From One Bride to Another

It's been a year since I got married to my husband.

Can you believe it? They say your first year is the hardest. Not when you're doing it with the right person. Trust me.

A friend reached out to me as her friend is getting married soon. I get asked these questions from folks who are taking the plunge. Feel free to learn from my mistakes, find out what you REALLY need versus fluff.

Get in Shape

I don't just mean, lose weight, but take care of your skin, hair, nails. I went on a diet a month before the wedding and lost 12 pounds. The thing is, I wasn't really taking care of myself prior. Make time so you don't have to crash diet your way there. Make a calendar if you must. Get other peeps involved. Just do it" - Nike

Also, I would have loved extra color on my day. Even a spray tan."

Get your makeup done by a pro or a trusted friend.

So, I researched wedding makeup and it was a FORTUNE. Guess what I did? I got my makeup done at the mall at Mac. No joke. And it cost me $50 worth of makeup I was likely to spend anyway (foundation, lip gloss, eyebrow pencil). Judgement free zone, ladies.

You can also ask a trusted friend if you feel comfortable. I had a friend who is a hair stylist so it seemed natural to ask her and did a run through on my bridal shower. We were rushed on the actual wedding day, the air was moist, I kept playing with it and towards the end of the night, it wasn't great.

My advice? Ask someone to be on the bride's glam squad. Make sure the bride's hair and make up is on fleek. I wish someone was on hair duty and could have freshened it up. I'm thankful I didn't put it into a ponytail like I normally do after drunk, sweaty dancing.

Write your own vows.

Even if you're not keen on writing. Steal from other talented writers, philosophers, 80's pop songs, whatever. There is nothing more boring than "to have and to hold, from this day forward". I wanted my day to feel personalized and like us.

Stop with the initials and monograms

Just, stop. We know your names. We can spell. Stop.

Don't get sick before your wedding

I was sick for six weeks before my wedding with a nasty virus. It took two rounds of antibiotics, rest, vitamins, essential oils, neti pot-- I was miserable.I had little to no energy to do anything.

Also the morning of, I was still taking 2-3 Emergen-C's per day and the morning of the wedding I was at my parents house asking my dad where he kept his stash. So I see a berry flavored one and it turned out to be one with melatonin. Whoops and also why on earth would people make these?!? I was falling asleep while getting my makeup done. Luckily my bridesmaids bought me an iced coffee. I definitely felt like the older sister on 16 candles that was a hot mess.

Let's talk about drinking....

Speaking of hot mess, I was one. I managed to forget to eat (which everyone tells you to eat) because our wedding started late by like 30 minutes. thus we had to rush through photos, cocktail hour, dinner, cake cutting, toasts. I got maybe two bites in then greeted guests while they ate dinner. That and I hadn't drank in almost two months. People kept offering us shots- DON'T TAKE THEM! I was being kind by sipping them and I think I took one out of being too anxious. Also lack of sleep. I got maybe five hours of sleep. No one ever sleeps well the night before their wedding but try to get more than me!

Watch yourself, drink water but also have fun.

Plan on Quality Time with your ladies

I loved having a sleepover the night before at my childhood home with three of my girlfriends. I went on a long walk with one of them the morning of to clear my head. I decided not to do a first look so I was with my maids most of the day and it was so much fun. It is entering into another adult milestone and it's great to talk about growth and surrounded by laughter and love.

Have fun and be married!

#wedding #mariage #budgetwedding #weddingplanning