Brides Tell All: The Do’s and Don’ts from Past #EbbyLBrides
This week on the blog… The Brides Tell All! (in my best Chris Harrison from the Bachelor voice)
While brides-to-be are bombarded with Pinterest ideas and Must-Do’s from TheKnot.com, I realized there isn’t a lot of information out there from previous brides… hints my reasoning for this blog post. Since I’m not married/haven’t had a wedding myself yet, I wanted to share insight from past #EbbyLBrides. After asking a handful of them for their Do’s and Don’ts, I’ve put together four categories that encompassed many of the brides advice.
1 – Find Time for Just the Two of You
“Find 30 minutes for just you and your fiancé the day before the wedding. Given our “destination” wedding, we were constantly welcoming people to town. Before the rehearsal, we spent half an hour wandering campus and just enjoying down time. People always stress downtime during the big day, but this time the day before was very memorable. “ -Kaitlin Baker
“After taking photos with family post ceremony, have a place in mind to sneak off with your husband for a few minutes of alone time during cocktail hour. Ask your photographer (**Ebby L hopefully!) to budge in for a few minutes to capture the intimate moments. It will be your only moments of quiet, down time to really take the day in. If you want to extend the time together away, ask your reception venue to deliver some hors devours and champagne to where you are.” – Lindsey Guth
“Another must do is to make time to just take a step back and enjoy your time engaged. The time leading up to your wedding is so special and there’s so much love, it’s important to be in the moment and enjoy.” – Julie Eppley
“Focus on YOU and your HUSBAND! I can’t count the number of times I heard people give me this advice before my big day: “just try to take it all in, it will go by so fast.” I didn’t realize just how true that is! Soak in every last minute… between the hectic schedules and the constant commotion, just try to find ways to relax and let the day unravel as it’s meant to. All of the hard work and every last detail you’ve planned are done at this point. If you start to get stressed, think ahead to what it will be like seeing your husband at the end of the aisle. It makes it all worth it!” – Laine Guth
2 – Designate a ‘Person’
“Have a wedding planner or family friend who is good at overseeing and getting things done for the day of the wedding! My mom and I planned the whole wedding ourselves and did all the decorations and set up, but once your day arrives the last thing you want to do is worry about last minute details. I used a family friend who is great at planning and bossing people around to get things done (the way the bride wants it)! This had to be one of my best decisions for the wedding day. When I woke up I had no worries about what was going on at the venue or last minute details that weren’t quite done the day before.” – Madison Heiser
“Enlist family to help set up at the venue and have a checklist of things to do. Our family was amazing and did a great job of putting things together along with the venue rep.” -Kaitlin Baker
“Hire a wedding planner, even if for just day-of. It seriously made me so much less stressed!” – Kimberly Henson
“Assign someone to take your bridal gown/wedding gifts home the morning after the wedding. The morning after our wedding was very busy, as we were saying our goodbyes to family and friends and getting ready for our next adventure…the honeymoon! I am VERY glad that I talked with my mom beforehand and scheduled a time that morning for her to take my gown and heels. She took them home so that my husband and I were able to drive straight to the airport without taking any extra trips home to drop things off.” -Laine Guth
3 – Do a First Look!
“I know it isn’t for every bride but it was a great idea for me to get pictures done before. It was awesome to have seeing each other for the first time on our wedding day to be a private moment with just the two of us. Another perk of having pictures done before is that your guests don’t have to wait near as long to eat!” – Madison Heiser
“I loved getting a first look because it gave Kyle and I that personal time. We were able to just take a step back from the chaos of the day, take a deep breath and focus on each other. Because lets be real, that’s the reason we were there, celebrating us. I enjoyed being able to take some pictures before the wedding to spread out time and organization. That way after the ceremony, we could celebrate and not have a whole list of things to do!” – Kylie Christensen
“I wasn’t planning to do first look at all. Adam is emotional and tears up easily and I wanted that reaction to happen when I walked down the aisle. But I still couldn’t let go of the idea of the first look so I decided to surprise him. I had Ebby take him outside for ‘groom photos’I snuck up and tapped him on the booty to surprise him. He was DEFINITELY shocked but it was the most exciting and real moment. It really set the mood for the rest of our evening together and made the day feel much more natural. And he still teared up later on during our ceremony ☺ I think sometimes the idea of First Look is intimidating because you really hope it is this magical & perfect moment, but nerves can get the best of you. Making it a surprise can eliminate that intimidation.” – Lindsey Guth
4- Have Fun!
“Traditionally, Rehearsal dinners are typically very formal. Spice things up afterwards! Grab some drinks (in moderation) with the bridal party at your favorite local bar downtown afterwards. It creates that extra bit of excitement for everyone and loosens up some nerves. Chances are this is the first time you have ALL been together in awhile; it’s a great opportunity to catch up without the time crunch that the wedding day brings.” – Lindsey Guth
“Don’t stress about saying hi to everybody especially if you’re inviting a ton of people. Enjoy yourself and time with you’re groom, they’ll understand!” – Kimberly Henson
“Bring a comfy pair of shoes for the reception if you’re not used to wearing heels! I wore heels for the majority of the day. They weren’t too tall, but by the time we got off the party bus and into the reception, my feet were ready for a rest. I’m not one of those amazing women that can rock heels for a long time…(I commend you ladies who can!!!). So I had my maid of honor put a pair of flats underneath the chair I was going to be sitting in at the reception. After we walked in, I was able to slip them on and not worry about sore feet for the rest of the night and could join my guests on the dance floor!” – Laine Guth
5 – Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
“Steer away from feeling like you have to be traditional with everything you do. Do what feels natural. When we did first look, we pretty much stayed together the entire rest of the time until I walked down the aisle. It felt right. We couldn’t take our eyes off of each other and we didn’t see why we needed to.” – Lindsey Guth
“One huge don’t is do not let yourself stress about the small stuff! I started my wedding day knowing that not everything was going to go perfect. I know that sounds kind of bad, but it is true, things will happen (the ice cream will be too frozen for them to scoop, and the lantern you want to send off will go crashing into the ground with everyone watching) but it is OK because at the end of the day you are married to the love of you life and nothing else matters. “ – Madison Heiser
“Don’t get caught up in trying to please others on the day of your wedding …I was guilty of this, and if you’re anything like me, you’re a “people-pleaser” and want to make sure everyone is happy and having fun. But as a bridesmaid reminded me as I would start to check in to see how everyone else was doing…This is YOUR special day! The people surrounding you on this day are the people who love you and want you to be as happy as possible. Utilize their help when they offer! And if anyone surrounding you offers you anything less than positivity, find somebody who WILL lift you up and remind you that it will all be okay!” – Laine Guth
And there you have it! Do you have other Do’s and Dont’s from your wedding day? Comment below!
Do you want to be an #ebbylbride? If so, follow the contact button here!
To read others like this Brides Tell All post, check out:
Sappy Love Stories: How He Asked, How They Met, Etc.
Basic Invite: The Perfect Wedding Stationary
