Whenever we chat with brides about their days we always ask them what tips they’d give to couples planning their own weddings. After all, these newlyweds are experts now! Why keep all the notes to ourselves? Here’s some of the most helpful wedding advice you’ll ever get, all from the ones who’s weddings we’ve admired throughout the past year. Make sure to pin and refer to when planning!
See Max + Katie’s Saddlerock Ranch wedding by Brandon Kidd.
And Jenny from this destination Cabo wedding says, Trust in the people you hired! They GET YOU and want to make this moment an absolute dream for you. It was hard for me to let go, but as every bride says on her big day, I couldn’t have imagined it more perfectly.
Stefanie of this fuchsia and gold wedding by Pinkerton Photo says, Last minute issues WILL come up and more flexible you can be, the better. Originally I had my bridesmaids select their own gold sequin gowns and we were set to go way ahead of time. However, right before the wedding, two of my bridesmaids had dresses ruined by circumstances beyond their control. Luckily Rent the Runway had a great variety of gold sequin dresses, because I think we had them all reserved that weekend… We had to hope we selected all the right sizes and that they would arrive. They all did and in great condition!
Connor, bride from our rustic southern wedding by Jessica Gold tells us, Don’t take it on by yourself. It’s so much more fun to go through the wedding planning process with your closest family and friends, so take advantage of the special time that it is and spend it bringing you closer to the people you love!
See Bree + Sam’s California garden wedding by Megan Welker.
And a note from Megan about her own rustic farmhouse wedding: The guest list process is always hard. Everyone wants to invite everyone but you have to do what feels right… People’s feelings are going to get hurt but ultimately, it’s your day, do what you want to do, with the people you want.
See May + Eric’s Bali destination wedding by Caught the Light.
Kelsey from this colorful Texas wedding also shared do’s + don’ts: DO get help from friends and family. Splurge on a photographer. Keep it simple. Food trucks, petty cabs, cupcakes. Nothing needs to be extravagant. Bring alcohol if you can. DON’T plan the honeymoon. Let the groom do that. Most grooms would much rather plan a super fun vacay than help pick out napkin colors, anyway!
Carsen says, If I were going to do it all again I would have tried to simplify some ideas and delegate a bit more. I wish I had a coordinator that would have been involved the week leading up to take some of the stress of communicating with my bridal party and family… We didn’t have any big mishaps thank goodness but it definitely would have helped me! See their DIY Los Angeles wedding by Mary Costa.
We had to get the scoop on the dresses from Valerie’s vineyard wedding by Jake + Necia Photography…
When we shared Leah + Jared’s Colorado wedding by Brooke Pavel we asked how they chose their honeymoon locale. Leah says, It was an excellent recommendation from one of my best friends, travel agent, Maren Silberstein, who suggested doing a safari in South Africa followed by a relaxing time at the beach in Mozambique. I highly recommend everyone do a safari at some point in their lives! Incredible experience + great photos to send home to family. Each of the resorts we stayed at, Ngala, Ulusaba, and Azura Beach, all did something incredibly romantic for us since we were on honeymoon.
From Anne + Andrew’s Parker Palm Springs wedding by Max Wanger.
And Hannah, on her autumn backyard wedding: Choose three areas to focus on. For us, that was decor, food/beverage, and music. This made it easy to decide what to spend and save on. There’s so many things to stress out about when planning a wedding and money certainly doesn’t have to be one of them.
See Alexandra + Enrique’s brunch wedding shot by The Reason.
One last piece of advice, via Amelia of this art deco wedding… If I were to do it again, I’d hire someone to help design, plan, and communicate with the vendors… Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want!
Thanks to everyone who shared their stories. Hope all you in planning mode found this helpful!
