Kate’s Advice To All Brides
photography by Jessica Johnston Photography
We’ve totally enjoyed showing you all of the different elements of Kate and Mike’s beautiful wedding at Pine Knob Mansion in Clarkston, Michigan. There’s just something magical about the month of June, pretty peonies and lovingly created weddings! Kate had the luxury of time and patience and wonderful wedding vendors. Here’s what she has to say to all of our readers who are either just beginning, in the middle of, or almost finished with your wedding plans:
from Kate …
Having been engaged for a little over 2.5 years, I’ve learned a lot along the way and thought I’d pass some of my advice and tips along to you!
First, I must start by saying that I absolutely LOVED planning my wedding and put everything I had into it. It never felt like a chore to me. Sure, it got stressful at times and there were definitely less fun things to do than others, but overall, it was one of the most wonderful times in my life and I really wouldn’t change a thing. I honestly have little to no regrets about the decisions I made along the way. My point is – ENJOY IT! It will be over in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I have lots of great memories throughout the planning process that I can reflect on to help transition me out of the wedding planning mode 
Don’t subscribe to the whole ‘the wedding was/will be the best day of my life’ notion. It has always annoyed me when people say this. The wedding should be one of MANY best days of your lives. I would have never wanted my wedding to come, if I truly believed that. Your wedding is really the start of a whole new life together that will be filled with many great days to come.
Hire a videographer!!!! Even if it’s not your first choice. The very fact that someone will be able to capture your ceremony and special moments at the reception is priceless. Trust me, the day goes by faster than you can ever imagine. You spend months (if not years) planning your wedding, and in 8 short hours, it’s over just like that. There were many things I didn’t see and people I didn’t talk to and I’m so glad that we will have the video to watch in the future. I really don’t think that I have ever heard someone say that they regret hiring a videographer; however, many girls have said they wished they would have hired one after the fact. It’s a great investment and you’ll be forever grateful! {Kate & Mike’s Videographer: Epic Motion}
Love your vendors! We were very fortunate to hire everyone we wanted. I was very picky with who I chose and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Do your research beforehand! We were engaged for a year before we set a date and when we finally did, I knew exactly who I wanted. I genuinely LOVED the people that we worked with – which in turn made the process so much less stressful and a lot more fun. On our wedding day, I truly felt like I was surrounded by friends and not just photographers, videographers, a DJ, etc… It’s so important that you ‘click’ with everyone. They play a huge part in ensuring that your day will be the best it possibly can. {Paper pieces by Gourmet Invitations}
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Something is going to go wrong – it always does. The beauty of it is that 99.9% of the time, no one else will know except you. It’s really not worth worrying about on your wedding day. This is not to say that something should be overlooked if a vendor didn’t follow through, but deal with it AFTER the wedding. At the end of the day, as long as the pastor shows up, you will be married to the love of your life and that’s really all that matters anyways.
I hope this will help you keep things in perspective while planning your wedding. I can’t stress enough how important vendor selection is in the overall success of your day. I realize that everyone’s budgets are different, but there are still great vendors in all price ranges. The bottom line is that brides need to DO THEIR RESEARCH! Of course, once the day arrives, you have to surrender your control and just let things take its course. For a control freak like myself, I had no problem doing this because I really believed in and trusted my vendors. Sure enough, they didn’t disappoint!
My Best Wishes To All
Kate
Great words of wisdom... especially what you said about "the best day of your life". Well said... such a lovely bride and seeing a little of your personality shine through only makes you more beautiful. May you have many more wonderful years ahead. It just keeps getting better.
on a side note... tell me about the cookies??? I see them all the time on here but I never know what they are? What do they taste like and where do you get them. They look so fun!
Vicki
Those are macarons :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaron
The packaging of which is beyond adorable!
[...] You can read the rest of her advice here. [...]
So sorry, but the photo of the macarons was taken out. It was a favorite photo of Kate's but not actually from her wedding. I did do a search though because I thought it was spelled macaroon ... and found that macaron and macaroon are two totally different sweets! Those originally pictured were macarons.
A videographer was not originally on my list, but I have heard SO many people say what Kate said! We are going to do everything possible to make it happen...
[...] Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Epic Motion, Gourmet Invitations, Jessica Johnston Photography, [...]
oh my goodness, that's my dress! it's fabulous!
Who is the designer of the dress and what is the style number?
Hi Brooke! The designer is Alvina Valenta and the style number is 9658 from the Fall 06 line. Good luck in your search. It's a fabulous dress!!!