megan & michael sitting in a tree...!

This is Megan.

Megan is my friend.

This is Michael.

on the left...

he is also my friend.

Well a few weeks ago, these friends of mine got engaged.

and I am so happy for them.

Megan is just so excited to get married and keeps texting me all sorts of fun wedding questions, being that I just went through the process (& I feel so flattered and unworthy to answer all of her questions) so i figured it would be far better for me to simply blog it out...so megan, here are my best shots at advice for you (and any other bride hopeful who might be reading :) )...

• Choose a photographer you know - I feel so blessed and fortunate to have the most talented photographers at sessionninephotography capture our very best day. However, I unfortunately know too many friends who invited a photographer to participate in their most special day and pay them only for them to peace out along with their photos and money. So ask for testimonials and phone numbers of people whose weddings they have shot that would vouch for them
• Have someone, anyone, a videographer, your uncle, videotape your wedding - This was something I praise God my sweet husband was very stubborn about. I know videographers can be so costly and I did not want to burden my parents with the bill of a videographer. But luckily, Matt knew someone who would come shoot our wedding at no cost to us until we have money to pay for it. And I want to look at our video every 4 minutes. Because in the height of emotions and excitement, I regret to say I can hardly remember a second of our ceremony. 
• Have a first look, just the two of you - I, personally, do not fall under the age-old-tradition of the bride seeing her husband while she walks down the aisle. Matt & I had a special moment, just the two of us and our photographer, to see each other. We were forced to do so because our ceremony was at sunset so if we had not seen each other, we would have no sunny pictures of the two of us on our wedding day. Plus, it felt so intimate to have a few moments alone before the hustle & bustle of wedding day set in. It was such a special time for us to connect and snap a few photos. I know so many brides who would fight me on this, but again...this is my time to give my advice :) ...so there...
• look in to his eyes, and his eyes alone when you walk down the aisle - I remember walking down that aisle and I will for the rest of my life. Because my eyes found Matt's as soon as I stepped out of that car, and they did not leave him until we faced the crowd to walk back out of the ceremony together. I have seen so many weddings where the couple's eyes are on everyone but one another. And it makes me want to yell, "cut!" and run up on stage and re-position the couple and start over again. 
• Get pre-marital counseling - I know you already probably will, but I could not more strongly recommend pre-marital counseling. It brought up so much stuff for us to talk about and we still talk about it to this day. 
• Let the guys wear suits - Our groomsmen wore suits and they all thanked us for the amount of money it saved them. Or it gave them an excuse to invest in a suit they would have forever.
• Do not give in to sexual temptation before your wedding night - Matt & I set very strict boundaries that we did not cross. And I cannot tell you how thankful I am that we did so. So often when I look at him now, I am so thankful that what we share is a result of our marriage ceremony and we did not fail prior to it. It is so worth the wait. Every second of it.
• wear your lingerie - as you know, I just wore the lingerie you got for me for the first time on Sunday. that is messed up! I have done a horrible job of wearing all the beautiful pieces that people bought for me or I found for myself. This is as much a challenge for myself as it is for you! I thought before I got married that I would always wear it but everyone told me I wouldn't: unfortunately they were right. 
• Ask your married friends to be real with you - I feel as though I entered married life with rose-colored glasses. All I heard from everyone was how, "marriage was the best decision other than asking Christ to be my Savior that I ever made", "You will just love it", etc. etc. etc. love. love. love. gush. gush. gush. But when we actually got married and I would confess hardships in our marriage, all these same married friends would be like, "oh my gosh I know! that was hard for us too!" and I wanted to say well where was THAT three months ago!? So get real live stories of real life marriage from people...and not only the lovey gushy gory details. :) 
• Do not memorize your vows - if you choose to write your own vows, do not attempt to memorize them. This was passed on to me by both friends and pastors. If you try to memorize them, you will get so focused on remembering them that they will overtake your entire ceremony. If you choose to write your own, simply print them on pretty paper and have the pastor hand them to you. Or simply repeat the age old vows that so many who have gone before you have done...
• Buy two pair of your pretty wedding underwear - (submitted by Kaylyn Unterkofler) Make sure you have an extra pair of your pretty underwear because, let's be honest, you're under layers of heavy, not breathy wedding dress. You're gonna dance the night away. You're gonna get sweaty. Before you do the deed, make sure to change undies...or...
• Take a bath when you get to your hotel room - Matt & I took a bath first. This helped me, personally, immensely. Because I was clean and relaxed when we got out. And that, for me, made all the difference. It allowed us to slow down. Romance each other in the tub. And drink a glass of champagne and relax. And pray. And then he got out, and I stayed behind and got dressed... :) 
• Don't schedule your honeymoon or your gift opening or anything early the next morning - We slept in until noon the next morning. Or at least we stayed in bed. And it was so lovely knowing we had nowhere to be and could just sleep and bask in one another. I know so many people who have to be up at like 5am the next morning to catch a flight & it seems like such a drag! Because then you lose a few days of your honeymoon trying to catch up on sleep! In fact, we waited a week after our wedding to leave for our honeymoon. I loved it because, as a virginal bride, I was so sore! For the solid week after (yes, I'm being brutally honest) I wanted to cry. So by the honeymoon, I was at least a bit more comfortable. 
• Only put yourself in charge of enjoying your day, come D-day - (submitted by Jessica Charney) In other words, you should have no other job on your wedding day other than fully experiencing and enjoying every emotion. Don't let anyone come to you with any problems, hiccups, etc. Designate someone else to that task. That's what family is for. You just enjoy. It only happens one day. 

So, anyways, my dear friend, I hope these help! I'm sure I will think of several more along the way! Congratulations. I could not be more happy for you two. <3