It’s crazy to think that it’s been about 2 whole years since my wedding…like…how did time go so fast!!! As fast as time went with the wedding planning I feel like the 2 years since have gone even faster. I feel that being married for 2 years now qualifies me as an expert on marriage and wedding planning (I hope my wife agrees) so just wanted to share some tips leading up to you big day:

-It’s never too early to start planning your wedding (assuming you’re already engaged). I get asked that question a lot, as to when is a good time to book certain things, and my response is always “as soon as you find someone or something you like, DO IT!” The farther out you book, the greater the availability so you’ll be able to compare services, and you’ll also be able to save money.

-Just remember, it’s “your” wedding. It’s not one of your sibling’s, it’s not your parent’s, and it not any of your friends…it’s 100% yours and your fiance’s. People like to be very opinionated, which is fine to a certain extent, but don’t let anyone try and force their ideas on you if they don’t jive with your vision for your big day. CAVEAT TO PARENTS: A lot of parents like to help out financially with their child’s wedding, and that’s awesome and so generous. But please keep in mind that what you are paying for is still the wedding of your child and you are helping them to achieve THEIR dream wedding. So if their ideas and choices differ from your own, that’s 100% OK.

-Most importantly, and I can’t stress this enough: never, EVER lose sight of why you are getting married. Along the way there will be a bunch of meetings with vendors and choices you have to make and an argument or two may pop up. Wedding planning can be stressful. But at the end of the day and the end of it all, never forget that what you are doing is planning the celebration of the moment you and the person you can’t live without are joined in holy matrimony. When you and your new spouse are on that dance floor and sharing your first dance as a married couple, trust me when I say that absolutely nothing else will matter in that moment. So cherish it, soak it up and take it all in, and enjoy every single second of it!