With our anniversary fast approaching, and watching a lot of our friends get married this year, I can’t help but think back to all the things we learned during our wedding planning journey.  It was such a fun (and stressful) time in our lives, and we learned so much along the way. Here are some things definitely worth noting…

Take time to celebrate

One thing that my husband always said to me was that he was sad we never really took time to enjoy our engagement. I think this happens to almost every couple. The guy spends months looking at and finalizing a ring, planning a proposal and then the second he proposes, you go into planning mode because you’re excited! (And why shouldn’t you be?!)

This is perfectly normal, and it’s so fun to get excited and swooped up in the fairy tail. But remember to take time with each other and enjoy your engagement. Have some time alone before telling people, take a little trip, laugh with each other, and don’t let every night become about wedding planning. This time in your relationship is so short, so soak it all in when you can.

Quality photography and videography is 100% worth it!

One thing our photographer told us that will always ring true was, “A good photographer can make a cheap wedding look expensive, and a bad photographer can make an expensive wedding look cheap.”

When looking through company after company of photographers and videographers, we realized what she said couldn’t be Truer! So, how do you pick a good team to work with?

Take the time to get to know your photographers and learn their style. Look at weddings they have done recently, their editing style, and dance floor shots. You can really get a sense of how your entire day will look when you look through their portfolio. If you like their previous weddings, then you’ve found your photographers/videographers!

We LOVED how our photo’s turned out, but our video, not so much. Unfortunately, our photographer was not available to go video that day, so we had to go with a different company for video. Not a big deal, we thought! We will just find another company with good work and reviews and call it a day. We ended up picking a company where we never met the videographer beforehand. It was a good price point, decent reviews, but it did not turn out the way we wanted.

Just do your research and go with your gut! You will know quality when you see it, and paying a little extra for it is worth every penny. Your photos and/or video are what capture your special moments, and you want them to be captured well.

You are never going to please everyone

If you take away anything from this post, let THIS be it! When wedding planning, it can be hard to make decisions and please all of your guests, and even your family. When in doubt, always stick to your gut and do what will make you and your fiancé happiest.

After all, this is your wedding day and no one else’s. And, to be frank, no one will remember the day like you will, so buy the dream dress that Aunt Susie doesn’t approve of, have that non-traditional ceremony, eat your favorite food, go nuts! If you think it will make you happy on your day (and you can afford it) treat yourself!

Stay organized

Two things kept me organized through out our planning process; Google Drive and The Knot App!

Having everything on Google Drive was great because I could access it from anywhere. Need an address from someone? Add it in! Someone RSVP in person? Update the spreadsheet! It was great to have everything at our fingertips, anytime, anywhere.

The Knot App was also a godsend! We used this to keep the timing of wedding planning on pace. You simply download the app, put in your wedding date, and it tells you month by month what you should be doing. Perfect for an organization freak like me!

A day-of coordinator will take all of your stress away

I truly think having a day-of coordinator is something everyone should have. If your venue offers this as a part of your package, great! And if not, just hire someone. Coordinators can be very reasonably priced, and compared to your overall budget, hiring one is pennies on top of what you’re spending for the day.

I am hyper organized and worked in the wedding industry, so I didn’t need help with planning our wedding, but I did want help coordinating our day. I am pretty type-A and knew that I would be a basket case all morning wondering if everything was being set up properly and that the vendors knew what they were doing and where to go.

Enter Krista, with Wedding With a Twist! I knew Krista from working in the industry, and trusted her with everything. We met about two times before our big day and she took all of my stress away. She did everything from making sure everything was set up, running the ceremony, tipping our vendors, and making sure all of the gifts were in the car at the end of the night. She literally did everything so that Brian and I, our family and our friends could just enjoy the day. Worth. Every. Penny.

What did you learn while wedding planning? Anything you wish you knew?

Wedding and Engagement Photos: Better Together Photography