Wedding Do's {Things I Did Right}

Since I have gotten all of my wedding photos back, have returned from the honeymoon and have had close to four months to reflect on our big day (gosh how time flies!) I thought a list of some of the things I am happy we did wedding-wise would help guide other brides-to-be in their planning stages. This post doesn't include any recaps or summaries of the vendors we hired or services we paid for but instead are things that I believe most brides-to-be can benefit from even if they only consider the decisions I made. Also this list is strictly based off of my preferences and I do understand not every single chick out there will agree with me! Such is life my blogettes :)

{number one} The best mutual decision Andrew and I made was having a smaller guest list and thus an intimate and in my opinion, more meaningful celebration of our love. The guest list was no doubt one of the hardest things the two of us tried to create (especially since we did it over the phone together). But once we put our minds to it and figured out who was important in our lives and who we'd wanted to share our day with, we managed to come up with a concise list of people to invite. If I could get married all over again, I'd like to say I'd make the guest list even smaller but then I'd be leaving people out, people would have to come to the wedding dateless, and so forth. Bottom line; I am a sucker for a small wedding and intimate celebration. Plus, thanks to the small guest list and item number two on this list, I was able to enjoy and finish my dinner and make it around to every single guest for more than just a few minutes.

{number two} After weeks of trying to convince Apb that we needed to have a sweetheart table rather than a massively long head table, I'm glad I came out on top with that battle (sorry Bear). Our wedding venue was very unique in the sense that the bar, dance floor, and dining area were all separate from one another. What used to be the upstairs bedrooms in Paletta Mansion is now converted into an intimate and cozy dining area for a maximum of 10 round tables. Uhm? I couldn't even imagine putting a table in there to fit both of us and our entire bridal party. And our attendants dates? Where would they go? Having a table for the two of us ensured we would enjoy our meal, made time for the two of us to speak to one another with limited interruptions and actually was the only time during the entire day where I was really able to sit back and let it all soak it. This was definitely one of the best choices we made emotionally, aesthetically and logistics-wise. Here's our little table, with our adorable (and affordable!) mugs centerpiece before silver and glassware and lace covered votives were placed out.

{number three} I didn't have a Maid of Honour and Andrew didn't have a Best Man. To make a long story short, at first I was disappointed at the thought of not handing over such a title to one of my girlfriends. But the more I thought about it, especially now looking back on things, I felt terrible doing what felt like rating or ranking my girlfriends. I didn't want to choose who would be seen in guest's eyes as my 'closest, bestest, nicest, known-the-longest' girlfriend and instead had four people who matched this description stand up with me. I must say however, I have nothing against brides and grooms who select MOHs and Best Mans this just happened to be the way Andrew and I did things. We are so blessed to have been surrounded by so many kind, loving and special people that day.

{number four} Asking my Mom to help me get into my gown rather than have a group of people fussing and picking over the bustle, buttons and so forth on my dress, was one of my favourite decisions. My Mom didn't play a huge part in the planning process of our wedding so I knew asking her to help with this task would be a special moment between the two of us and would thus provide an opportunity for some memorable photos. I then asked one bridesmaid to help with my sash and another to assist with my veil. This photo is one of the many of my Mom helping me get my dress done up and I will be forever grateful for it because it makes me heart feel so happy. I love you Mom.

{number five} One thing that didn't seem like a wise choice at the time but my goodness are we ever thankful for now, is we didn't charge or use credit for any of our wedding purchases. Because of this we might have not made room for a fancy band, videographer, Chiavari chairs (my goodness I wanted them so bad), letterpress invitations, custom linens, expensive accessories (my earrings were $25.00), cocktail hour entertainment, out of season florals, a limo or even a fancy getaway experience. However, we went away on our honeymoon to the Bahamas with a sense of accomplishment rather than a sense of dread of coming home to a stack of bills we'd have to figure out how to pay off. That was one of the best feelings returning home as a newlywed; started a new chapter with a clean slate.

{number six} One of the things that was truly the most memorable and special during our wedding day was our ceremony. Rather than follow a traditional ceremony structure, Andrew and I built our ceremony from the ground up, carefully selecting components that best represented him, me and us as a couple. We wrote our own vows, only included elements that were deemed meaningful (rather than 'expected'), honoured Andrew's sister and one of my best friends by having them each do a reading (Andrew picked a scripture, I selected a poem) and we included both our Mothers and all 93 of our wedding guests by having a unique ring ritual where everyone blessed our bands as they were passed around the room. I will give a more in-depth recap of the ceremony in the future but in the meantime you can check out my vows here. I think there was a fair share of laughter and tears in the room that day since our 30-minute ceremony was a complete reflection of who Apb and I are as individuals and as a couple - a little quirky and very much in love. Here I am reading over my vows as I get my make up done.

What elements from your wedding, the planning process and the end result are you most proud of? Looking back is there anything you did that still makes you feel confident and happy in your decision? Stay tuned for a list of the things I would have done slightly different too, have a lovely night loves! xo