Sunday, October 14, 2012

Mr&Mrs Smith

So I'm only a little behind on this post ;)

It's been six weeks since we got married and I'm still having a hard time calling Shaun my HUSBAND instead of my fiance :)

The wedding was great! The weather was perfect and beautiful (but that's just how San Diego normally is)! We don't have our official pictures back yet, and I'm assuming most people have seen the pictures we do have on Facebook, so I won't do a picture overload. Instead, I want to give a few bits of advice to any newly engaged people.

1. Decide what is most important to you.
     For me, it was all about location, location, location! I have always dreamed of getting married on the beach so that was a no-brainer. After we figured that part out, everything else was cake!

2. Give yourself plenty of time.
     I had over a year to plan and prep and figure out how I wanted my wedding. I honestly have no idea how or why people get married with so little time! I didn't want to be stressing every day about getting things done.
     This also goes for the day of the wedding. We got all that we could get done the day before because I knew I didn't want to be rushing around the morning of. I got to sleep in, and then leisurely went and ate and got our hair done. Granted we were a little late with our hair, but it wasn't anything too big.

3. Find ways to save money.
     Destination weddings are never cheap. But I think we did our wedding in San Diego and a Vernal reception for under 10k (which seems high, but SD weddings cost a LOT!) Anyways, our first order of business was to find a good restaurant to have our reception. Finding a venue and then finding a caterer gets a little pricey! Plus they already have the plates, silverware and tablecloths. Our reception center even had a built in sound system so we didn't have to rent equipment or hire a DJ!
     Another way to save some cash...have your wedding on a weekday. I know it seems odd, but we saved ourselves over two grand just by getting married on a Thursday!
     If you have the option, go to a cosmotology school to get your hair and make up done. The going rate in San Diego was about $120, just for your hair! We got our hair and make up done at the Paul Mitchell School for $55! So worth it too.
     I knew we would only be using our flowers for a few hours, so instead of spending hundreds on professional flowers, we did them ourselves! For 15 centerpieces, 3 bridesmaids bouquets and 1 bridal bouquet is was $120. We lucked out and had a Trader Joe's near our hotel. They were gorgeous! I loved my bouquet.
    
4. Don't set your expectations so high that it will never compare.
     I've been part of both of my sister's weddings and I knew something would go wrong, so I was constantly reminding myself that it doesn't have to be perfect. Nothing too major went wrong but I also wasn't stressed and freaked out all day.

5. Just enjoy the day :)
     I know that one seems kind of obvious, but it's so true! We had a small enough wedding (just under 40 people) that we were able to talk and visit with everyone and still have time to ourselves to just enjoy the moment.

6. Do 'day after' or 'sneek peak' pictures.
     We did a day after session on the beach, and it was so much fun! Mostly because we were on the beach, but also because we weren't being rushed about having to get here or go there. We could just relax and have fun. Plus, it gives you another reason to wear your dress :)

That's basically all the advice I have about getting married and planning and blah blah blah  haha   It was the best day of my life and I couldn't imagine it any better! At the end of the day, I was married to my best friend and that's all that matters




 

 Lisa with our awesome Trader Joe's flowers :)



 

We were lucky enough to have a good friend (who just also happens to be a judge in Utah) fly down and marry us :)







 


I loved my dress and my bouquet! I had never felt so beautiful in my entire life.






 


Beautiful San Diego skyline outside our reception




Awesome sunset over the ocean with my husband. Life could not have been any better!