Weddingbee Blog

There is a little piece of information I feel I should share with you upfront. I used to work as a wedding coordinator’s assistant. Now, given the period of time I did this (nine months or seven weddings), I would hardly call myself experienced in the field, but I got my feet wet. I loved my boss and I would have kept working with her, but at the time I thought I might be moving out of state (instead Mr. Ticket moved here!), and rather than have to bail on her once she had weddings booked I informed her of my situation and stopped planning. (I now have a very different full-time job working in accounting.) Incidentally, when I found out that Mr. Ticket was in fact moving here I wanted to go back to wedding planning, but unfortunately by this time my old boss had actually quit doing it herself.

So here I would love to share a few things I learned while working in the field. What I learned as an assistant, I now know as a bride.

1. Relax. Today is going to be a wonderful day no matter what goes wrong, because all that really matters at the end of the day is that you just married the love of your life. It may sound cliche; I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it’s extremely true! If you can remember this your day will be infinitely more special and less stressful.

Image via Pala Casino

2. Things WILL go wrong. No matter how much planning and preparation you do. No matter how many coordinators you hire. No matter how wonderful all of your vendors are. Something will inevitably go wrong. Go with it! No one but you and your vendors knows what the day is supposed to look like, so guests won’t know if something goes wrong. Refer to #1.

3. Surround yourself with loving and supportive family and friends. They will be your biggest asset on your special day. They know you best, and they know how to handle your ups and your downs. They will help hide the flaws before you see them and keep you calm if you do glimpse something wrong.

Image via The Knot / Photographed by Adam Frehm

4. If you begin to feel your inner bridezilla coming out, stop and count to 10. Odds are whatever you are about to FREAK OUT over is not worth it in the end. Yelling at your MOH or husband will not solve the problem at hand, and it will leave a sour taste in everyone’s mouth on a day that should be about love and happiness. Just take a step back, grab a drink, kick off your shoes, and enjoy the party! So your bustle isn’t perfect, the bartender put out a tip jar when you asked them not to, the unity candle is missing in action! Whatever your situation is, try to take things in stride. You may have been planning for this day for over 12 months, but all anyone will remember from your wedding is you throwing a temper tantrum over the ivory instead of white linens on the cake table if that is the attitude you choose to take. So again, refer to #1.

Image via Jezebel

I absolutely loved the experience I got from working those seven weddings; it’s helped me profusely in planning my own, and I have some seriously fun stories to tell from my days in the trenches. Now let’s see if I can follow my own advice!

Anyone else ever work in the wedding-planning business? If so how has it helped you plan your own wedding?