Every Little Thing Will Be Alright

Our next post comes to us from Ashely at After Nine to Five.  Ashley is someone easy to talk to, whose blog is fun to read, and tells it like it is.  Her handmade shop sells cute accessories (I might own 5 of her items...), too!  She recently married her love and has some advice to share.

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If I could count the number of times I received advice about the wedding planning that I wish I would have followed but didn’t, the number would be astronomical. I don’t know how many times I was told to count on things that I was convinced would never happen and to not worry about things that I was positive mattered. It reminds me of high school when everyone is convinced that those years are the most important years of their lives and that the friends you have there are your friends for life. It’s not even close to true, but you cannot see outside of that bubble until you’re out of it and you’re pointing out how much time you wasted.

Our wedding was a destination wedding in Jamaica. Never having been to one, I had no idea what to expect. This left little room for disappointment and a whole lot of “go with the flow or else you’re probably not going to be walking down the aisle” moments when we arrived. It was relaxed, laid-back, easy-going, and fun. Everything I wanted a wedding to be. Maybe it’s impossible to have a bad wedding in paradise though.

When we returned, we had a little less than a month to plan for an at-home-reception. And I thought that since the wedding went so seamlessly, of course the reception would as well. I’m 100% positive that I could not have been more wrong.

It wasn’t a disaster. Nothing overly embarrassing happened. No one was hurt and nothing was ruined. But paradise brings out the best in people. And while being home may not bring out the worst, it definitely wasn’t a standing replica of how smooth our wedding was. I had set my hopes high and ignored the advice I should have followed from the start which left me in tears when the party had dwindled down to just my parents and my husband.

If I could give any bride some of the advice I wish I would have listened to, it would be this:

• You will not feel like you get the credit you deserve from some people, no matter how much you deserve it.
• RSVPs mean very little to some people. Some people will show up or not show up regardless of how excited they seemed to be coming or how sure they were that it was impossible to come
• The day truly is about you and if you spend too much time worrying about how everyone else will take certain things, it will suck all of the fun out of it.
• Something will go wrong. And it won’t be the first, second, or third thing you expected to go wrong.

And most importantly…

• Every little thing will be alright. When the day is done and you’re walking back into your hotel, or your house in my case, barefoot and exhausted, remind yourself that you’re one of the lucky ones. You found your perfect match.

Vicki/Mike – I hope your wedding is as beautiful as mine was and I hope your reception goes better than mine did. ;] Have a wonderful day, honeymoon, and look forward to the rest of your beautiful lives together!

Ashley's Links: BLOG ● SHOP ● TWITTER