5 Tips That Are Worth Remembering When Planning YOUR Day
We are continuing our series in sharing tips from recent brides! These following tips were given by Devin Gertkin. Devin and Nic's day was absolutely beautiful from the outdoor ceremony to the sparkler send off after the evening was through! Devin was kind enough to share a few tips to the engaged couples out there that are planning their big day, in hopes that these tips are helpful to you!
TIP I. "Remember it's YOUR day: Even if your families are chipping in and helping you pay for things, it's okay to remind them that in the end it should be all about you. It's easy for them to start to live out their dream wedding in yours, but once you kindly remind them they (usually) are brought back to reality! Just because "everyone else does it this way", doesn't mean you need to! We didn't do a lot of the "traditional" things like throwing the bouquet, dollar dance, cake, and really tailored our day to us. I couldn't have imagined it any other way!"
"remember... it's your day"
TIP II. "Give yourself time to plan the wedding: We had 14 months to plan our wedding and it was amazing. We didn't feel rushed, we secured the big things right away (ie. place, DJ, food, photograhper/videographer) but then gave ourselves some time to just enjoy being engaged."
TIP III. "Skip out on real flowers: It's a huge budget eater. After pricing out flowers and having a mini heart attack, we went with babies breath and dried hydrangeas. You can buy bulk flowers from somewhere like Sam's Club for cheap cheap. We had a jar full on each table, about 20 else where, made 3 bridesmaids bouquets and had flowers to spare for around $300."
"skip out on real flowers... it's a huge budget eater"
TIP IV. "Spend the money on a photographer/videographer: These will be your only true keepsakes from your wedding besides your memories and it's so worth finding true professionals to capture it. As I look back at our photos, and especially our video, there are so many moments I had forgotten. The day flies by and it's impossible to remember it all. I still cry every time I watch our video and I look forward to sharing it with our kids in the future and re-living that perfect day."
"I look forward to sharing it with our kids... and re-living that perfect day"
TIP V. "As everyone says, don't stress the small stuff: You have NO control over things like weather on your day, and if you're planning an outdoor wedding you risk rain, wind, too hot, or too cold. We took the risk, and although it was misting through most of our pictures and pouring during our first dance - I never let it bother me. Because in the end all that matters is that you get to marry your best friend."
I hope you find that these tips were helpful to you and that you found a tip that you can incorporate into your wedding! Something that immediately stood out to me while watching Devin and Nic's wedding video was the smile she had her face the whole day! She exuded pure joy! She mentioned in her tips to let the little things go because you can't control everything. It seems like such simple advice, but when you actually think about it and take in what that would actually be like, it's a little scary. Giving advice to let go of some things when they don't go as planned on the day that is supposed so be perfect and the most magical day ever, is not just advice that can easily be taken. This advice may not be easily grasped but it's worth a shot, especially if it helps you smile more than worry on your big day, because it is going to be the happiness you had that you will remember more than any rain or clouds.
"it's going to be the happiness you had that you will remember"
It's very true, your wedding day is huge and, yes, there is a lot of pressure that goes along with that. However, as far as having the perfect day, it will be perfect for you and your future spouse because of what you made of it and because of the words of commitment you shared on that very special day. As far as those little bumps that may arise, they will give you a good story to tell! So as much as you can, fight to let those little things go and laugh about it because after all, you are getting married! How awesome is that?!?
Don't waste your energy or one second of the one day that is ALL ABOUT YOU worrying about things you can't change. Instead, try your hardest to focus on the constant that is in your life now and will be forever starting on that very special day. Give that commitment and future spouse all your attention, because they sure deserve it! In taking Devin's advice I hope you will have the most happy day, just like she did!
"give that commitment and future spouse all your attention... because they sure deserve it!"
Thank you Devin for your contribution to this series!
Thank you for reading!
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Watch Devin and Nic's beautiful wedding video!
Amanda + Matthew - June Wedding in White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Amanda and Matthew had such a wonderful wedding! Everything was just perfect including these two. Nothing could stop the smiles on their faces. I don't think they stopped smiling since they saw each other for the first time while Amanda walked down the aisle. I had a great time filming with you guys and hope you enjoy reliving your big day over and over! Thanks for choosing Olsen Media!
Music licensed through art-list.io and musicbed.com
Trevor + Anna - Summer Wedding at the Arboretum
Louis + Kristen - Incredibly Fun, Fall, Minneapolis Wedding
What a joy to spend a day with these two! Even more to share the best day of their lives with them. These guys were so fun and genuine everyone had a great time. Congratulations to you both and thanks for having me film your big day!
Matt + Abby - Twin Cities Wedding
Beautiful, classic wedding! Every location was beautiful and the couple were madly in love. Congratulations to Matt and Abby! Thank you so much for having me be a part of your big day! Music licensed through the Music Bed.
Daniel + Taylor - Wedding in the Fog!
What a beautiful wedding and couple! Photographers and videographers love overcast days because of the lighting so when I saw that this day was foggy, I was excited and everything turned out great. These two had such a fun time with each other and it was a privilege to be able to film them.
Mitch + Cassy - Central MN Wedding
What a great wedding to be a part of! Located in beautiful, central Minnesota. With the lake as a backdrop and a great church for the ceremony this wedding sure does look nice on camera! These two are head over heels for each other and have great family and friends as well.
Congrats to both of you and thanks for having me be a part of your big day!
Music licensed through The Music Bed
Scott + Brenna - Beautiful Minnesota Wedding
What a great couple! They wore their hearts on their sleeves the whole day and they couldn't be more in love. Thank you for having me be a part of your big day and a big congratulations to both of you! Music licensed by The Music Bed and Song Freedom
Michael + Shannon - Gorgeous Outdoor Wedding
Even though this wedding was one of the hottest days of the year, I loved everything about it! Mike and Shannon were a pleasure to work with and the scenery was incredible. Big congratulations to both of you! Music Licensed by The Music Bed
Ben + Paige - Wonderful Minnesota Wedding
What a beautiful couple! Ben and Paige are a great pair and it was so fun to film their big day. From golfing to walking down the aisle to the sparkler sendoff, their love and faith were what spoke the loudest. Congratulations you two! Music licensed through The Music Bed
Click on the image to view photography
Lucas + Elizabeth - Incredible Minneapolis Wedding!
Lucas and Elizabeth were tons of fun and incredibly thoughtful! Watch and listen to the well-crafted and heartfelt messages they gave to each other all day. Truly a perfect match. Congratulations! Music licensed through - The Music Bed
Photography - Alison Lea Photography - alisonleaphoto.com
Chris + Amanda - Raw Emotion
Chris and Amanda were so much fun to work with! It was a privilege to be able to capture and tell their story. I think you'll see that they share a deep bond that won't be shaken by anything. The day was beautiful and so were the couple! Thanks Chris and Amanda!
Hannah + Lindsay - Beautiful Barn and Outdoor Wedding in Southern MN!
Congrats to Hannah and Lindsay! It was an honor to film your wedding and I loved putting it together!
Mark + Kayla - Moving Wedding Film
Here is the wedding montage for Mark and Kayla! What a fun couple, Mark couldn't stop smiling and neither could Kayla. Thanks for choosing us to capture your day!
To view the rest of the photos click here.
Central MN Brides Magazine - Behind the Scenes of a Photo Shoot
I had the privilege of filming a behind the scenes video of a photo shoot this past May for Central MN Brides Magazine! Check out the video!
Click the photo to see more photos from the shoot