6 Things I learned when I got married - From a Wedding Photographer & Former Bride

1. Weddings can easily get expensive.
The truth is unless you're Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, everyone has a budget of some kind, so plan what's important to you both and be realistic about how much things you want will cost. I won't lie there were things that we wanted to hire and have for our day that we just couldn't afford, so we had to go without and make a plan B (or C or D... eeek!). But there were certain things that we knew we would regret if we scrimped on and went for a cheaper alternative, so we spent out and just had to compromise on other things.

2. Being yourselves is always the best way to go.
Even though this is a piece of advice that is in nearly every article about wedding planning, I still see stories online and listen to people talk about making compromises for family and friends, even though it makes them miserable and potentially costs them money they didn’t want to spend. Everyone has their own opinions and has their own tastes and ideas as to what "the perfect wedding day" consists of. Always listen to other peoples advice, but if you really don't think something is right for you, be brave and do what will make you both happy. Have a small wedding if you want one, have a huge one if you want that instead, buy the wedding dress you love but your grandma will hate, it's your bloody day!

3. The day itself goes so quickly.
Even though I'm a Wedding Photographer and I obviously think hiring one for your wedding is a good idea, also as a former bride I know the value of having beautiful professional pictures of your day. It only happens once and as the years go by you will start to forget things that happened on the day, and without sounding too morbid as loved ones pass away those photos really do become treasures. It doesn't mean you need to hire a wedding photographer or videographer that you can't afford, but please don't overlook hiring one and try and work it into your budget early. I can honestly say that we hired someone we liked, who knew what they were doing and their main role was to document our day which meant our guests could enjoy themselves and take the occasional snap if they wanted to - It is something we don't regret. 

Pete and I on our wedding day in 2015 - Photo by Oscar May.

​4. Buy a pair of cool flats as well as killer heels.
Especially if you are like me and don't wear heels very often. I had to buy a pair of Irregular Choice heels because I really wanted some but I knew I couldn't really wear them all day, so I also bought a sparkly pair of Converse All Stars to wear when I'd had enough of heels (which I took on honeymoon with me as well!) Yep, that'll mean you'll have two pairs of wedding shoes, and I'm forever talking to brides that are undecided about if they should have flats and heels but just do it, trust me your feet will thank me!

5. There is always more to plan than you initially think.
For example, the biggest thing we overlooked in the early planning stages was the food, which is crazy really because we both love food so much. We also nearly forgot completely to buy wedding rings and remembered about a month before the wedding! Wedding shows are actually a good way of reminding you of things you need to sort out, because there are usually so many different types of vendors exhibiting that it'll jog your memory or give you ideas.

6. HAVE FUN, please.
I really don't think this one can be said enough. Being proposed to by the love of your life is an amazing thing, and getting all excited with loved ones about your wedding is great too. However planning a wedding can be very stressful. I do think that stress is part of the process, mainly because you both care so much about the wedding, but there were a few times when Pete and I made ourselves shrug things off and put the whole thing into perspective. It's an important day but it's just one day, and the whole process should be as happy and as fun as possible.


I hope you found this helpful and happy wedding planning!
If you have any questions you'd like me to answer, feel free to get in touch. ​​​​​​

love & Stuff
​xo.