When you’re planning your big day, the last thing you’d ever think about is a wedding re do. And that’s as it should be! This is it, your once-in-a-lifetime wedding, your most special of special occasions, and you are planning for perfection. But after the wedding is over, well… There are always one or two or more things–usually little things, but sometimes big ones–that brides might do differently if they had a wedding re do to do. Here, three Houston brides share their “what I might have done differently if I had it to do over again” wedding stories. We, and they, hope these gentle cautionary tales just might help a few current brides-to-be have the wedding they’ve always dreamed of…one that is long on revelry and romance, and super short on regrets.
Jackie + Aaron 9.6.17
The Dunlavy, Houston
What She’d Change: “If I had to change one thing about the wedding day, it would probably be spending more time with my fiancé and guests, and appreciating all of the hard work that went into the day. I really didn’t want to do a ‘first look’ because I wanted to have that special moment when I walked down the aisle. Looking back now, and thinking about a wedding re do, if we had done a first look we would’ve been able to do all family photos prior to the ceremony and we would’ve had more time between the ceremony and reception. We were pretty rushed with photos due to the ceremony time and sunset.
I also wish that following the ceremony, I would’ve been able to walk into the reception room and see the tables, decor and the food stations, and had time to freshen up and make it to cocktail hour. Since we didn’t do a first look, immediately following our ceremony we did all of our photos outside while guests enjoyed cocktail hour. Once we were done, everyone was getting seated for the reception. We walked in the room, we did our dances and then sat down to eat. From there it was all a whirlwind, and by the end of the night I realized I didn’t get to see everything that I worked so hard to plan, and I didn’t get to spend as much quality time with my fiancé and guests as I would’ve if we had gotten some of the pictures done earlier in the day.
Luckily we had an amazing photographer and videographer that captured the day perfectly, so I’m able to look back and reflect on those details I missed in person.”
What She’d KEEP: “After the reception, when the room cleared out, Aaron and I had our last dance of the evening with just us in the room. Being alone on the dance floor gave us a moment to reflect on the night and soak it all in, and have an intimate moment to ourselves.”
Brooke + Wiley 9.28.17
Villa Eva, Ravello, Italy
What She’d Change: “I think the one thing I would have done differently was to schedule more ‘unscheduled’ time. Having a destination wedding was the best decision we could have made, but I wish we would have enjoyed more of our time to explore the area, outside of our scheduled wedding activities. Everyone, including my husband and myself, arrived in Ravello three days before the wedding day. Knowing what I know now, I would have scheduled Wiley and myself to arrive at least two days before everyone else, and I would have spread out our vendor meetings, wedding meetings and wedding events over the week, instead of packing them into 72 hours.”
What She’d KEEP: “After a traditional Italian toast of Prosecco in the main square of Ravello, my husband and I led our family and friends to the reception villa through the cobblestoned village. We were followed by a mandolin player and a guitar player who played traditional Italian music all the way to the villa. It was…magical!”
Vivian + Matt 3.18.2017
The Gallery, Houston
What She’d Change: “I would tell myself to have conviction with all the decisions we were making. Being able to take a step back and remember what the day is representing is important throughout the process. I had a lot of fun planning the wedding, but there were certainly some times when I felt stressed about a small decision, or pressured by vendors to make a choice, even when it didn’t feel right. It can make me uncomfortable to say no to people, but luckily my husband is both helpful with making decisions and with reassuring me. If I were to do it over again, I would make sure to tell myself it is OK to say no, and go with my gut, which would have helped me avoid feeling unnecessary guilt.”
What She’d KEEP: “I loved watching my husband, Matt, smash the glass at the end of the ceremony, and then lean in for our first kiss. It was also so much fun sharing the dance floor with all of our friends and family—we danced nonstop from the first song until the last. It was the best night of our lives so far!”
