Wedding Blog

Following Mrs. Bees’ list, this is my list of what I could have done better and things that I did right.

What I did wrong..

1. Mr. Violet & I are not musically inclined when it comes to the dance floor. We did our best to come up with a short playlist of songs we liked and gave it to our DJ. He did take our suggestions and played most of our songs. Unfortunately, the songs didn’t work. Aside from the fact that almost half our guests were older and Asian and don’t dance, even the younger crowd that do normally dance didn’t run to the dancefloor. However, despite the lack of dancing, everyone seemed to be very engaged at their tables and there were a lot of mingling going on. My advice is that if you don’t know your dance music, find a good DJ and just leave it up to them.

2. I really wanted to talk to all of our guests, at least once. I tried so hard and thought that a guestlist of 108 wouldn’t be that difficult to get around to. I was so wrong! I was able to get to most of our guests, but I realized later that I missed a few. I also didn’t get to take a picture with everyone. Although we did get a really huge group photo towards the end of reception, so I hope that the photographer was able to capture the guests that I missed.

3. Although we had a schedule detailing the events for the day, I didn’t know exactly when the speeches were to be given. The MC did not give the speakers enough time to prepare themselves so I think their nerves took over and they didn’t get to say what they had prepared. Mr. Violet & I were still very touched by the speeches, especially from my MOH who barely got any words out, but kept trying to prevent herself from crying. For the sake of your speakers, make sure you find out when this happens and let them know in advance.

4. Although my dress was lovely, it dragged and got dirty very quickly. It’s a good thing that it’s champagne and not white. My bridal attendant was kind enough to try to get the dirt out with seltzer but at that point, I really didn’t care.

5. It would not be me if I did not reveal the clumsy side of me on my Big day. As I was sneaking up to greet Mr. Violet from behind for our very first meet, my heel got stuck between the wood on the bridge. I was seriously stuck. I tried not to panic and thought I had to literally pull my foot out but to my relief, I eventually broke free.

6. I had a perfume saved specifically for my wedding. Guess what? I totally forgot to put it on. Oops!

What I did right..

1. Planning in advance is crucial. I was practically finished 3 days before our wedding day. I really wanted to be relaxed and to look my best for the wedding. So for the last few days, I concentrated on myself. I made sure my face was prepped, I went out for a massage and body scrub. I even went shopping.

2. We asked our bridal party to come over the day before so that we could run through the schedule. The schedule was pretty clear cut, but I really wanted to make sure they knew what was going to happen. I also wanted to make sure they had a checklist of things to bring. It was nice to just get everyone together too. Mr. Violet gave a short thank you toast & we handed out our Thank you gifts. It was fun and very memorable.

3. I’ve never really been a “list” kind of girl. I usually remember things pretty well. However, I also knew that there would come a point when I needed to let go of the planning and leave it to others. So, I made detailed lists for each person depending on what they were handling - my MOH, my usher & for the people at Westbury Manor who would be setting up my reception. Everything was labelled and came with a note detailing where things should go and what they were for.

4. Mr. Violet and I debated about seeing each other before the ceremony. He was adamantly against it and I thought it was smarter to do it beforehand… and guest what? The wife is always right! Lol. We did not regret it one bit. In fact it took the pressure off. We didn’t have to rush. We were able to take our time and the walk down the aisle was still very special and memorable. We are really happy that we chose to see each other first.

5. Throughout wedding planning, I received a ton of advice. Some I took with a grain of salt and some I kept near to my heart. I was told, “do all that you can before the big day, but once it comes, just let go and have fun. Don’t worry about it anymore.” I did that perfectly. I was very calm throughout the day. Of course, I was nervous but I didn’t sweat the small things. I was really just all smiles and just geniunely happy.

6. Everything I DIYed! It was more work and time consuming than I anticipated, but it was all worth it in the end. It really added a nice personal touch to our wedding.