A Little Perspective on your Big Day

Grab a pen. I'm going to tell you the four most important aspects of your wedding: The Gown, The Vows, The Venue, The Groom. These are the pieces of your wedding that you really should put a lot of thought and effort into. Bungle any of these four and you could live to regret it. (Some might argue that the choosing the right Groom is more important than The Gown, but come on. Have those people ever tried to chicken dance in a too-tight bodice?)

Now, once you have all of the Big 4 ironed out, you can relax and enjoy the planning process. Honestly. A mistake too many of us make is treating every tiny detail as earth-shattering. But you know what? If someone screws up and prints May 13, 1907 on your ceremony programs - it's not the end of the world. It's actually kind of funny. Here are a few more perspective checks:

  • Calendar Cruise Control. This one may fly in the face of reason, but as your wedding date approaches, allow fewer and fewer things get to you. The hard truth is that the closer you get to the date, the less likely that you have time to fix stuff. If you catch a misprint on the program two months before the wedding, bark about it long and hard to whomever can fix it. But if you catch a misprint the day before the ceremony? Laugh it off. Mainly because, well, you have no choice. The sooner you regain a normal human perspective about silly details, the sooner you will actually relax and enjoy your wedding.

  • Check, please! Don't think of misprints, broken heels and incorrect color choices as "horrible mistakes". Rather, think of them as "Saving Opportunities." When you catch a minor error, it's likely you'll be the only one who actually notices. But that doesn't mean the vendor who messed up should get off scott free. Heavens, no. If something arrives incorrect or late, you should firmly (but courteously) insist on a discount. Luckily, the only people more sensitive than a bride are wedding vendors. Their bread and butter is bride satisfaction and they will most likely give you a discount or even free stuff. So ask!

  • Up with People. Hyperdrive can't even describe how fast your wedding day will speed by you. One minute you will be getting your hair done in your bathrobe and the next thing you know, it's 2am and you're doing a tipsy can-can with your bridesmaids on the dance floor. There's one way to slow it down just a little. The minute you wake up on your wedding day, tell yourself that nothing matters that day. Literally. If you refuse to let any inanimate thing like flowers, cake or food stress you out, you will free yourself to focus on the people around you. Just soak up the fact that you are surrounded by everyone you love. They are there to share this incredible day with you so take your time, let yourself go. And save one of those goofed-up programs for your album.

    Happy Planning!

    Like this tip? Have a question or comment? We'd love to hear it!