One thing I always hate to see is a bride and groom who get stressed out at their own wedding.  With all the preparation and planning, work, time, emotion… that goes into a wedding, it’s easy to still have the mindset of the “wedding planner” on your wedding day instead of being the bride or groom.  So, here are some of my tips for enjoying your day:

Don’t schedule your day to tightly!  Things will go by so fast on your wedding day, so don’t help rush things by setting yourself up be in a hurry all day long. Be sure that your make up and hair are done early leaving you time to relax and hang out with your wedding party or family before the ceremony.  Also, this allows your photographer to get awesome shots of you all made up and beautiful, but relaxed.  Allow plenty of time to get to your ceremony site if you are driving there and have some time between your ceremony and when you need to arrive at the reception.  ”Cocktail hour” can be an hour and a half if you want it to be, so you and your new spouse can spend a little time together.

Hire a day of coordinator (or a full blown wedding planner)!   Having someone run the show on your wedding day who is not a guest will take a huge burden off of your shoulders (or your mom’s shoulders, or your sister’s shoulders…).  Your coordinator can answer the million questions that will come up on your day, where do the flowers go, do the boutonnieres need to go to another room, what do we do with the extra programs, where is that damn limo, is the DJ supposed to put a speaker outside, and on and on.

Nothing goes perfectly as planned, but it always works out perfectly well!  After photographing hundreds of weddings, I have yet to see one that didn’t have some hiccup.  The worst was probably a cake that pretty much melted in the heat of a 106 degree day.  But even that was barely a blip on the radar for most of the guests and the bride was fine to wait for the baker to run back to the bakery and come up with a substitute.  Another bad one, a DJ who had the wrong date on the calendar for a the wedding.  In that case, the awesome staff at Wente Winery covered with and iPod and some speakers for the ceremony and the DJ showed up during dinner and set up faster than any DJ ever.  In the end, no one even really noticed that there was a problem.  The lesson, things always work out.  So relax and enjoy

Work with vendors you like and trust!  Find people you connect with on a personal level to work with you on your wedding.  You have to know they are listening to you, concerned about your wedding and are professionals.  

Keep your mind on what matters, your fiance, your family, your friends and all the lives you are a part of.  Enjoy your day.

One of the best ways to add a personal touch to your bouquet is to use a family heirloom or favorite brooch.  You may add them on the stem wrap or within the flowers but either way - it’s a wonderful way to make the bouquet yours!

If you have a planner/coordinator helping you out this person will most likely have an emergency kit on hand. If you do not have a planner/coordinator you will want most, if not all of the following items:

• Clear nail polish
• Emory board
• Brush and Comb
• Floss
• Bobby pins
• Hollywood fashion tape
• Safety pins
• Diaper pins
• Sewing kit
• Band aids
• Pain relievers
• Lotion
• Small mirror
• Hair ties
• Feminine hygiene products
• Scissors
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Tweezers
• Club soda
• Kleenex
• Drinking straws
• Breath mints
• Pen
• Deodorant
• Eye drops
• Hair spray
• Chalk
• Duct tape
• Antacid
• Travel sized toothbrush/toothpaste
• Tide to go pen

Happy Planning from BV Weddings!!

The 2009 Lovely Details Showcase will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 in the Golden Gate Room at Fort Mason (building A).  We are open to the public from 11-3.  Admission is free!

The showcase features a select group of wedding professionals who are dedicated delivering the highest quality service and products possible.  The number of participants is strictly limited creating a calm and friendly atmosphere, unlike most of the massive bridal fairs. Please email Lisa for more information. We hope to see you there!

On Sunday February 22, 2009 the 2nd annual Lovely Details Showcase will be held at Fort Mason in San Francisco, California. The showcase will be open to the public from 11-3, admission is free!