While reading Mel’s 1 month, 1 week and 1 day before the wedding to-do list, I started having flashbacks of what all I went through 1 year ago at this time. (Our weddings are almost a year apart, so this time last year would have the been 1 month and 2 weeks before the wedding date for me.)
Let’s see … I had just moved. Mike was preparing to move. I was no longer working outside of the home, but still working long hours. I was dealing with Bridezilla (not me), whose wedding was still 4+ months away. I was finalizing things for my own wedding. 98% of it was done by this time last year, but since it was done, I was thinking of all the little things I could add. For me, that is a dangerous thing.
People thought I was crazy for planning a wedding in under 6 months. I knew it was actually for the best for me. Otherwise, I would have been hanging out at The Knot – one of the most dangerous places for brides to go – thinking of all the cool things I could “add” to my wedding plans. The same things I took off of the wedding plan list to begin with.
I am so glad that time is over. While I sometimes come across little things I wish I had done, I’m still glad that everything turned out exactly the way that it did.
I told Bridezilla after my own wedding that most guests don’t even notice the “little things” like bathroom baskets and things like that. Even the table linens and the centerpieces are often overlooked. Was I right? Thinking back to the weddings you’ve been to, what stands out to you as something cool that they did that you thought was neat? Or do you even notice those things?
25 replies on “Just A Year Ago…”
I notice the bridesmaids’ dresses, because mine were horrid — the seamstress was the ONLY thing I took my MIL’s suggestions on, and they were all ill-fitting and badly made. We ended up safety-pinning everyone together — UGH. Besides that, I pay attention to whether the room disappears when the bride and groom dance with each other. Nothing else really matters.
Honestly, I was disappointed in myself for not noticing the small things at my own wedding. I really don’t remember much. I have to look at pictures to actually see what everything looked like.
Ash, I just had to laugh – see, that’s what I mean! We all freak out over these small things, and heck – I couldn’t even tell you if they served the right food at my reception! All I know is the cake was good and there were Big Pink Cookies. Of course. 😉
The Tremont offered candles on mirrors for centerpieces, and I took them. Plain white table linens? Fabulous. The fact that there was a good DJ and an open bar … well, the guests were happy!
My favorite little thing at any wedding was the CD’s you guys made. I’d not seen that before and it was fantastic. So romantic and most of the songs were played at the reception, so nostalgic too. Other things I’ve noticed at other wedding…not much, usually just the bride and the groom and the way the laugh or cry or dance. They are the main attraction.
Hmm… what I noticed at my own wedding? My dress, the flowers, the rings. That’s about it. But then again, that’s all I had.
I was at two weddings last year, for my future BIL’s and they honestly didn’t do a lot of the “little things” and I don’t think I missed them at all. (no bathroom baskets, no menu’s, no cute placecards) Out of sight, out of mind.
But when they are there, I think they add a nice little touch. Like my slipper basket…heh. For when the ladies feet get tired and sore, they’ll have cute little slippers they can throw on, instead of being barefoot. (yes, I am a dork!)
I know I’m totally insane with the “little stuff” but I think it’s just so nice, and people will appreciate it at the time. I’m sure, a year from now, they won’t be saying “My gawd, those bathroom baskets had everything, even condoms!” (okay, they’re won’t be condoms, but it was a flickering thought at one time) 😛
My plan is to take some time out of my day, and see everything set up, and beautiful before my guests arrive. I’ll only be about 4 minutes from our reception location, so I’m gonna swing by and peek in 🙂 I’m sure once it all gets started, I’ll miss everything and not notice all the little things I did. I will eat the food though. There is NO WAY I’m missing all of that. We’re doing a buffet and there’s two meat stations, and huge pasta station and 8 hot entrees. I want to try everything 😀
ps. I think that is the longest comment I have ever made on any blog. You should feel lucky 😉
Hmmm. I totally didn’t do little things for my wedding. Our approach was “party on a boat.” We didn’t do favors. Frankly, I don’t even know what a “bathroom basket” is. There was no garter anything or bouquet toss. Toasts and cake cutting were about the only “conventional” thing… no first dance. No announcement of the bride and groom. Nothing like that. I think we had the official un-wedding. We didn’t have traditional vows, (in fact, we screwed them up. Ha!) So, I guess, I wouldn’t know if anything was missing. Two agnostics married on a boat under a chuppah on the ocean with no tradition… but we had a great espresso bar and fantastic music. And booze. Lots of booze.
Oh! There was one small detail — and that was the disposable cameras on the tables. I did that, and that turned out fabulous. The pictures tell the story. Because we didn’t hire a photographer.
Like I said. No details. It was the Unwedding. With Vows.
At my sister’s wedding, she had those little eensy bottles of bubbles, instead of rice or birdseed or anything of that nature, and that was *lovely*. The pictures of them running through the cloud of bubbles are gorgeous, and it was so much more pleasant than picking birdseed out of your hair.
my brother-in-law is getting married this summer and when I see some things she is doing, it makes me wish I could have done a few things differently – but then I remember what a great time I had at my own wedding and know that it was perfect for us!!!! I do wish I had hired a videographer, though.
I meant to say when I see some things his bride-elect is doing, but I guess you knew what I meant!!!
I can’t even remember certain things about my own wedding! Can’t even remember what we had to eat or what the damn centerpieces were.
The truth of the matter is, for all you brides-to-be, you’re going to remember the little things, like how he looked into your eyes during your first dance as husband and wife and how you felt walking up the aisle, more than you will what color your linens were what your table centerpieces were. At least that’s been my experience.
I remember our cake. And that I thought it was hilarious to be sweating like a mofo in a strapless dress. 🙂
We did the bubbles for our send-off. I love the bubbles. 🙂
I wore jeans and a tshirt to my wedding. It was around 11:30 on a Thursday morning. We had 3 guests because we needed witnesses…the 3rd was my stepson. I’m happy I didn’t have to stress over anything! Of course, there are days when it makes me sad, but I get over it. Last November my cousin was married and as far as I can remember, there wasn’t anything special. They did the bubbles and the favors were heart shaped cookies. Everything was pretty plain, but it was beautiful just the same. One special thing she had at the reception was Mashed Potato Martinis. It was neat.
Did you have centerpieces? Was I there? 😉
Um, why did noone tell me how addictive The knot is before I started planning my wedding. It’s practically all I do now! Sigh.
Mel, I totally think you need to put some condoms in those bathroom baskets. Flavored ones even!
NinaKaye, we didn’t do the “Patini” bar (as they called it at one wedding I attended), but we did have Big Pink Cookies. From Starbucks. For the Groom’s Cake. It rocked.
Excluding the utter coolness of my own wedding (heh), the neatest thing I saw was at the last one. Instead of the usual guestbook, they had a nice black and white print of their engagement photo in a black frame with a huge white mat around it, and everyone wrote messages to them on the mat.
We had a photo mat (PhotoMatt! hehe! he was there!) at our wedding, and I *love* it. It is hanging in our living room, and it is always so nice to see everyone’s well wishes, instead of them sitting in a book somewhere gathering dust. We also let guests write a note on a card for us, which I’ve put in a photo album along with pictures of our guest so we can read them over and over.
I was going to mention your cool photo mat guest book. I’m sure it’s a great reminder of your wedding.
we’re doing that “note card” thing too, instead of the traditional guestbook. They call it a “wish bowl” and guests take a piece of paper and a colored pencil and write well-wishes or advice, doodles, anything they want, then they throw it into the wish bowl. We’ll scrapbook them all later. (more projects! woo)
I got married just a year ago and I remember being so happy that all my friends were there. And also the flowers – I LOVED my flowers. And we left in a shower of rose petals, that was wonderful too.
My wedding was fun, not fancy! That is what I wanted it to be and five years later people are still talking about the great time they had.
The most important thing for me was picking out the right music for my reception – we hired a great DJ that knew how to perfectly work our particular crowd of 450 guests. Yes, 450 guests. It’s a Texas German Wedding thing to ivite everyone within a 100 mile radius. I had a list of songs that we needed to hear and some that I absolutly did not want to hear – Macarena anyone? We listened to great old country dance music, Ernest Tubb rather than Tim McGraw, so that everyone could waltz and two-step all night long.
I didn’t care that I was the sweatiest bride in history – I was having the best night of my life. No one cared that the steel folding chairs weren’t covered or that the BBQ was served on styrofoam plates. Everyone was just having a good time.
One neat thing – as we left our guests threw big red and pink confetti hearts that got caught in the breeze and fluttered all around. It was beautiful.
interestingly enough my wedding is coming up at the end of this year. So i guess i’ve got all this to look forward to. I’ve never attended a wedding and it would seem my wedding will be my first!
I think the atmosphere has to be one of the most important things at a wedding though. Having the right kind of music with the right kind of food for a fun and social occasion.
All the posts before mine have given me a lot to look forward to about my wedding.
Thanks a lot everyone for making me look forward to my big day that bit more!