There are always some guests who respond that they will be coming to the wedding, and then cancel at the last minute for some unforseen reason. Quote your headcount to your reception site about 10 less than your actual total. You can always add-on up until a few days before the wedding. I followed this advice and saved our parents a lot of extra cash. —Stephanie DiDomenico - Lodi, NJ Always remember what is important — that you and your fianc├łe get married. If things don't go perfectly, you will still be able to remember your wedding day as one of the best days of your life. When Hurricane Katrina devastated my wedding plans, I had to force myself to keep things in perspective. In the end, although our wedding was not ultimately the same event that I had planned over the past year, it was still my wedding day - the day I married my best friend while surrounded by my closest family and friends. On a day like that - things like location, flowers and "perfection" don't matter so much. —Allison Cannizaro - New Orleans, LA When you're standing there together about to say your vows, stop and look around at everything. Take it all in and live in that one moment…the details about the wedding, reception, food, etc. are trivial and unimportant at this point. It is all about you and the person you love. Take the time to cherish your surroundings. You will never get this moment back. —Anne Schmidt - Georgetown MA Don't book a hotel a half hour away from the reception without offering any transport for your guests. —Kristen Webb - Boston, MA My whole family made fun of me about having an emergency kit. I was running around the week before the wedding to find white chalk and my family kept saying I didn't need it. So I ended up finding it and my Mom carried it in her purse. As I was getting out of the trolley at the church, about 5 minutes before I walk down the aisle...I look down at my train and it has black grease all over it. It must have come off from the trolley doors. So my Mom handed out the chalk to all the bridesmaids and everyone got down and chalked up my train. I didn't panic and just said "I told you so" The chalk worked great and you couldn't see any of the grease. Well worth a few $$ for a box of chalk! —Tasha Benson - Salem MA Don't forget to smile while walking down the aisle. One of my good friends gave me this advice and I thought it was so obvious, but you would not believe how many brides I've seen that look so serious while walking down the aisle. —Meg Ocampo - Sandwich, MA A D V I S E   Y O U R   F E L L O W   B R I D E S ! We know that you're the true experts, and Elegala wants to hear from you about the decisions you made while planning your wedding. Elegala's editors will select some wedding planning tips to appear in our online bridal advice feature. Note: All submitted ideas become property of Hawthorn Publications, and may be edited or published in any medium. Your Name   Mailing Address   City   State   Zip   Email Address   Phone Number   What advice would you offer  to other brides planning  their wedding?    Home  Ι  About Us  Ι  Advertise with Us  Ι  Info for Event Professionals  Ι  Link to Us © Hawthorn Publications