1. It’s gonna fly by in a blink of an eye.

I probably don’t have to remind you about this. For the past year you have been planning your wedding day like a mad woman! So not only has your sweet aunt Suzi told you this a dozen plus times but also your cousin Jenny just texted you yesterday. “Honey, it’s gonna go by so fast!” But it’s so true!! Whenever you are looking forward to something so important, exciting and meaningful all of a sudden that day arrives and bam, it hits you. It’s like Christmas when you were a little kid. You couldn’t wait for it to get here. Days leading up to it you were giddy with excitement and so wired you could hardly sleep. Christmas Eve arrives and suddenly your anxiety level is so high you almost become elevated. Christmas morning shows up, presents are ripped open, you are filled with joy and happiness. Then suddenly it hits you. Christmas is over. It’s all done. But there’s always next year….but not your wedding day!

So this leads to the next things I wish brides knew on their wedding day.
2. Savor each moment. You have to. Soak it all in like you are basking in all that warm, hot sun while lying on a beach. From the moment you wake up on your wedding day sipping mimosas and eating croissants with your bride tribe. Savor that girl time. The laughter, giggles and joking around. The moment your mom sees you in your wedding dress and she begins to cry. Hug her and tell her you love her. She is so proud and full of love for you, her grown up little girl about to be married. Just before you take your first step down the aisle towards your husband to be, take a quick second to look around you, at all of your friends and family that showed up to watch you get married. Be grateful to them. They have your back and are here on your day out of complete love. While you stand on that alter facing your future husband, look into his eyes, smile and take a snapshot with your mind of how he is looking at you. Remember that and live in the moment of your entire day.

3. Cherish your people. Family, friends, event decorator, caterer, cake designer, etc., oh and your photographer too! Without them, this day would not have been made possible. It just wouldn’t! Be grateful to each and every one of them! Take for example, a month before your wedding your caterer sent you a text asking if you wanted a printed menu set out by the buffet table which also states key ingredients that might affect those with food allergies? And you felt so thankful for this vendor because your sweet bridesmaid has food allergies and she was so happy you agreed to this menu sign. Because, my goodness if she had become sick during your reception and how awful that would have been! Okay, so maybe a little overkill, but I’ve seen this menu! Everyone who is a part of your wedding day are YOUR PEOPLE! They have helped make this day in one way or another completely magical! Treasure them. Thank them!

4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t turn into a bridezilla ladies. It ruins it for everyone and makes them feel so uncomfortable. Is this something you want to look back on after your wedding day and recall on how stupid it was to show your inner bitch? I cringe at the thought! So what if your make up artist didn’t bring the lipstick color you picked out during your pre-wedding appointment. Don’t shame her. She already feels horrible about it! Don’t dis your floral designer for arriving later than she anticipated to deliver your bouquets. Maybe she got caught in traffic or she received a disheartening call from a family member who became ill. She’s a real person too with real life problems just like you. Look, I know how stressful and anxious you are on your wedding day. It’s a big friggin’ deal! There are so many key components and moving parts to make your day run as smoothly as possible to avoid as many speed bumps as possible. But there is no way you can micro-manage every single detail and expect something to NOT go wrong. You can’t sweat these small things that might occur. Let’s not even discuss how the weather can crush your expectations for a beautiful wedding day. Thankfully if you’re a Michigan bride reading this you don’t have to worry one single bit about a hurricane cancelling your wedding day. Michigan weather? So unpredictable. Need I say more?

5. Take time for pictures with your husband.  Of course I was going to throw this one in here.  But truth be told I’ve seen so many times where a bride will say after 10 minutes of pictures, “I think we got enough.” I beg to differ. Girl, it’s your wedding day. Not only did you shell out some pretty cash for that gorgeous dress, have your hair and make up done professionally(and you look absolutely stunning btw), and your man looks hot as heck but don’t forget! You just became husband and wife!! It’s day one of your marriage. You need to have these moments of you two captured!

Look, I completely get you want to spend time with your wedding party and start celebrating but if as your photographer we are rushing through taking your pictures I won’t feel like I am providing lasting images from your wedding day and not doing the service you hired me for. If I learned that months after your wedding day you felt like you didn’t get enough pictures of you with your husband I would feel horrible. I can’t stress enough how important this time with your photographer is and something I clarify with great significance as we plan out your wedding day timeline.

That’s it. My five things I wish brides knew on their wedding day. After nearly eight years of photographing weddings I have witnessed so many instances such as these. I know many brides already realize all of these things but perhaps if your wedding is coming up soon you can take something away from reading this. If you are a past bride do you have one thing you wish a bride knew about on their wedding day? If so, please leave your helpful words in the comments below!

And one more thing! I’m not making this up to be funny. I have seen it happen! Eat dinner. In between hugs, tears, laughter, pictures and dances you might forget to eat! Just remember it is your first time eating dinner as a WIFE with your HUSBAND! Savor each and every bite!

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