i’m going to start this out by saying marriage is awesome. i’ve only been married for 7 months now so i am by no means an expert but i can and have looked back on my day with some major take aways. did everything go as planned? as far as i know, they did, but that’s because if they didn’t, i did not want to know. was it the happiest day of my life? you bet it was. did my dress stay in pristine condition? haha, 45 minutes into the reception + a little stumble resulted into the dumping of an entire cup of coffee on my gown. did it ruin my night? heck no! a little soda water ( and miraculously, white wine ) and i was good as new!

i had some amazing people by my side giving me tips throughout the process on how to make my wedding day the best day ever. at first i thought, yeah yeah… these are just things everyone says. but, let me tell you… you are in control on your day. if you make it the best day of your life it absolutely will be.

below are 5 tips that helped me make the most out of the most magical day of my life. i hope they can do the same for you, because memories on your wedding are some of the most special and treasured times.

1. don’t sweat the small stuff

when your big day comes around, don’t worry about everything working out. there are so many moving pieces to a wedding that it is inevitable that something goes wrong. and when it does, don’t sweat it. in fact, you probably won’t even know if something did go wrong. i put my maid of honor in charge of any issues or assistance needed. your friends ( especially bridesmaids ) are there to support you and make sure you have a great time. don’t be afraid to ask them for help. especially with communications or stresses that could take away from you enjoying every single moment.

 don’t let anything get in the way of having the best time of you life. in the end, you get to marry the man or woman of your dreams and you get to do life with them. y’all it’s an incredible journey. and let’s be real, you worked way too hard to make your day perfect for it to be anything less than that. so focus on the big picture. if there’s a hiccup, embrace it and move on.

2. remember it is your wedding

well yours and your spouses of course. whatever you do, do not feel pressured to make everyone happy at your wedding. that is never going to happen. make sure your day is a reflection of you and your spouse. remember, that is who is being celebrated. weddings can bring out all kinds of emotions in people and sometimes even a little crazy. as a bride, you want to make sure everyone enjoys themselves fully, but you must always keep the bigger picture in mind and do what’s best for the majority. in every wedding there is always someone with an opinion. listen to all suggestions, but take them with a grain of salt. you don’t have to do anything by the book. there are no rules and no regulations. if you want to serve dessert first, because that’s the way you and your spouse do it, eat dessert first! your guests are there to celebrate and support you. not the other way around.

3. be in the moment

on your big day, take a deep breath. in fact, take lots of deep breaths. i’m sure you’ve heard a million times before, but your day will go by so quickly. make sure to soak up every single moment you can. when else do you get to be surrounded by all the people you love most just to celebrate your love? it is such a special time.

i remember just stopping to look around and take mental pictures because everything felt so surreal. it felt as if i was walking through a dream that i never want to wake up from. it’s a feeling i will never forget and forever cherish.

4. hire a good photographer

memories last a lifetime but so do photos. hiring a photographer that you enjoy being around and are able to honestly communicate your expectations with is key. you cannot go back and replicate the moments in time, so be sure to hire someone to capture them for you. going back and looking through wedding photos still gives me butterflies, as i hope it always does.

these pictures are ones that i will forever treasure and cannot wait to someday look through all of them again with my children and grandchildren and tell them about the most magical day of my life.

5. be thankful

this one doesn’t need much of an explanation. for all things, be thankful. be thankful you get to marry your best friend. be thankful the people you love most are all in one room, because you brought them together. be thankful for the memories. be thankful for all the love in the room. and be thankful all the planning is over!

my husband and i asked our wedding planner to make sure to pull us aside so we could have a moment to ourselves to take it all in at our wedding. this moment was incredible. david and i went for a walk and found a bench and just sat next to one another feeling blessed beyond measure and so thankful for everything.

your wedding day may not go exactly as planned, but if you find the beauty in the imperfections you will have the most perfect day.

shop some of my favorite bridal pieces

shop little white dresses

shop wedding shoes

xoxo | jasmine

 

photography by: chelsea q white photgraphy
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13 items to bring on your wedding day

to avoid murphy’s law taking over your perfect day, i do recommend you come prepared with 13 essential  items [ aside from the obvious such as your dress, shoes and jewelry]. have a few bridesmaids or your maid of honor help with the list to ensure everything makes it to your big day

1) bobby pins

you never know when you will need an extra or two

2) hair spray:

hair is usually done hours before pictures and nobody wants a fly-away photo-bombing them. having some extra hairspray will no doubt come in handy for those last minute touch ups.

3) aerosol deodorant:

with lots of people in a room + heat tools + emotions, things can get a little warm. keep feeling (and smelling) fresh with aerosol deodorant that is shareable. (you never have to make skin contact). this would go great in a bathroom basket as well.

4) band-aids:

the biggest mistake most girls make is buying a new pair of shoes to wear with a wedding or bridesmaid dress and wearing them for the first time on the big day. b r e a k     t h e m     i n but for those that forget, bought the shoes at the last minute or merely didn’t have the time, have those band-aids ready to go! let nothing come between you and that dance floor! your feet will thank you.

5) tissues:

well, because things get emotional.

6) cell phone charger

when you have a full day of primping, prepping and instagramming, this becomes a necessity. extension cords, external battery packs, all are handy in the bridesmaid or groomsmen quarters.

7) advil

 you never know when two advil will save the day! the single packets work  best. these can also be left in both the men’s and women’s restroom for any guests to use as needed.

8) safety pins

dancing happens and bustles rip. you’re not alone. just grab a safety pin or two and keep the night going strong! this is also handy to keep in the women’s restroom for any janet jackson dress mishaps that occur throughout the evening.

9) mints

no one likes talking to the person with smelly breathe. keep it bay with a box of altoids or mints.

10) champagne

because you have to celebrate with a little bubbly!

11) oil blotting sheets

these come in handy around picture time. they are a great last minute touchup to ensure you look flawless.

12) speakers

if wherever you decide to get ready does not have a speaker, ask a bridesmaid to pack one along with their bag. pack the charger, just in case, too. a dead speaker won’t do anyone much good. you can call your venue, hotel, etc to check on their music playing capabilities beforehand.

13) mini-sewing kit

because life happens.

tip* with so many girls and make up brushes all in one space, be sure to pack your belongings in an easy to use bag. especially for the bride if leaving for a honeymoon the very next day. things can get hectic while trying to stick to a timeline, so staying organized and having everyone stay on top of their own belongings will pay off at the end of the night.

a snippet into my big day of

there’s no denying it, planning your dream wedding is a lot of work. by the time you’ve decided between the white shimmer linen or the extra white shimmer linen, 3 decision deadlines have passed you by. it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. the best piece of advice i received was this, once a decision is made, stick with it. you could go back and forth all day long and with the help of pintrest and everyone else’s opinion, every decision you make is second guessed. just remember, you do you. and once you decide on something because it’s how you would like it, stick with it. clearly, that’s easier said than done, but a good goal [and time saver] to keep in mind.

one of the most exciting parts of the planning process is planning the morning of your big day. the timeline of hair, make-up and transportation can be a beating, but deciding on getting ready outfits and getting ready playlists can be such a blast! music is always a must for me. it sets the tone and gets the party going. i had my best friend work on a playlist a couple months leading up to the big day and she did not disappoint. we had pump up songs with a fun mix of throwbacks that got every girl in the room singing along. you can never go wrong with a good throwback.

with music duty off my plate, i searched local stores and websites for the perfect outfit to get ready in. i may have over-searched because i ended up finding two. after making so many decisions i decided this was one decision i was going to forego. so, i chose both.

me and the girls had a slumber party the night before and i was so thankful to have them there. in my head we were going to stay up all night long and jump on the bed while dancing to music in our cute pj’s, but in reality we chatted, spent some unforgettable quality time together and got a good nights rest. we all had a long day coming up!

our morning started with hair. to make things a little easier and speedier with 12 bridesmaids, i rented out blo bar. for our morning outfit choice, i chose oversize shirts that are incredibly soft and comfortable and asked all the girls to wear white jeans. it turned out perfect. the shirts were monogrammed with each girls’ initials and complemented the jeans perfectly. not mention, everyone was comfy and was able to change clothes without ruining their hair. [button up shirts are awesome for this!]

from hair, we went back to our hotel for lunch, then to our venue for make up. this is where outfit number two came in. after finding my white romper, there was no turning back for me. i knew i had to wear it. then i found the most perfect black rompers that complimented my white bridal romper. there was no doubt in my mind about choosing both looks. i don’t exactly recommend it, but no regrets. to my knowledge the day ran smoothly. if there were any hiccups, i didn’t know about them and quite frankly don’t think i want to know about them 🙂

shop getting ready outfits

shop sleepwear outfits [with the girls]

 

xoxo | jasmine

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