These days you can find a wealth of information to help you plan your wedding, from graphs, charts, timelines; budget guides, party planners, venue options and even apps. Then there are always ideas and ‘must do’s’ from family, friends and in-laws-to-be. It seems there are plenty of people who can tell you what to do. Perhaps the best advice that you can get is from recent brides who know firsthand what ultimately matters in making the day ‘just perfect.’

I am sure by now you have managed to watch our new show ‘My Dream Wedding’ with Samantha’s Bridal. On this show we basically ask the couples to reflect on their wedding day experiences. This show is packed with advice for a bride to be. Catch us every Wednesday at 8.00p.m on KTN!

Back to my discourse, I have surveyed many brides after their weddings. A common question I ask

them is:  “Having gone through the wedding process, what would you have done differently?”

Here’s what some of them said:

Maggie married to Dennis: “I wouldn’t have stressed about the guest list, and just invited everyone without going extremely overboard.”

(Surprising sometimes how many people cannot make the big day anyway!)

Maggie also suggested giving your photographers plenty of sample shots so they know what you would like to have taken. In hindsight she added:

“An extra video and photographer would have been an asset. Our videographer was involved in an accident and was hospitalized on the wedding day just after the ceremony. So we did not get any footage for the reception from our official photographer. Thank goodness the Samantha team was shooting this wedding so we shared the footage!”

Pauline married to Noel reminds all couples to pick up their marriage license. They almost forgot theirs!

Not wanting to leave out any good advice from grooms-to-be, I usually ask them for their input:

Antony said: “I would have had a professional videographer to capture everything about the day. When planning, the videographer got cut out of the wedding budget, so we used a friend and now we have raw footage that we have to pay to have it edited just as much as we would have paid to have a Professional videographer.”

Michael Munuhe who married Ann Shaad said:  “We would have gone an extra mile to know what’s on the market before committing to any payments after paying 250 per chair. We discovered the chiavari chairs go for 150.”

His advice: “Be an educated consumer, attend the wedding fair and know the price of things.”

And the one thing the grooms agree on is to allow the brides a great deal of leeway in planning the big day.

“Be there when asked, but be flexible, too. The brides know what they are doing.”

 

The past brides all agree on one thing too. RELAX and ENJOY the day.

Ann Shaad advises: “Everything will not be perfect and if you expect it to be, you are only going to stress yourself out and won’t be able to enjoy the day.”

Bethe said: “It is not worth it to stress over anything you think went wrong, because chances are nobody even noticed it but you!”

Ciku said: “Two weeks before my wedding everyone kept telling me to not worry about anything, that I will be the only one to know if something isn’t crossed off our to do list. I kept repeating that in my head whenever I felt my inner crazy person coming out. I would not change a thing about that day. It was absolutely amazing to be surrounded by all of our friends and family and celebrating. Hands down it was the best day of our lives.”

Here are more comments from past brides:

• “8 months of planning was not enough…I felt rushed by most vendors to book now!”
• “I was excited about DIY projects in the beginning; I made my invitations and centerpieces. I had so much time planning, but then I stressed because I waited until the last minute.”
• “I did wait until a little late to order my dress because I thought that if I did it too early I would wish I got something else…I really waited too long for a lot of the pieces. I guess really you never have too much time. It could have gone smoother if I had made decisions early on.”
• “I would have done the guest list FIRST. I procrastinated about it because I thought it would be such a pain—and it was—but it would have made everything so much easier.”
• “I freaked out and realized at the end of the wedding that my photographer never took pictures of our grandmothers—and now we’ll never get that opportunity again. If we had a VERY specific list for him, maybe that could have been avoided.”
• “I loved my wedding, but wished I could have been less rushed in the morning and calmer throughout the getting ready and picture part. By the time I calmed down the wedding was flying by.”

 

So now it’s your turn. Planning you Dream Wedding? What are your frustrations?

What questions do you have?  Ask away!  I will find the answers to your questions.

Email me!  editors@samanthasbridal.co.ke