What I would change about my wedding

What I would change about my wedding

April 22, 2020

After almost 6 years of marriage and four years of being a wedding photographer, I’ve had quite a bit of time to reflect on what we did to celebrate our wedding day. I still absolutely love Joey and my wedding day as a whole and wouldn’t change that beautiful day for anything! But, I’ve found that there a few things I would modify now. In the grand scheme of things, these changes don’t make a difference in our marriage. They are mostly personal preferences that I would change based on what I know now versus what I knew then! Planning a wedding as a twenty-year-old who can count the number of weddings she’s been to on one hand has it’s challenges. I had no idea what I was doing! My style has shifted (for the better!) as I’ve gone through my twenties. Some of the decisions I made 6 years ago (ahem, super rustic DIY) just don’t fit my personal style today.

Looking through photos of our wedding day with our daughter Evelyn has led me to reflect on things that I would change (or leave the same!) about my wedding plans if I was getting married today. I wanted to make a quick list for anyone who might want to know what’s going to still matter to them after 5+ years of marriage!

 

Things I would never change:

Our Venue

We got married at Happy Apple Celebrations in Norwalk, Iowa (seriously, check them out!). The inside of the building isn’t quite the bright and airy look I love today, but I still wouldn’t change our ceremony location! We got married outside in the apple orchard on a gorgeous day in May. It couldn’t have been more perfect! Since our wedding, they’ve added a beautiful arch in the orchard that I so wish had been there in 2014!

Our Vows

We wrote our own vows and read them in front of everyone. Joey cried. It was beautiful and so, so memorable. I still have the vows hanging in our bedroom and love reading the commitment we made to each other on our wedding day!

Our First Look

Again, Joey cried! It was so sweet and I loved the moment we got to spend alone together before things got super crazy for the day. Highly recommend!!

Our Band

Having a live swing band was Joey’s idea. Let me tell you, it was worth every penny. EVERYONE got to dance at our wedding. It didn’t matter the age, the dance floor was filled with smiling faces of those I love most! It was so fun dancing with all of them the entire evening!

My hubby

Okay, so this one goes without saying. But, we’re both pretty imperfect people. That said, I’d never change who I married for anything! I love Joey and the life we’re building together!

 

Things I might update if I knew then what I know now:

My dress

I felt so beautiful wearing my lace overlay A-line wedding dress, which is the best feeling ever! I still absolutely love my dress, but it’s not the style I would pick today. If I were picking a dress today, it would be more flowy, a little more modern and very delicate!

Bridesmaid Dresses & Men’s Attire

Okay, so it seems the things I was only so, so on is clothing! While I would’ve gone with the same color palette, I’d tweak the attire to be a bit more elegant and less rustic. The guys would’ve worn suit jackets instead of just shirts with rolled sleeves. My bridesmaids would’ve worn long dresses in different styles! I love the mix-matched look to help everyone find the perfect fit!

Decor

My decor was completely DIY and super rustic. I cringe a little when I look back at what I thought was a good idea! But, hey, you don’t know what you don’t know! At the time, I loved it!

 

Things I wish I’d done different:

Have a Videographer

During our ceremony, Joey cried. It was the sweetest thing ever and I don’t have a single good photo or any video of that moment. If I could tell my younger self one vendor to hire that I didn’t even think of, it would be a videographer! If not for the whole day (I love highlight videos!) at least for our ceremony.

Real Flowers

Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I went with fake flowers. It was a more common money-saving option at the time, but it makes me sad! I LOVE real flowers. They’re one of my favorite gifts to receive and I love just looking at them! I so wish I would’ve invested in at least my bouquet because the beauty of that would’ve brought me so much joy!

Not let everyone eat before we did

This was a mistake! We let everyone eat as soon as they entered the reception. By the time we entered, everyone was finished and had to watch us eat. SO AWKWARD!

The Cake

I didn’t put any thought into this part of the day. Honestly, I didn’t think it would even matter. But looking back, I would’ve even gone for a single tier cake with white frosting and some flowers/greenery for decoration instead of the brightly frosted cake (blue and purple, of course) that we had. It would’ve been so much prettier! But, that’s just me being picky.

Our Photographer

Now we got married before I was a photographer. I had NO idea the subtle differences in photography. I had my dream photographer that I followed for years and loved, but I didn’t book her. HUGE mistake! We went with someone cheaper and the photos aren’t what I always dreamed of. I still cherish my wedding photos, but I know my memories would’ve been much more timeless and artistic if I’d gone with my dream photographer. (definitely thinking vow renewal photos are in our future at some point!)

So, there you have it! After being married for almost 6 years, this is what still matters to me about our wedding day. If you’re planning your wedding day, I hope that helps put a few things into perspective! The things that made the biggest impact were the things that brought everyone together, documented this important day in our life and things that just personally filled me with joy! 🙂

What I would change about my wedding

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