10 Things I’d Recommend Based on My Own Wedding Day Experience
I married my BFF on October 5, 2019 in Ames, Iowa, the city where we met and now call home! It was a sunny and 65 day (except for the morning where it rained the heaviest it had rained all year lol), and literally was my favorite day. I know everyone says that but I truly mean it. However, I think I loved it so much because we stayed true to what we wanted and what felt most like US. That being said, here’s 10 recommendations I have based on my own wedding day experience: (Vendor list at the bottom)
Keep everything in one location. Or keep as much as you can in one location. I got ready, we had our ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and all the photos at the same location. This saved SO MUCH TIME on the wedding day. And big picture speaking, it also saved us money. We didn’t have to pay for extra travel fees for our photographer or videographer, we didn’t have to organize a party bus or a shuttle from one location to the other, and so on. PLUS it saved time as far as photos go. We didn’t have to travel to our reception location, or travel for photos. We picked a venue that could truly do it all, and I have zero regrets about it!
Be strict on your guest list. Right at the beginning of wedding planning, we set up boundaries as far as guest count went. We knew we didn’t want a typical, massive wedding. We enforced this by just stating it right at the beginning of planning so that no one could give us grief later down the road. I love my dad, but if he had it his way, all of his old co-workers, his cousins’ cousins, or business clients would’ve been invited lol. I pretty much said if I’ve never met them or can’t place a face to the name, they’re not coming to my wedding. We truly kept it to close friends and family and ended up with about 175 people. Again, no regrets!
Sunset photos are a MUST. They were scheduled into our wedding day, and I highly encourage everyone to do the same. By the time sunset hits, you’re officially husband and wife! Sometimes you’ll have had a few drinks and you’ll be feeling a million shades of happy. Sunset goes perfectly with happy couples. ;) These are some of my favorite photos from the day too!
If you’re debating hiring a videographer, I’d highly encourage you to GO FOR IT. We debated it, ended up booking one, and we are still obsessed with the result. We’ll watch it randomly or together on our anniversary, and it brings all the warm fuzzies back.
If you’re having an outdoor ceremony or reception, have a backup option. It POURED all morning on our wedding day and we ended up having to move our ceremony spot because our original spot was flooded. We ended up having it on a brick patio on the property, and it was even more beautiful than our original plan in the end! That being said, I’m so thankful we had a plan B and a plan C lined up in case of rain. Don’t go into an outdoor wedding with no back up plan.
We had a food truck provide dinner and this is something we still get compliments about lol. Our guests LOVED it and it was much more affordable than a traditional catering option.
Never underestimate the power of a cheap, easy craft. One of my favorite things we did for our wedding was make pennant garlands. I wanted the room to feel like a festival, and 1,000+ triangles made of cardstock and taped to string later, we achieved it! I literally bought a pad of paper and string for maybe a grand total of $20 and completely transformed the indoor space. Plus it made for fun date nights with Matt while prepping. ;)
Tag team your timeline with your photo/video team. If you don’t have a planner, really really include your photo/video team on the timeline planning process. It’s their job to document wedding days, so let them share their nuggets of wisdom or even let them create the timeline themselves. Saying yes to help from the pros is always a good idea!
Unpopular opinion: Don’t feel like you need to take the time to say hi to everybody. I (maybe selfishly, but I think you’re allowed to be a little selfish on your wedding day) spent most of my reception dancing with my husband, family and friends. I only sat down and talked to people while dinner was still going on. And I have NO regrets about it. Everytime I think of our wedding day, I reflect on how it was the best dance party I’ve ever been to. Literally my favorite day.
Write your honey love notes for them to open while getting ready on your wedding day. Matt did this for me as a surprise on our wedding day. He wrote three of them to be given to me periodically throughout the day by special people in my life. I wasn’t clever enough to think to do this, so a million points awarded to him. ;)
I’ve said it a million times, but my wedding day really was my favorite day. We stayed true to what we wanted from our day, and we have no regrets about it at all! The day felt like US and that’s what I want every couple planning a wedding out there to take from this. If it feels right to you, do it. This looks different for everyone. Weddings aren’t supposed to all be the same. :)
VENDOR TEAM:
Photography + Videography: Alexa Karen Photography
Florals: Shelly Sarver Designs
Venue: Prairie Moon Winery
Dress: Schaffers Bridal
Tuxes: The Black Tux
Bridesmaids: Piper & Scoot
Hair: Holly at Studio 914
Rentals: Pella Rental
Food truck: Big Red Food Truck
Dessert: Jess Desserts