I’m hopefully striking a chord. I’ve shot over 120 weddings now and I’ve seen a lot of wonderful couples have weddings that really don’t have much to do with them other than being the guests of honor. Please take all of these tips with a grain of salt. Every couple is different and they’re each going to have a very different view of their wedding day. Some couples want a huge over-the-top wedding while to others the thought of a large event makes them want to run away and elope! Take what applies to you and then let your wedding fly!
#1 – What are your priorities? – When Daniel & I were planning our wedding we had 3 months to make it happen, which is completely overwhelming! We got a great tip from my good friend Katie Lemos Brown of Lovewell Celebration Design. Plan your priorities first. We each took some time and thought about the most important things to us on our wedding day and then came back together and combined our lists. We actually held most of the same things as important: #1 was the guest experience, we wanted our guests to feel special and pampered in an incredible atmosphere. #2 was the photography, not surprisingly, but what was surprising is how my taste of photographer changed based on our #1 priority and picking Megan was the perfect decision! #3 was the honeymoon…and though it was only a mini excursion to Asheville, it was perfect for US in every detail.
#2 – What is your purpose? – One of the other things we talked about going into our wedding planning was creating a purpose and not doing things just because they were “tradition.” In place of having a large traditional wedding where Daniel & I didn’t see each other till I walked down the isle, we opted to have an incredibly small (30 people) wedding where Daniel & I got everything done ahead of the ceremony so we could just celebrate with our guests. There were some other weird things too, but I’ll elaborate on that down the road. By cutting out the “fluff” Daniel & I loved our wedding experience and still have family & friends talking about how different it was and how they loved it too!
#3 – What details can you incorporate? – One of the easiest ways to infuse your personality into your wedding day is simply by adding personal details. I knew a couple who had met in Colorado working as rafting instructors and they used a canoe as their drink holder. I’ve also known couples who love their dogs to walk them down the isle or have “doggie” themed wedding favors. Daniel & I are giant geeks so with Star Wars about to be released, we entered our reception with masks & light sabers! Instant wedding win!
Whether you choose to completely change your wedding day to reflect your personalities OR you just add in a detail or two I hope this post has been helpful in your planning process. No matter what remember that it’s about the union of two unique personalities that deserve to be celebrated. Enjoy that celebration!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
Great advice! It’s definitely hard to weed out all the voices and focus on what you want as a couple, but there’s no better way to start your life together than with a celebration that truly reflects who you are together!
This is wonderful advice! It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to plan something to be perfect, but remembering that the purpose of this wedding is to get married can help a lot. 🙂