We did it! I cannot describe to you guys how fast the day went and I wanted to share a bit of what I learned from the whole thing.
#1 -So much of what you thought would matter, did not matter. The day went by so fast and it seems like you are jumping from one moment to the next and then it is gone. You aren't going to think about what happened to the salt and pepper shakers, or if the centrepieces look as good as they did last night.
#2 -Let yourself be emotional. You are over tired, over worked, and about to marry the love of your life in front of a bunch of people. I found everything just clicked into place after our first look. I can't tell you enough how much calmer I was for the ceremony and how much I enjoyed spending that time with him, seeing each other for the first time.
#3 -Family photos are brutal. You can tell people until you are blue in the face that family photos will be done after the ceremony and you won't be able to get every photo you want in any particular order. You may even have to forego some photos because its just too much. And that's ok. It really is. There will be plenty things about your day that you will wish happened just a bit different and that is normal. Your day was still beautiful and it was yours.
#4 -Ask your wedding party to keep a slight eye on the flower girls and ring bearer. We put kinder eggs at the end of the isle to keep them entertained but our nephew was so into our ceremony that he literally stood in front of my husband trying to see what was happening. Super adorable and he did a great job- but we were left with not a single photo of just the two of us under the arch. Literally not one. You can even see his head in our vow photos lol. The photographer is going to try her best to photoshop him out of a single photo, but it may not be able to happen. Just ask someone to keep an eye out and to direct them back to their spot if they can. You would think they might do this on their own, but probably won't think of it unless you mention it.
#5 -Eat and drink water. Enough said. You want to party all night so fuel your body to do so. Though, I have no idea where brides and grooms find the time to drink. I spent most of the night migrating from group to group socializing with our guests.
#6 -If you are like me, you will be so tired the day after the wedding and will have such a huge amount of cleanup that you won't feel the excitement until day two. Don't panic. You're just too worn out to feel too many emotions. It will come.
#7 -Big shout out to anyone who has done a wedding at home before. The work involved has been astronomical. I also had a hard time reminding family that this event is different. When I am standing, without pants on, trying to get into my dress, this is not the time to barrel in front of the photographer because you need to check your hair in the bathroom.
Our day was so far from perfect and so close to being perfect all at once. Stop for a minute during yours and just look. Take notice of everyone there and that they love you. Take notice of all the little things and take a breath. Its over so fast.
1st and 3rd photos are credited to our amazing Photographer with Sambino's Photography. If you live in Nova Scotia, please check her out. You will not be disappointed!
