12 Tips for a Beautiful and Meaningful Wedding from Newlyweds!

“So you said, “Yes!” and now you are embarking on the wedding journey!  Congrats! Marriage is one of the most amazing things EVER and we are thrilled for you! As newlyweds, we put our heads together to come up with “what worked and what we wish we would have known” to help you get started!”

1. INCLUDE GOD FROM THE BEGINNING

Jeff and I got so stressed in the beginning with trying to find a venue in our budget that would work for the amount of guests we thought we would have.  It was overwhelming and to be honest, I told Jeff I thought we should just elope.  As we were scouring the Internet one night, I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart. “You haven’t included me.”  I shared this with Jeff and we both stopped what we were doing and began praying.  It was in that prayer that the Lord gave us specific direction. I’m talking He gave us the name of the city to where we should look for a venue.  If you want a more in depth story here is my blog post on this miracle. But the point is, invite God in from the very beginning and He will direct your steps!

2. PLAN THE WEDDING TOGETHER

You might be the girl who was planning her wedding since the moment you could play dress up or you might be the guy that just “doesn’t care”, but one of the coolest experiences for us, was that we made our choices together.  Sure there was compromise (I can get carried away with gold) but in the end, people kept telling us, “we see you and Jeff everywhere.”  The celebration was a reflection of our new lives as one and that is a special experience.

Even if you know this in your head, put extra safeguards around this for your heart. It can be easy to get caught up in the wedding and without realizing it, you have stopped dating and working on your relationship.  Have a mentor that holds you accountable, definitely DO Pre-marriage counseling, set dates that are just for you two, and check in with each other on a personal level.

Don’t listen to the wedding dress shops and the venues and the wedding planners—you don’t need a year to plan a wedding. We planned our wedding in 4 months because we wanted to start our lives together.  You don’t need to put your lives on hold or compromise your purity because you want the perfect flowers or venue or you want to please everyone in your family.

Seriously. You can’t.  Focus on your future spouse, because in the end it is about you two.

I made the mistake of pushing off small tasks, which made us cram a lot of little things in two weeks before the big day. You are going to want wedding week time with family and friends that are in town.  Take the small tasks off your plate early!

7. CREATE A SHOT LIST OF PHOTOS YOU WANT

Speaking of delaying small tasks….I wish I had done this.  I had it “in my head” but when it came to the day, things were happening so fast that a lot of what I had in my head was lost.

Think about the people you want to hold you accountable, to do life with you, who are going to be there for you through your marriage. Being a member of a bridal party is a big job. Also note, sometimes it’s ok to not ask someone who you know is in a season of life where they would be overwhelmed. Just have a conversation with that person so they know you care and understand it would be unfair to put such a burden on them. 

This is what your bridal party is for (and also why you want to be sensitive to the seasons of life people might be in!)  They want to help you, so get good at delegating!  We both talked about how we wouldn’t have gotten through our wedding without our bridal party. It was like we had a troop rallying around us, cheering us on, selflessly helping us…they were in it.

10. LET YOUR BRIDESMAIDS CHOOSE THEIR DRESS

I highly recommend this.  As women, our bodies are different, and the dress that looks good on one girl might not look good on another.  Plus it stinks to have to spend so much money on a dress that you won’t wear again! I gave my girls a color palette and told them I wanted it to be long. They chose dresses that were unique to them, which was special to me.

11. IF YOU CAN HELP IT, DO NOT LEAVE RIGHT AWAY FOR YOUR HONEYMOON!

Weddings are emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting.  Give yourself at least an extra day to not have to rush off to the airport and be on an agenda.  Process the magnitude of this event, enjoy each other (you probably won’t have seen each other alone the week prior), give yourself time to breathe and relax!

12. DO A WEDDING VIDEO AND HIRE OLSEN MEDIA!

“First of all, I will admit I was on the fence about a wedding video. I figure we were spending so much money on pictures that maybe we could cut the budget. I am so thankful that we hired Eric! Our wedding video is one of my most favorite memories I have! The day goes by so fast, and to relive it was really a gift! Jeff and I are both in the entertainment industry and have been around a lot of directors and DP’s….Eric, blew us away with what he captured. He has an incredible eye and a gorgeous way of telling your story.”

— Jeffrey and Jacquelyn

We happen to agree especially with that last point!

Share this with anyone who is planning their wedding and could use some quick tips! Also, click below to check out their incredible wedding in the California mountains:

7 Great Tips From A Makeup Artist Bride

Olsen-Media reached out to a great makeup artist who we have worked with and she was kind enough to offer writing up a blog for us!  Thank you Jacquelyn for your contribution to this series!  This is a very good read by someone who has worked with many brides and has been one herself! 

JACQUELYN E. BURT

BEAUTY BY JACQUELYN

beautybyjacquelyn.com

For all of the cultural noise and opinion surrounding marriage, relationships and weddings, there’s still nothing quite like getting engaged and planning a wedding celebration.  Whether you and your partner had a spontaneous engagement in the middle of a music festival with no jewelry (true of two of my best friends!) or an elaborate proposal with props and cinematography and an engagement ring, the moment you say “yes” to spending your life with your partner, everything shifts a little bit.

As a professional makeup artist who has worked many weddings, I have gathered up tips, tricks, and advice from my wedding clients that I not only incorporated into my own wedding, but try to pass on to present and future bridal makeup clients, as well.  And for all of the magic and shifting of your life I just mentioned, tip number one is:

"DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY"

TIP I.  Don’t take yourself too seriously!  It’s just a wedding.  This person will be your spouse for the rest of your life, but they are also a perfectly normal human being who will clog the shower drain and forget your dad’s birthday and swear obscenely at slow drivers and bring most of your dishes to their workplace and then forget them there over the weekend, (and yes, those are all things I’ve done to my husband – sorry, babe!).  Life is important, but it’s also just life!  The same holds true for your wedding. 

TIP II.  Keep everything in writing!  One of the best things we did (and I love when my bridal makeup clients do this, too) was creating a separate wedding email account for communication with our vendors.  We also used Google Drive for everything; guest list, itineraries, menus and invitations drafts, our photo lists, everything!  This worked well because we were able to each have access to all of the information at all times, and we were also able to share (select) documents with our parents.  Which brings me to…

TIP III.  Picking your battles.  Here’s something my husband and I forgot: while the two of us had clear pictures in our heads of what we wanted our wedding to look like, each of our parents also had pictures in THEIR heads of what our wedding was going to look like.  I don’t think they themselves had even realized what they’d been assuming until suddenly a decision was made that went against that assumption!  Some of the stuff was small, and some was bigger – pick those battles wisely, and let the small stuff go!

"IDENTIFY 2-4 KEY STAKEHOLDERS"

TIP IV.  Early in the planning process, be sure to identify 2-4 other “key stakeholders” (usually parents, but they don’t have to be) who you and your partner decide will have any kind of bearing on your decision-making, and then decide that everyone else is just gravy.  This can be harder than it sounds!!  It meant that we kept our parents’ opinions in mind with almost all decisions, but had to let go of most of the opinions of siblings, members of our wedding party, random relatives, and everyone else.  Obviously, we tried to respect the wishes of as many loved ones as possible – but for major decisions, keep your “influencers” to those 2-4 people. (This is a great way to live life, too!) 

TIP V.  Have the budget conversation early.  It can feel weird to jump into a money talk right away, but depending on how much time you give yourselves to plan, decision-making has to happen pretty quickly!  Knowing exactly where you stand in terms of your total budget and who’s paying for what makes those decisions so much easier. 

"TAKE TIME TO RESEARCH YOUR VENDORS"

TIP VI.  Take time to research your vendors.  I was so addicted to checking items off our to-do lists that I didn’t really look at things like past work and client reviews, and man, that came back around to bite us with our photos and video!  Read more than two or three reviews, and go through people’s photo galleries.  Take advantage of things like free consultations or trials.  The wedding industry is full of vendors, and many of them are amazing; find ones that feel like they “fit!” 

TIP VII.  Hire beauty professionals!  I know, I’m biased – but hair and makeup professionals can do SO much for your wedding.  It takes all of the stress and responsibility off of you and your wedding party, ensures that everything will last, and is a beautiful way to celebrate. Having a few hours to relax, drink mimosas, and let professionals pamper you and your loved ones as a start to your wedding day is so special – and if there was ever going to be a time to have your hair and makeup professionally styled, your wedding day would be it! 

"KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON YOUR PARTNER"

Most importantly, keep your focus on your partner. It’s said repeatedly, but your marriage is so much more important than your wedding! Go with your gut, ask for help when you need it, and remember that this whole shebang is just one day. And hire Olsen Media for your photo and video!! 

Thank you for reading and be sure to check out Jacquelyn's website by clicking on the link below!

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BeautybyJacquelyn.com

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7 Tips From a Recent Bride That Are a Must Read

Olsen-Media has reached out to a few brides they have worked with for some helpful tips to give to upcoming brides.  The following tips were given by Megan Cron.  She was such a beautiful bride and she has some great advice to give that we are so excited to share with you in hopes that they will help make your special day, even more so! 

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TIP I.  "Do what you can together in your wedding preparations - It’s so fun to look back on your time together making plans, going to meetings, right down to putting stickers on your welcome boxes."

TIP II.  "Don’t sweat the small stuff - Looking back you’ll regret focusing on the little things that others would never notice."

"don't sweat the small stuff"

TIP III.  "Try to get everything done a couple days before the big day so that the day before the wedding you can relax and take it all in - That will help you to not be nervous or anxious thinking of what you still need to do."

TIP IV.  "Make decisions based on what you want as a couple, not what other people will think - Guests and family will enjoy themselves no matter what you do. This is YOUR wedding day and you won’t get another like it!"

TIP V.  "Take a marriage prep class - This is so helpful in bringing the two of you together before the big day. It gives you the opportunity to talk about things you may not have talked about and also gives you new perspective on how the other person is feeling as you get closer to being married."

TIP VI.  "Keep open dialog with the important people in your life and wedding - They are just as excited as you are and should be kept informed. They can also help with tasks and give you some peace of mind when you are overwhelmed."

TIP VII.  "Keep having date nights - This will help you to remember what is most important…each other!"

"keep having date nights"

We hope that you find these few tips helpful in your journey to a beautiful wedding day and all the days leading up!  I'm sure you notice a lot watching Megan and Patrick's wedding video.  When I first watched it, I was aw struck by the beautiful wedding dress, the super cute bridesmaids robes that all matched,  Megan's beautiful hair style, even the darling cards they wrote in to each other.  I noticed the little details, which of course is the challenging part of planning a wedding.  

But here's the thing... all of those little details that you think mean so much when planning your big day are most likely not the details you'll remember about the day; it will be the little things like the look your husband had on his face when he saw you for the first time on that day, or the way you choked up reading his letter to you and the loving words that will stay with your forever.  

"it will be the little things... that will stay with you forever"

So as Megan stated so well,  try not to stress about the little stuff that you simply can't change on your day.  Try to be in the moment without letting a moment pass you by, because the day will go by fast!  The reason that this video is so beautiful doesn't have to do with those little details, because Megan and Patrick's love for each other is the thing that makes this video so in captivating.  You can see the undeniable love they hold for each other and the way their day flowed with such elegance because of that one simple fact.  You can clearly see their priorities were nowhere but with each other, and that's something all of us should strive for when planning that special day.  

Thank you Megan for your contribution to this series!  

Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned for more tips from recent brides!

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Watch Megan and Patrick's magical wedding video!

"First Look"... Do or Don't

Something as special as the first time you see your future husband or wife before saying I do is a big deal, to say the least.  You want it to be right and to be a moment you think back on with such fond memory.  For in that moment your world will change forever, as you look into the eyes of the person who is with you now and will be there until the end.  There are different ways to do this, and as a women I can honestly say that it isn't an easy decision to make.  What decision is easy when planning the day that sets the rest of your life into action?  None!  I am here to help and hopefully help make this decision a little easier for you!  There are positives and not so great things to anything but it really comes down to what is best for you, as a soon to be married couple.  There are two ways that are common to see one another for the first time before you say, "I do" and though different, both are special in their own, unique ways. 

Let's point out the details of each to help steer you in the direction of what is a right for you...

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Way #1:  The Traditional Way

First, lets take a moment to point out the positives of seeing one another for the first time while walking down that beautiful aisle!

• You get to see each other for the first time in front of your dearest family and friends.  And in doing so, they get to share that moment and be a reminder to you of the excitement and expressions encompassed in that moment when you walked towards the love of your life.  This can be so special!
• That exciting thought, that the next time you see the love of your life you will be walking down that aisle towards them and not a moment before!

Now, lets point out some of the things you may not prefer about this traditional way of seeing one another for the first time!  

• This moment is shared with family and friends!
• In this moment, when you are excited to see your soon to be spouse, your focus may be divided by the nerves of having all eyes on you.  However, if you do not have stage freight, ignore this! You are lucky!
• When you see each other, most likely your hearts will jump for joy and you will probably want to jump with them, and into each other's arms!  Not only that, but you may want to "ooo", and "ahhh" over how enchanting you both look and express how you are feeling in that moment.  With this traditional way, it's not to say you can't do those things but in front of family and friends that's not typically how it happens.

Recap of why the "Traditional Way" MAY BE for you:

• You want the first time you see each other to be witnessed and shared with family and friends!
• It's the way you have always pictured it happening!

Recap of why the "Traditional Way" may NOT be for you:

• You want the this moment to be more private!
• You want to option to express feelings in whatever way you are feeling in that moment!
• You have nerves in front of people, that may take away from the first moment you see one another for the first time!

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Way #2:  First Look Way

Alright, let's uncover the positives of seeing one another in private before walking down the aisle!

• You won't need to worry about the added nerves of your friends and family being there to watch the first time you see one another!
• You are able to freely express your authentic feelings in that very special moment however you choose!  Whether that be jumping into each other's arms and hugging and kissing, telling each other how incredible you both look, or praying a prayer together before the whole point of the day gets taken underway!
• Depending on the schedule of your day, the photos you take with the wedding party and your future spouse may fit in better before the ceremony and this way of seeing each other for the first time allows that!

Now, lets point out some of the things you may not prefer about this "First Look" way of seeing one another for the first time!  

• Even though this way of seeing each other for the first time has it's benefits, if the thought of this is just not giving you a happy gut feeling because you have always envisioned something different, than maybe this isn't for you.  You need to be true to yourselves!  This is your day after all!
• Maybe it's important to you to share this moment with your closest family and friends, and you don't mind the nerves or don't have them!
• Sharing the moment with family and friends outweighs the reasons for why you would do a "First Look"!

Recap of why the "First Look Way" MAY BE for you:

• You want to say goodbye to added nerves!
• You want that private time to express your feelings in whatever way you choose!
• It makes the most sense with the schedule of your day!

Recap of why the "First Look Way" may NOT be for you:

• It's just not how you have envisioned it happening, and that's okay!
• Nerves aren't a concern for you!
• Wanting your family and friends there outweigh the other reasons you would choose to do a "First Look"! 

I hope that in reading this, it has helped make your decision a little easier and has made what you truly want stand out!

Olivia Saari - Administrative Assistant, Olsen Media

Which way do you prefer and why? Let us know in the comments!