By: GraceAnn Visser

Every time one of my friends gets engaged, or I meet with a Bride, a few tid bits of advice come to mind that helped me get through the exciting - yet overwhelming - process of wedding planning. I only get the opportunity to share these tidbits in person, and one on one. So I am happy to take advantage of this opportunity and share with you a few things that I hope will help you be the stress free bride that we all long (or longed) to be!

1. What matters most, is at the end of the day - you two will be married. Keep the end goal in sight. What matters more than the flowers matching the latest trends, and finding the dress that is identical to the one you have dreamt of since you were five years old is that when everything is said and done - you will be married! We so easily lose sight of what matters the most when we get caught up in the wedding planning world. If your flowers end up being a different color, or the cake isn’t as big as you thought, or your budget is tighter than you expected - you will be joining your life with the life of your true love. You will be married!
2. Stop and smell the roses. Literally. Your wedding day can easily be one of the most complex and chaotic days of your life. It is easy to get caught up in hearing all the details of when the caterer was supposed to show up, and when they actually did - or trying to figure out where the groomsmen just whisked your soon to be husband off to... But none of that matters. Let someone else take care of those details. You have just spent months and months pouring your heart into teeny, tiny details. What do those details matter unless you actually stop and enjoy them? Stop for a solid minute once an hour throughout the entire day and smell the roses (or whatever flowers you have included in your bouquet), notice the icing on the cake (that you may have argued with your fiance about - make that fight worth it and enjoy the details), admire the fabrics that you painstakingly matched to fabric swatches to make sure your wedding color palette was correctly matched... Notice the details!
3. Extra time - no one ever complains on the wedding day for having extra time. Whether you are your own coordinator, or you hired a wedding planner - no one likes to be short on time. Pad your schedule with extra time. Trust me - walking in heels in a 40 pound dress takes at least double (if not triple) the time to get from point A to point B than normal. Getting in a car is suddenly a 5 minute affair instead of a 5 second event. And girls - you know it always takes us longer to get ready than we will admit. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and allow extra time to get ready. If you are ready early - enjoy sipping on those mimosas instead of having to gulp it down just to say you drank them.
4. Break in your wedding shoes (and have back-ups)! We all do it - we are so excited about our new special shoes, but don’t want people to see them before the event that we bought them for. We put them on, and they fit at first - but one hour into wearing them our feet have suddenly swelled up just enough to make them tight. One hour later we have a blister on our feet from the unworn shoes! Ouch! No one wants a blister on their wedding day. Wear your shoes for at least an hour a day around the house while you are getting ready in the morning for a week before your wedding. It makes a world of difference! Your feet (and bridesmaids) will thank you. Also - bring a back up pair of flats, you just might want them! I did, and I am soooo glad I had them.
5. Pamper yourself. It is well worth the money to get your hair and make up done. But do the trial run and make sure you like the person who you chose! I chose to do my own hair and make-up because no one ever does my make-up the way I want. But I look back and wish I had just taken the time, found someone awesome, and pampered myself. It is your day! You are worth pampering.
6. Hire a photographer you trust. You have just spent thousands of dollars on a one day event. You spent months and months making thousands of decisions, and probably shed countless tears about details. You want to be able to fully trust the photographers that you have hired to capture every detail so that you can relive the experience through your photos. I was a Nashville Photography Group Bride before I was the Studio Manager. I loved my photos so much, and loved the people enough to pretty much make them hire me. You want to hire people that have years of experience and know the business through and through. I did, and I couldn’t be happier.

So wether you are a Bride, a Bridesmaid, or still in the dating pool - remember these tips and tricks to help make your day that much more enjoyable and stress free!