Being a bride is the most joy-filled feeling. Everything happens so quickly, like the finale of a firework show. Trying your hardest to soak in each moment that you have spent the last year planning. After all the work, the decisions, the planning, you’re married! That is the best part! Now that I am married to the most amazing man, let me tell you the best advice I can give about the wedding day itself.

To see our full wedding feature here on ST, visit this post.

To see the DIY Glow Stick Bar that Jen created for us, visit this post.

Pure Joy

I wish I hadn’t wasted time while I was planning worrying about what other’s would think. If you feel like something is right for your day, do it. People were very concerned that I was going to be walking myself down the aisle. When in truth, walking myself down was one of the best decisions I made. A smile spread wide across my face and I skipped down to my groom. I almost ran straight to Joe, I had to remind myself to slow down. No one even noticed that I was doing it by myself in the moment. It seemed like it was the normal thing to do. It wasn’t an emotional time for me, it was just pure joy!

Just Go With It

If it rains on your outdoor ceremony, proceed in the rain! When things happen that you can’t avoid, you might as well get into it – since you can’t get out. Giving our vows to each other in the rain was so romantic. It was funny to look into the crowd and see everyone with umbrellas or a shirt over their head to take cover. All we could do was laugh, and our photos turned out amazing! We now have our handwritten vows in frames in our room with rain stains on the pages smearing some of the words. This is one of my favorite reminders of the unconditional love that we promised each other.

The Invites

Choosing who to invite to the wedding was a huge stress on us because of budget. In the end we decided on a split, some for the ceremony and dinner and some just for the reception. So we created a facebook group and invited our parent’s friends, our newer friends, and the teenagers we mentor at church to just the reception. This ended up being one of the best decisions! We didn’t have to pay for an extra meal or seat but they still felt included in our day. When they arrived at the dance they came with a fresh rejuvenation to the party. People who are there all day get tired but having new people come after dinner made our dance floor the best one I’ve ever seen.

My Best Advice

The best advice I received was to spend time with your groom during the event, and I will pass it on to you as the best advice I can give. Make sure you’re not trapped in a conversation away from your husband. Make sure you pay attention to each other. The day is busy and there are tons of people competing for your attention. Make a point to stay connected to each other. We asked a few select people to make sure of this. We had a friend monitor us while we ate our dinner so no one could interrupt us from feeding ourselves; kind of like a bodyguard! I told my bridesmaids to make sure that Joe and I were spending time on the dance floor together. Because of this intention, there were only a few moments that we weren’t together and that truly made our day. It was us together with everyone we love, not just one of us at a time with only the people we know. In the end, my mom saved us a plate of cheesecake and another plate of chips and dip that we ate on our way to the hotel because we were super hungry and there wasn’t any food left! It’s a long day, so make sure to eat!

Final Thoughts

Don’t let what anyone says scare you from doing what you want on your day! Invite the people that will let you dance with your husband on the dance floor. Leave room for mistakes to happen on the day because in the end, you get to go home with the man of your dreams!

I loved being your bridal blogger this season, thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts and plans with you all. To keep up with our life after the wedding you can visit us at CarliReneeHein.com.

xo, Carli Hein

All images courtesy of: Sarah Olfelt Photography