Your wedding is a magical experience when you get to say your “I-do’s” and marry the love of your life! During your engagement people will ask you a ton of questions and give you loads of advice but there are a few things I learned along the way. In the hopes to help another bride to be, I wanted to share!

Here are the 5 things I wish someone would have told me before my wedding

1. Issues will arise, and they will be easily solved.

The day before my wedding the linen and design company I ordered my décor from sent crystal photo frames to the venue as opposed to crystal menu card holders. I had a major freak out, and this actually ruined the brunch I had planned with my bridesmaids. In the end, after I let the set up staff know there was an issue, the linen company sent the menu card holders straight over, and let me keep the photo frames at no extra cost. I used these to display cute little “share the love” instagram tag posters and it actually was a really nice addition to the day.

Both the crystal photo frame, and crystal menu card holder- the source of much wedding angst!

2. Losing weight isn’t the be all and end all of your wedding.

“Nobody wants to be a fat bride” is maybe the most stupid statement I have ever heard. I was absolutely sick to death of hearing this, and being asked if I was following a diet before my wedding. I had goals to lose weight, I didn’t stick to them (stress eating is what I majored in at college) and I was heavier than I wanted to be on my wedding. In the weeks coming up to the big day, I was stressed and worried about how I would look, whether I’d look totally gross in my dress and whether or not guests would be rude about my appearance.

If anyone made/makes comments that aren’t particularly nice then it says more about them as a person then how you look!

On the actual wedding day, I felt fantastic, my (now) husband told me I looked beautiful (along with lots of other guests) and I regretted even letting such a negative thought cross my mind. We are ALL glorious, gorgeous women and we should embrace our shapes, and the fact that the men/women we are marrying love us for who we are! If anyone made/makes comments that aren’t particularly nice then it says more about them as a person then how you look!

I picked this dress because I felt like a QUEEN in it. I felt glorious wearing just as every bride should!

3. Fighting with your fiancé is totally normal (and probably a little inevitable).

“Honey, what colour paper should we get the programs printed on?” is the question that triggered one of my pre-wedding arguments a few weeks before the wedding. An important thing to remember here is to breathe, take it easy and remember it is not a life or death situation. As a typical bride (especially as one who has spent most of her life planning and fantasising about her wedding day) speaking to my s.o about details he really wasn’t very interested in was extremely annoying. It is easy to get invested in all of the minor details and expect your husband to be as equally interested, but he just might not be. That’s not to say he shouldn’t be involved with wedding planning, and be super grateful for all your hard work and time invested in planning, he just might not notice the difference between ivory, and slight ivory when it comes to cardstock.

4. Don’t get irritated with people who have suggestions, they love you and they are only trying to help.

My mother is my BEST friend in the whole wide world, but I also find it very easy to take my stress out on her from time to time (Sorry, Mum!). A few days before my wedding I found myself snipping at every comment she made, arguing with every suggestion she presented, and rolling my eyes more than any human ever should. Looking back on it, I wish I was a little nicer to her as she genuinely was being the most amazingly helpful superwoman on the planet, running around behind the scenes and fixing anything that wasn’t what I wanted. I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful mother, and after speaking to other brides after their weddings, they have taken out their stresses on loved ones too.

5. The most over said retrospective bridal comment-

Enjoy your day, it will go by so fast, and you will love it- no matter what happens.

This point is pretty self explanatory- enjoy yourself. Don’t stress. The minor details will be long forgotten a month later (where I am now). It’s your day, and everyone is there to celebrate your love. Enjoy wedded bliss!

Me and my darling husband Brock!