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Wedding Recaps 2012 We hope you had a wonderful weekend celebrating Christmas! It's a little strange to start the week on a Wednesday but nevertheless, we're kicking it off with the best wedding day and planning advice from our brides in 2012! It is said that "experience is a good teacher" and we believe it. Here are 11 of our beautiful brides who got married this year--here to offer their savvy advice for those walking down the aisle in 2013 ... From Tia on their Guthrie Theater Wedding
Make sure you focus on what would make your guests happy at your wedding. Is there a way they could be involved that would be meaningful to them? Get them involved. Is there something they should be commended for? Include that note of appreciation in your program. Does someone have a dietary concern? Speak with your caterer about it, and let them know in advance that their dietary preferences will be met. Yes, this wedding day is about you – but these special guests have probably played a significant role in shaping who YOU are … so make them feel special!
From Maren on their California Wedding 
When you wake up on your wedding day don’t stress about all the details coming together, just grab a glass of champagne and enjoy the ride. This is the day you have been planning and working for forever. Nothing goes absolutely perfect, but the imperfections give you those great “I can’t believe that happened” stories to tell for years to come.
From Jennifer on their Chicago Style Wedding 
There will likely be something unexpected that pops up. Don’t stress, compromise. It’s all the unexpected things that will make your day memorable. In our case, a thunderstorm turned the sky black and rained cats and dogs for 30 minutes while we were in the church. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it cooled down what started out as a very hot and humid August day, and it also turned the sky vanilla after the storm passed–perfect for our rooftop cocktail hour and photos.
From Rachel on their Multi-Cultural Wedding 
Focus on the ceremony as much as the reception. We put a lot of thought into personalizing each element of the ceremony, and the result was a beautifully intimate service that felt truly representative to us as a couple. It was the perfect way to begin our marriage!
From Erin on their Minnesota Wedding 
The same advice that a lot of people told me–to relax and enjoy every second of the day. It goes by so fast that you shouldn’t waist any of your time worrying or obsessing over little things. All that matters is that your getting married to the love of your life.
From Beverly on their Elegant Southern Wedding 
Go with the flow, roll with the punches, be flexible … things beyond your control are going to happen, but you can always control your reaction. Our whole reception had to be moved inside after dinner because of rain, I forgot to bring the beautiful cake topper I bought, so we had to improvise with fresh flowers, and our seating chart didn’t quite work out as planned. Things go wrong, but we still had the time of our lives at our wedding because we decided that we were not going to let little things ruin our wedding day! So our advice is to go ahead and mentally prepare for that.
From Carin on their Traditional Beach Wedding 
Take photos, including a “first look” before the ceremony. It relieves some of the anxiety and makes for a great intimate moment between bride and groom before walking down the aisle. Also, the more photos you can take beforehand, the more time you have to enjoy at the reception with your guests.
From Jessica on their Winery Wedding 
Have fun with planning! Your wedding goes by so fast that you don’t realize it, and before you know it it’s gone. Make sure you incorporate everything you want and have no regrets. This is your day.
From Terri-Lynn on their Rustic Outdoor Wedding 
Do what makes you happy. This is your big day and it should be about celebrating your love together in whatever unique way you chose to do that. Enjoy every minute of it, and don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s the things that go “wrong” that turn into the best stories/memories in the end.
From Gina on their Colorful California Backyard Wedding 
~Allow time for you and your bridesmaids to hang out in the bridal changing room - even if it's just for champagne & chocolate covered strawberries. ~Be ready for anything or everything to not go according to plan & know that it will still be a beautiful experience. ~Remember that these are your friends & family, don't be a bridezilla. One of the things I kept hearing all day was, "You're so calm. I don't know how you do it!" Many things didn't go according to plan but I remained calm. I decided the only person who could ruin our wedding day was me by getting tense, irritated, frustrated, etc. So, when things went astray I looked around and noticed that the guests had no idea. I took a deep breath, let go, & had a great time!
From Sara on their Classic Pennsylvania Wedding 
Advice you wished you took: Someone told me I would be disappointed about not hiring a professional videographer and I’m afraid that I do have that regret. I feel that as the bride you are “hidden away” and there are so many things that you miss – the pre-ceremony music while our guests were being seated, our bridal party’s procession, our moms being walked down the aisle and lighting the unity candle, our bridal party being announced at the reception, etc. Additionally, I feel like the ceremony and early parts of the reception like our wedding dance, the cake cutting, and the speeches flew by in a bit of a blur, but if we would have had a videographer, these moments would be preserved forever. We were very lucky that a couple of good friends took short videos throughout the wedding day, so we do have those videos to remind us of the day; but, I would certainly recommend to newly-engaged couples to seriously consider employing a professional videographer to capture all of those priceless moments.
