Jennifer & Michael Guillot in Napoleonville moments after exiting the church from their ceremony.

Dear former brides,

This page is dedicated to every former bride who wishes to talk about her wedding so that she may inform new brides-to-be things she should do when planning her own wedding. Now that your wedding is all over, you may look back from time to time to reminisce on your special day, thinking about everything from, “I am so glad I did this…” to, “I wish I’d done this…”
Consider the following questions, and as you answer them add in some advice for current brides who don’t have the insight you do. Simply copy and paste the questions into a new “comment field” at the bottom of this page. Type in your answers and advice.

1. How long did you plan for the big day?

2. Do you think it was long enough or could have been longer? Why?

3. How far in advance did you get your dress?

4. How far in advance did you book:
ceremony/reception site(s)?
caterer?
cake maker?
photographer?
florist?

5. Was there any logic to the order in which you booked each of these vendors?

6. How did you feel when you realized your day that’d you’d planned so long for was coming to an end? Did you feel good about it or did you feel as if it  was too rushed? That it was happening all so quickly?

7. How much of your wedding day do you actually remember? Or were the emotions too strong for you to create lasting memories of it all?

8. What was the greatest thing that happened on your wedding day (the most memorable, special, unique, etc)?

9. What time was your ceremony: afternoon or evening? Explain why or why not it was the best time to have a wedding.

10. Was the moment during which your groom first saw you on the wedding day as special as you expected it to be? Be real here. This is the moment most brides build up in their hearts to be the highlight of the entire day. Was it the  moment you dreamed it would be?

11. If you could do the “first look session” to get better quality photos of you and your new husband by doing them PRIOR to the ceremony in a private session, would you do it? Would you recommend other brides do it or do you feel the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding day is more important than having better quality photos of themselves together? Please elaborate as much as possible on this topic.

12. If you did the “first look session” prior to the wedding, please talk about that experience here and explain why it was or was not a great experience.

13. Looking back, what would you do differently at your wedding (if anything) if you were to start the planning process all over again? Think of anything from different vendors, more vendors in different categories, location changes, flowers, do wedding photos (first look private bride-groom session BEFORE ceremony? Anything?

14. If you did not have one, would you choose a videographer to capture the “motion” of your day in an emotional manner if you were to do it all over again?

15. What do you WISH you knew going into the wedding planning process that you now know after the wedding?

16. Any other advice for current brides?