Did you do a first look? No.

Were you happy with your choice? I am so glad we did not do a first look. I have always dreamed of seeming the groom for the first time as I walked down the aisle. It was wonderful. I loved seeing the tears on his face with the song “Sinking Deep” playing. It was like in a movie for us, but better of course.

 

Did you have a budget? Yes.

 

Did you stick to the budget? Surprisingly, yes!

 

How many bridesmaids did you have? Five. I was going to have six, however one was serving for the summer in Chicago.

 

What was your favorite gift? One of our favorite gifts was a picnic basket that had plates and wine glasses in it. We have loved using it not only outside but indoor picnics as well.

 

Did you do cake, cupcakes, pies or other? We did a cake.

 

Did you and your husband exchange gifts? We did! He made me a video with all the pictures we had taken while we were dating with music and sweet notes throughout it. I gave him a notebook I had been writing in for a  few years that was addressed to my future husband.

 

How long did you have to plan

your wedding? 4 months.

 

Did you have a videographer? No.

I wish we did though.

 

Did you leave for the honeymoon

the day after the wedding? Yes.

 

What advice would you give to

brides planning a wedding right

now? The advice I would give to

brides planning right now is don’t

stress. The flowers, the cake, the dresses, the food, etc. is important. However, at the end of the day, the two of you will be married! That is what this wedding is about, for the two of you to become husband and wife (which is totally crazy and fun to say right after you get married). When planning, have fun and be open to different ideas. Let the groom help out. Most importantly, make the focus about Christ. It is He that has brought you two together and saw if fit for you two to be one and help expand His kingdom.

 

What advice would you give to brides about the honeymoon? The honeymoon is fun but is not like it shows in the movies. It is a time where the two of you really get to know each other and be vulnerable with each other for the first time. It’s wonderful yet, difficult at the same time. I think you should go somewhere for your honeymoon but maybe wait a little bit before going somewhere fancy. I’ll be honest, you will be tired for your wedding. You are tired when you wake up the next morning and have to get in the car and go or get up early to get on the flight. It’s tiring being on a honeymoon. I know this to be true for many people not only myself. However, if you do go somewhere fancy/destination, you will still have fun. You will still get to know your husband even better and you will start making wonderful memories now as husband and wife.

 

Did you feel like things flowed smoothly?

If yes why? I felt as if every part of the wedding went well. The ceremony was short, which is what we wanted. It was focused on Christ and we still got married in under 15 minutes. The reception was fun. I loved getting to talk to everyone who came from many places. The only part that I felt didn’t go well was when we were cutting the cake. He had been telling me he wasn’t going to smash the cake in my face, however I did not believe him. So, when he was going in to feed it to me, I leaned my head back far and banged it on the pole right behind me. Very loud. Very embarrassing. If that was the only “bad” thing that happened I am okay with that.

 

What would you do differently if you were to plan your wedding over? I would not worry about everything. I would not have made a big deal about what flowers we were going to have or what colors we were doing. I wish I had more fun planning it.

 

What did you find to be the most difficult part of wedding planning? The most difficult part would definitely have to be was making everyone happy. Not only Josh and our moms, but also myself and dads and close friends. When we were planning on whom we could invite, that was a nightmare! We could only invite 200 people and our moms both had a list of about 100 people. So we had to go through and cut people.

 

What has been the hardest part about marriage? The hardest part has been communication. Communicating when we get upset with each other. It’s not often but it does happen. We have learned that we have to tell each other what we are feeling and why as soon as we notice what is going on in our hearts towards the other person. I have learned that it does not help holding something in. It just grows and grows and makes the conversation not go as smoothly compared to if I would have just told him up front it would have been so much better.

 

What has been your favorite thing about being married? I love getting to have sleepovers with my best friend every night. I love the way he encourages me daily. I love how we learn to communicate in every situation even when it is difficult. I love praying with him daily. Being married is fun. We have both learned so much and continue to grow with each other and with the Lord. It is amazing to see how God is working in our lives and marriage. It is just…amazing.