ADVICE FROM REAL BRIDES

Carolee

DO:

The best thing was that we had planned everything thoroughly so that we could just enjoy the day. I had a friend who did the "coordinating" that day, with a clipboard of all of the info on it, times, phone numbers, etc. All he needed to do was make sure that it all got done!

We did our own flowers. We went to a wholesaler two days before the wedding and bought HUGE bunches of flowers, then arranged them in vases. Even though we're not professionals, they turned out great and we spent less than $100 on ALL of the flowers!

DON'T:

I would have assigned someone to oversee the videographer and let him know when his time was up. I booked the service of a videographer for 5 1/2 hours, he stayed all night without me or my husband's permission. Now the company sends me a bill for two hours overtime.

Sue

DO:

Order your invitations through a store that specializes in it. We ordered our invitations through our caterer. We spent three months waiting for the invites to arrive, only to discover the style had been discontinued. We were able to get another set, in a panic, and got them to us just 5 weeks before the wedding. We had a "power session" to get the invitations mailed out. We proof read our invitations for the spelling of our names and the ceremony details, but it never occurred to us to proof read the body of the invite. Low and behold on line three was a glaring typo. We didn't catch it in time and the invites were already mailed out. This put us in a really awkward situation with our caterer that would never have happened if we had purchased the invites through a card or party store.

Kelley

DO:

My husband John has a six-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. I really wanted to include her on our special day, so I gave our Pastor special vows for she and I to exchange. John then placed a gold heart pendant around her neck, and I said "With this heart, I promise to be a loving and caring step-mommy to you. I promise to always be there for you in times of need and I will love you with all my heart for all the days of my life". There wasn't a dry eye in the house, including mine and hers. Arianna is a wonderful addition to my life and I was glad I could show her how much she means to me.

DON'T:

I would not have done the Money Dance. I can't believe how awkward I felt. Originally, I said that I didn't want to do it, but all my friends kept telling me how great the extra money was on their Honeymoons. I could have done without the extra money and the embarrassment of the DJ asking people to come and dance with you. Oh yeah, and bring a $20 would ya? Yikes!!!