Wedding 101

Tonight after my poor sick (possibly near death) husband went to bed, and the wild maniac finally gave it up for the night, I was on the couch flipping back and forth between Las Vegas and some awful new reality show on TLC with the 52 2008 Miss America pageant contestants and there was a “special sneak peak” at the new movie “27 Dresses”. Wow, that was a run on sentence. Anyway, it got me thinking about how many weddings I’ve been in. In the past 18 years or so, I’ve been a bridesmaid or maid of honor for the following friends/family…

Theresa (my brother’s)
Heather (my cousin)
Heather (friend)
Lori (friend)
Laura (friend)
Angela (friend)
Julie (friend)
Mika (friend)
Amber (friend)
Ashley (friend)
Brandy (Otey’s brother’s)
And one more… my mind is drawing a blank…. I know it’s 12 total…. was I in your wedding? Some one help me get past this blonde moment… Mom? Do you remember what dress I’m leaving out?

I’ve also had special assignment (book keeper, verse reader) at four more. AND, lets not forget… the bride at one!

Pretty much what I’m saying is I think I am a self proclaimed official authority on weddings. My mind is racing now… just thinking about how many other weddings I’ve been a non-participant at. I think if the photography thing and the rodeo secretary gigs fall through, I might be a wedding planner. I guess I could just add that to the list… anyone looking to hire?

Here is my top five pieces of wedding advice…

1. Make sure he’s the one. You spend a year planning for just a couple of hours of your life that will come and go in a flash, but you need to be planning for what comes after the wedding day.
2. Enjoy it. It doesn’t matter if the candles won’t light, if the kids won’t go down the aisle, just roll with it. Choose to not let any of the little junk ruin your perfect day. All that matters is that you only get one wedding day and you can consciously decide how you will remember it. I made sure that the only memories I would have would be happy ones.
3. Hire a GREAT photographer. After the wedding, that’s all you have left. I so wish I could go back and know then what I know now. I would have spent half our budget on the photographer (our professional photos suck).
4. While we are on the photo thing… this is a BIG ONE. I would either see each other before the ceremony, or plan a day after photo shoot. On the day of the wedding you set aside hours for pictures with the wedding party… your grandma… but you rush through the ones that really matter. You just got married, everyone is waiting on you at the reception hall, so you usually don’t take the time to get great pictures together. That is also on my regrets list from our wedding. And from a technical point of view, if you are getting married after 4pm or so, the natural light is going to suck by the time the ceremony is over. Who wants romantic bride groom photos with a giant blinding flash?
5. Delegate. I must say I was very good at this one for my own wedding. Pick out the details that are special to you, and let someone else decide all the little petty stuff that can suck the fun right out of your wedding day (and the months prior). Example… I picked my favorite foods (roast, green bean casserole, cheese potatoes) for the menu for our reception, Otey wanted soft serve ice cream machines, and I wanted all different flavored gourmet cakes (from my Mom’s business) to be the center pieces for all the guest tables so everyone didn’t have to eat boring old wedding cake. Other then that, my Mom and my Maid-of-honor Julie decided everything else. Seriously… who really gives a care if the gift table or punch bowl is on the left or right? Less decisions = less stress = more fun.

I don’t have photos of any of my 12 dresses on my computer, so how about a fun shot of the most asked about couple in the history of my blog. The original “glider” couple getting married in just a few months. Emily+Dusty.