wedding road trip

Ten Lessons for Your Wedding Day

It’s possible you’ve been reading Wedding Road Trip because you’re getting ready for your own “perfect” day. Whether it’s your first, or even your second, you might benefit from some hot tips I picked up during ours.

You are not magical on your wedding day. Normal laws of biology and physics still apply to you. For example, if it’s a sunny day in California in August, you will burn without sunscreen. You don’t want to be lobster red and need to wear your sister’s foundation at the after party – not that it happened to me.

A little champagne can soothe the nerves. If you’re the groom, I prescribe a glass right before the ceremony. Please disregard this advice for Mormon nuptials.

People will cry, so carry a tissue. My mom cried, my sister cried, I even teared up (which normally only happens during playoff games).

Eat! You may be nervous and you’ll certainly be distracted, so even if you intend to, you might forget to fuel and bitch out. Luckily our friend Janet took it upon herself to be our designated snackee and plied us with almonds all day long. And drink water, too, or you’ll just find yourself wolfing down Coronas like I did.

Practice your first dance. Trust me on this one. Learn from my mistakes.

At the reception, put the head table in the middle of everyone, not set to the side. Just my perspective, but being in the mix with the rest of the tables made us more accessible but also allowed us to disappear into the crowd. And sometimes it’s nice to not have everyone looking at you.

It is so essential to have a concierge looking out for you at the reception. There is no way to make it to the bar without being rushed by three guests. My cousin Lara made sure to bring us wine – and brought us white so we wouldn’t stain The Wedding Dress.

Wear comfortable shoes. My back still hurts…

Everyone will be nice to you all day long. This sounds obvious, but it wasn’t to us beforehand – we were tired, stressed, and juggling logistics with emotions. A part of me was convinced we’d spend our wedding day fielding complaints and explaining directions and timetables. Instead everyone was SO nice and happy. Our guests were thrilled to be there. The vendors rocked. And people smiled and hugged and partied and did it for real – not to make us happy, but because they were so happy.

And after a six-week Wedding Road Trip and another month of setting up the final ceremony, talking so much in isolation, we saw that we weren’t an island but belonged to this big community that loves us. That, or free food and alcohol can make magic happen.

Tags: lessons for wedding, things to do at your wedding, tips for your wedding, wedding tips