Planning a wedding and still looking for some advice? We partnered with Ben Bridge to track down brides who were willing to share their stories.
You've read all the glossies to ready yourself for your upcoming nuptials. The venue is booked, you snagged the photographer you wanted by reaching out way in advance, and you've settled on a menu. Surely, there's gotta be more to do, right? To make sure you don't miss a beat, we rounded up wedding day secrets from POPSUGAR staffers who have tied the knot.
When people tell you to eat beforehand, just do it.
I had an avocado tuna salad sandwich at 3 p.m. after having a megabrunch with family. I had a feeling we wouldn't get to eat much and I was right. I completely missed out on the buffet and ended up eating dry rolls with butter at 11 p.m. — Sarah L.
Set aside time to cry.
I was so afraid I'd be emotional — that I'd bawl my eyes out going down the aisle — so instead of meeting my groom at the altar, I had a private meeting with just us two and the photographer to give us our own emotional moment, without any other eyes on us. Of course I was still emotional and someone told me just to let it out; don't hold it in. Once I let out a good cry, I felt better and could enjoy the rest of the ceremony/day. — Jenny S.
Get two of everything.
Have extra stuff stashed for your bridesmaids, especially if they're traveling (extra shoes and jewelry). You can always return the stuff they don't wear. — Sarah L.
Don't stress over the silly traditions.
Toenail polish is an easy way to squeeze in your something blue. — Kat M.
When something big goes wrong the day of, just laugh.
My bridesmaids and I walked a few blocks to the shuttle pickup, ready to head to the ceremony site for pictures. Well, the shuttle never came. Our options were to wait 30 minutes for another shuttle to come and miss out on taking photos or frantically call nearby friends and beg them for a ride. We ended up caravanning down to the site. It was hilarious. — Rebecca B.
Leave your wedding. Just for a moment.
Make sure to take a moment during your reception for the two of you to stand back alone, tucked away somewhere no one will see you or bug you — I mean, congratulate you — and watch your wedding. Even just for a moment, watch your friends and family all having a great time celebrating your love. You've worked hard to create this day and you deserve to see it all come together. It will be gone before you know it, so take a minute to enjoy it! — Whitney W.
Buy extra, extra alcohol if your venue is BYOB.
Our venue let us buy booze to stock the bar (definitely do this if you can — it's a huge money saver), so we placed a large order (or so we thought). Even with all of that, we ended up running out of vodka very early (it was still light out!), and it wasn't because people were drinking that much, but more that they were just ordering and putting their drinks down. In any event, my then-fiancé had a few gallons in the car he'd purchased just as a backup. It was such a good idea. — Rebecca B.
More From Ben Bridge
Fairy tale endings do come true! Don't believe it? Just take a peek at this insanely romantic engagement and wedding video of real-life couple and Ben Bridge customers Blake and Janelle. Their story is so perfectly sweet that Ben Bridge turned it into a commercial.