The Wedding Part 3: Favorite Moments and Advice

I've said it before and I'll say it again, planning a wedding is one of the most stressful, but more importantly, FUN things I've ever done. Nothing can prepare you for the day of your wedding. It's a whirlwind of emotions, anticipation, and adrenaline. It's the best day ever, and it goes by in a blink of an eye. Advice from friends who had recently gotten married really helped me know what to expect and how to keep my head on straight. So I figured while it's still fresh in my mind I'd pass on some of what I learned along with a few of my favorite moments.

1. Savor your first look. Put all the schedules aside for a moment and take time to soak in his reaction, your reaction, and any sweet words. Enjoy this peaceful moment between you and your almost husband before you are whisked off to do more photos and running around.

I know not everyone does photos before the ceremony so this doesn't apply to every bride. But if you do plan on doing a first look and photos before the ceremony, remember to really take your time with the first look. This is the start of your wedding journey. I enjoyed seeing Adam before the ceremony because, well, the day is about us and I wanted to spend time with him. It was one of my favorite moments because it was one of the few moments that we were alone, just us, ready to embark on our special day. Of course, the photographers were there, but they were far enough off to allow us to have a private moment.

2. Take advantage of your location and the scenery. You have chosen to get married at this particular place / venue / spot for a certain reason. Capture the essence of what made you fall in love with the place.

{Yes, my husband is grabbing my butt. He's a romantic}

For us, it was the beauty of the Arizona desert and the lake that we loved. Don't get me wrong, we loved our venue and it was breathtaking as well, but I became obsessed with the idea of us all decked out in wedding attire standing in the middle of the desert - in the dirt. But getting these shots was no easy task, especially since we decided to take the whole wedding party out there with us.

To get to our photo shoot location we went off roading into the desert. Like hardcore off roading. I had to hoist myself into a lifted truck, in the process, loosing one of the hoops of my underskirt and then we went on a 10 minute, very bumpy, but fun ride. Some of the groomsmen got to ride out in this:

We were in a crazy rush to get the pictures done and get back and start the ceremony on time. (For the record I don't believe the ceremony started on time.) All of our feet got dirty, my dress probably got dirty, it was hot, and I had red ants crawling up the layers of my bodice minutes before I walked down the aisle. Did I mention I have a phobia of ants? But in the end, it was worth it. Not just for the photos, but for the adventure of it all, and the memories.

3. Have fun in the photos with your bridal party! Some of my favorite photos are the ones where we got a little goofy. Above is our lost in the desert look.

Here we have falling off a ledge.

And our attempt at the Bridesmaids poster.

{Succulent, Dahlia, Rose, Pincushion Protea, and Millet Bouquet}

4. Get a photo of your bouquet. If all goes as planned it will be the prettiest bouquet of flowers you've ever seen in your life. You'll want to look at it later. AND, one tip I wish someone gave to me: if you take photos before your ceremony, just wear your rings, it will make the photos look more married.

5. Have dinner at your wedding. With your husband. Talk. Look around. Soak it all in. This was my favorite moment.

6. Let your husband smash cake in your face. It's fun.

Although, I told him to absolutely NOT smash cake in my face, it turns out to be one of my favorite moments of the wedding. And it was one of the few bites of cake I got to eat.