Once a bride…

I wish…

Life is full of wishes.. (1) I wish the sun was shining,  (2) I wish the I was 5’5″, (3) I wish I had bigger B**bs…ok, ok… I have quite a few wishes but one thing I wish I had done was wear a wedding dress on my wedding day! A real one I mean. It was 11 years ago, we got married and I wore a pale sage green sheath dress. If you’re having a hard time imagining it, it’s something one might wear to work or to a simple wedding ( as a guest). What was I thinking? I WASN’T thinking! Was it money? Maybe. We had a civil ceremony in Feb in Montgomery, Alabama and a small reception in May in Gastonia, North Carolina. Well, if I wasn’t thinking in Feb, I should have known better in May?! Well, I didn’t. This time, I wore a light blue, satin, biased cut, empire style dress. More like for prom. Arrgggh.. I’m so embarrased! Several months ago, I was showing my wedding photographs to Catherine and she asked, “where is your bouquet?” Well, I didn’t have one.  ‘WHAT?”, she asked so surprised. I was 23 at that time and just finished college. We didn’t have a lot of money, well, we didn’t have ANY money so we did everything SIMPLE. Very simple. Photography? I had my trusty Olympus film camera at the time and we took pictures of each other. Hahhaha. Fast forward many years and I can’t help but look back and WISHED for 3 things: (1) a wedding dress (2) a bouquet with fresh flowers, (3) awesome photographs to cherish and share with loved ones. ONE DAY?! Maybe someday…

Here I am on our OFFICIAL wedding day. We had lunch at a local Italian restaurant wearing our wedding ‘outfits. There is no shoe shot but I wore a pair of cream 2″ sandals and cream opaque tights (hey it was February!). Hair: Me, Makeup: Me, Dress: Petite Sophisticates. Jewelry: Pearls from Don.

In May (Memorial Day weekend) during our reception… I had my hair up in a bun (hahhahaha), accented with a couple of mismatched roses. I just wanted flowers in my hair… I didn’t care what they were or if they went with the dress. Our official wedding portrait…

 I have asked a few friends and clients if they had ADVICE for future brides and grooms out there and here is what they said..

Ashley H-

My advice to other Brides: Don’t sweat the small stuff! If something goes wrong, usually no one knows but you!

Best decision: I’m so glad we decided to take all our pictures before the wedding.

Wish I did better/ different? I wish I had dancing at our wedding. Not doing our first dance as a married couple or dancing with my dad was my biggest regret.

My favorite moment: Walking down the aisle as husband and wife. My husband races so I had placed checked flags in everyone’s seats to wave as we walked out. I suggest putting personal touches in every part of your wedding!

My favorite vendor and why: It’s a tie between 4 Star Catering (because the food was delicious) abd the harpist. The music was beautiful and was totally different than any other wedding I had been to.

Ashley F-

Best decision: Definitely a caterer who does everything and provides everything!

Wish I did better/ different? I wish I had a wedding planner.

My favorite moment: Spending a few moments before the ceremony, just me and my dad. He cried, I cried…

My advice to other Brides: Don’t sweat the small stuff! If something goes wrong, usually no one knows but you!

Karen T-

My advice to other Brides: Relax on the wedding day coz everything will be fine because you have your friends and families to support you.  Nothing will go wrong on your wedding day and even if there is/are, nobody would know coz all your guests will be so busy staring at you and your significant one : )

Be sure to select your bridal parties that you can really count on and most importantly, someone that have already been through a wedding.

Best decision: Marrying my husband?!?!?!? hehehehehe : )

Wish I did better/ different? Excellent photographer – SERIOUSLY! Spend a little more on photographer and less on decorations!!

My favorite moment was? My reception – all our close friends and families were there to enjoy our 10 course meals and of course, the music.

My favorite vendor and Why? The restaurant (Pearl Chinese Restaurant) because the food and service were excellent.   

Kirby C-

My advice to other Brides: relish the moment, the day, your spouse and not just the event!!!!

Best decision? Keep it small and intimate!!!

Wish I did better/ different? Kept it smaller and more intimate

My favorite moment was? seeing my husband waiting for me at the end of the aisle with a big smile on his face.

My favorite vendor and Why? The photographer, of course, because you knew they were capturing every moment forever!!!!!

Thanks so much to all my ‘BRIDES’ for taking the time to share a little wisdom. If you like to share a little yourself, please feel free to leave a COMMENT below. Love to hear from you!

Here’s a beautiful portrait of a couple of important people in my life : )

See! Even my mother had a wedding dress (rented) and fabulous shoes on her wedding day! XOXO

p.s. Check out my WISH on www.stephaniefayblog.com!! And be sure to say HI!