For my second Tips for Brides post I am excited to have a post from Chelsea Pribyl.
I was eager to have Chelsea write a post on Tips for Brides because I had the privilege of attending Chelsea’s wedding and saw first hand how Chelsea knows how to plan and style a personalized, meaningful, stress free Wedding day.  Chelsea is gifted in creating memorable events and she has learned a lot along the way here are her tips for Brides…

     My husband Ryan and I tied the knot almost three years ago. It’s a day etched in my
mind forever—quite literally the most magical day I could ever imagine! Brides, you
are experiencing a time of life that is unlike any other. You have decided to spend
the rest of your life with the man of your dreams, and now it’s time to plan one of
the most highly anticipated moments of your life, a public commitment and a grand
celebration.

     In a world filled with Pinterest and The Knot, it’s hard to figure out what really
matters. While planning a wedding is a lot of fun, it can also be extremely stressful. I
learned some tips and tricks along the way, and can hopefully help you avoid that
stress! So, here are my top ten recommendations for how to plan your wedding day:

1) Don’t Wait — Regardless of your engagement time frame, I recommend you
don’t waste any time procrastinating! Many wedding venues book upwards of one
year in advance (especially for Saturday weddings). Some dressmakers require
special orders, which can take up to eight months. Once you’re engaged, let the
wedding planning begin! Focus on these larger items first: venue, bridal party,
wedding dress, officiant, and DJ. Then move on to all of the smaller details.
Intentionally plan on doing nothing wedding related the week before the big day.
Chances are you have family in from out of town, or you’re trying to move, and
trying to enjoy your last week. So – plan in advance to leave that week free and
clear.

2) Be Unique — This wedding is a chance to express your and your hubby’s unique
style and pizzazz. Find different ways to insert small (or large!) personal touches
into your special day. Perhaps it’s a fabulous pair of pink stilettos hiding under your
white dress and some colorful chevron socks on the boys. Maybe it’s finding a way
to honor loved ones who can’t be present. Maybe it’s cupcakes instead of a
wedding cake. These little details help your guests get to know you even better!
Pinterest is a great place to inspire fun ideas.

3) Prioritize — What do you want to remember forty years down the road? One of
the very first things that Ryan and I had to discuss early on in our engagement was
how we wanted to spend our wedding budget. There will be hundreds of decisions
that you have to make along the way, and many of them affect how you spend your
money. If you and your hubby can agree on your top three priorities, it can provide a
lot of clarity along the way. For example, Ryan and I decided that our priorities would
be the following: photography, a sit-down dinner reception, and our honeymoon.
We identified our preferred big-ticket items. Then we handled all the other items in
the budget with heavier cutbacks and thriftier ways. For some brides, the wedding
dress or the venue or the flowers might be priorities. I recommend sticking with
three and focusing a bulk of your budget in those areas.

4) Unified Color Scheme — One thing that carries over to many aspects of the
wedding is the color scheme or any decorative theme. I recommend deciding on
your color scheme early on. This will help with decisions on bridesmaid dresses,
flowers, table linens, stationery, etc. Once you’ve landed on your colors, head to a
craft store and buy a spool of matching ribbon or some swatches of fabric. Carry
these in your purse during your engagement and take them to all of your
appointments. You never know when you’ll randomly be inspired for an idea or need
it for comparisons. Don’t forget that “lime green” can be interpreted many
different ways!

5) Memories — Most of us tend to let the wedding process whiz by, only to leave us
in a complete whirlwind at the end. The best piece of advice given to me was to soak
in every moment, so as not to forget. I took photos of my dress shopping trips with
my girls, my hair and makeup trials, and my invite assembly party. I journaled during
my entire engagement, and then later about our wedding day, in full detail. I fought
tooth-and-nail against the tendency to forget. I recommend you do the same.

6) Emergency Kit — Sometimes minor emergencies happen the day of your
wedding. It’s to be expected. Mine? I dropped carrots and ranch dressing down the
front of my dress just minutes before our “first look” and all of our pictures. Tide
stick to the rescue! I have assembled “THE BRIDE’S ULTIMATE EMERGENCY KIT” and
it now travels with me to every wedding that I’m part of, and, boy, is it handy! Here
are the contents: Tide stick, bobby pins, safety pins, nude lip gloss, Chapstick,
pocket Kleenex, floss, Advil, anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, body spray or perfume,
tampons, black Sharpie, ink pen, lint roller, super glue, Airborne, mouthwash, singleuse
disposable toothbrushes, Bandaids, clear nail polish, nail polish remover pads,
white French manicure nail polish, white chalk, scissors, tweezers, and eye drops.

7) On Site Wedding Coordinators — It takes a special gift to help coordinate a
wedding on the big day. Not everyone can do it. These are people who are helping to
set up your venue, they are the main point of contact on your wedding day,
advocating for you so you don’t have to be involved, and checking the task lists
when no one else cares to. These people are on your team and are representing you,
so that you don’t have to think about many details. Don’t be too prideful to think
you don’t need help. You absolutely do. Your focus on your wedding day should be
on yourself, your man, and the huge life change that’s about to take place!

8) It’s All in the Schedule — During our entire planning process, I created a
comprehensive schedule detailing all of the whos, whats, whens, and wheres for the
day before and day of the wedding. I sent versions to the whole bridal party, key
family members, wedding coordinators, and key vendors, a month before as well as
the week of the wedding. Over-communication about your expectations and needs
for these vital people is essential if you expect people to be prepared. Don’t forget
to include details such as parking, lodging, meals, addresses for each location, and
even an explanation as to what expenses you are planning to pay for. Please feed
your bridal party well the day of the wedding. It’s a detail that often goes unnoticed,
but really helps dictate their energy levels and mood!

9) Vendors — Often they need just as much from you as you need from them. A DJ
will need bridal party names and a song list. The reception venue will need a
headcount and seating chart. The officiant will need your order of service for the
ceremony. And in return, all you ask for is a great experience! The best way to
guarantee great service from a vendor is to follow through on the details, overcommunicate
expectations, verify two weeks before, and then tip well. Write
checks ahead of time and place them in labeled envelopes for your coordinator to
hand out on the day.

10) CELEBRATE WELL — Invite your girlfriends on dress shopping excursions,
gather both sets of parents for an engagement celebration dinner, smile at your
husband as he enjoys the scanner gun while registering at the department store,
laugh till it hurts at your bachelorette party, and soak in every single moment on
your special day. Don’t forget that you’ll be surrounded by people who love and
support you, and are cheering on you and your new husband!

-Chelsea Pribyl
*Chelsea is proud to be married to Ryan, the most amazing husband a girl could ever
ask for. They’re the parents to a one-year-old Coton de Tulear named Nugget.
Chelsea spends most of her days as a line producer for a film company, but enjoys
spending her free time baking cupcakes and dreaming about weddings!

(Thank you Chelsea!! And because no post is complete without some photos, here are some of the Wedding details I shot this year to get you inspired )