The date has been set, the invitations mailed out. The bridesmaids and groomsmen have been chosen, and colors decided upon. All of these things provide you a general idea of what your day is going to look like, but when your guests walk into that ceremony, what do you want them to see?

Over the years I’ve gone to my fair share of family weddings, and as I’m getting older, I’ve started getting more invites to dear friends of mines special days. And the one thing that remains consistent throughout is the ceremony decorations.

When people typically get married in churches, the decorations tend to be simple in order to emphasize the grand decorations that are typically seen in churches. The pews may be lined with bows and organza, in order to emphasize the center aisle for the bride, as well as the alter being decorated with the flowers that the bridesmaids may be carrying; there typically is no decoration other then that. However, if you’ve ever seen the opening scenes of my favorite movie, The Wedding Planner, or if you’ve seen pictures from the Royal wedding, you would have seen live trees being placed within the church. Although this tends to be expensive, it gives a lovely earthy feel to an otherwise sometimes stuffy place.

However, when you get married outside of a church, it gives people a little bit more freedom. Last year I went to an outdoor backyard ceremony. The bride had chosen to line the aisle she would be walking down in mason jars with white candles on the inside, to light her way, as well as white twinkle lights in the trees surrounding the guests. At the alter, she was surrounded in flowers and more white candles. A dear friend is getting married next year in the mountains and has decided on tartan decorations (because of her husbands heritage) to be tied on all the chairs.

My biggest thing when it comes to decorations at ceremonies though is too keep it simple. You’re there to focus on the love being solidified by you friends or family, not to notice all the million decorations within the setting. Save the wow factor for the reception, and make the ceremony about you and your future partner. Just keep it simple.

Today, my wedding is a week away. My mother and grandmother will arrive tomorrow evening and then comes complete insanity. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited, but having the 3 of us together in my tiny house is going to be interesting. You see, they asked me to wait on some things until they got here so that they could help out. Such as my shoes, my hair appointment, make-up, and my flowers. Now I am starting to think this was a bad idea.

Since the end of November, I keep having extremely vivid and disturbing dreams about my wedding. Like that my fiancé will ditch me on our wedding day, that my family won’t make it because of the weather, that my dress gets ruined just before I get to the aisle. Now, I don’t worry about these things during the day, but my subconscious is taking advantage of my exhaustion and stress over other things and has decided to attack. I know, in my logical mind, that these things won’t happen and that everything will be fine, but to be honest, at this point I can’t wait until the day after.

I am also feeling excited, which I didn’t think would happen. I am not an overly excitable person. In fact, I have a fairly dry sense of humour and a very logical mind. I take things on with a plan, and usually come out just fine. So, now I am all out of sorts because I have had butterflies in my stomach for a month. Perhaps it’s because we tried planning our wedding about 5 times before we actually made a solid plan, and this time it’s really happening. Maybe, somewhere deep down, I thought that we were just going to stop planning it and never actually get married. Now that we are and it’s so close, things are starting to sink in.

There are still a number of things that need to be done, and I can’t get my mind around how such planning is necessary for a 20 minute ceremony and, after that, a small dinner. There are so many different people involved in a wedding and you have to rely on all of them to contribute their part perfectly or else it will cause a domino effect. And at the head of it all is you, the big boss, the orchestrator of everything that is your wedding. If anything falls apart, ultimately it comes back to you. For you brides out there who are planning large weddings, I feel for you. For you brides out there having small events, I share your pain. Although I have had a lot of fun picking out my dress, ordering a cake, and deciding on all of the details, it hasn’t all been kittens and gumdrops.

I am sure that it will all be worth it in the end, and that it will be everything that we wanted. I know that all of this planning and stress and perfectionism will pay off in the end. I just hope that the next week flies by and that with the added support of my mother and grandmother, I will make it through with a smile and a spring in my step.

Severed Shoe - a broken heel is basically impossible to fix on the spot so act like a boy scout and always be prepared. Bring an extra pair of shoes with you. They don’t have to be the exact same shoe - just have the same heel height. If you don’t have a spare pair, don’t do barefoot - at least not for the ceremony or the pictures. Borrow some shoes from a guest or one of your bridesmaids. Even if they don’t match, most people won’t notice. However, they will notice your ten little piggies poking out from under your dress. If you still have a lot of time before the wedding, ask a friend to run out and get a new pair of shoes for you.
Check one of our Bridal Fantasy exhibitors Mayfair Shoes .

Absent Officiant - surprisingly this does happen to a fair number of couples. See if there is another wedding going on in your ceremony venue and find out if that officiant can marry you. Check the phone book for a marriage commissioner or you can have one of your friends ordained online. You will have to check if that would be legitimate in your area. If none of those options work see if there are any lawyers in the crowd who can legally marry you. Finally, you can ask someone to conduct the ‘spiritual’ ceremony and go down to the courthouse the next day. Keep in mind - it’s not the piece of paper that makes you married, it’s what in your hearts.

Sweaty Groom - wedding day nerves combined with a hot day equals a perspiring groom. If you’re prepared for this, then your groom won’t have to worry about showing any wet spots. Bring an extra shirt for the groom - two if you know he’s going to have a problem. If you can’t get an extra, have your guy duck into the prep room at your ceremony site and blow-dry whatever spots you can see with the cool setting. Carry some antiperspirant for him in your emergency bag.