I learned that “needing” a planner completely depends on the person. I needed one. We created a venue out of nothing, and I never would’ve been able to do what Marina did on my own. For other people, it may not be such a necessity.

I learned not to stress. Or at least, I really really tried. This is one day. Its a really important day, but its important because you are getting married not because there will be flowers and a party. I tried really hard to keep this in the back of my head at all times. It doesn’t mean that I never broke down, but I tried to keep it in perspective. Planning is stressful. For everyone. But you choose how the stress affects you.

I learned to keep a very close eye on your budget. Regardless of how big or small every single penny of your budget will be spent and if you don’t keep a watchful eye, more could be spent than you have.

I learned this is no right length of time for an engagement. We were engaged for 14 months and people thought we were crazy and that we’d be ready to kill eachother by the end. Instead, by the end we were so excited for it to be there we would’ve gotten married 3 months earlier or 3 months later.

I learned the guest list isn’t fun. Its tough no matter what size your wedding is. Keep it organized, I didn’t and wish I had. Some invites got returned because addresses were wrong, we missed people… You get the idea. It wasn’t ideal.

I learned to listen to my fiance. There were a couple things that were important to him to be involved in, the rest he didn’t really care about. So I picked and chose where to involve him. We had zero arguments regarding the wedding planning. He let me do my thing and spoke up when something mattered. It made the planning process 1,000 times easier for both of us.

I learned to enjoy the process. It only happens once it your life!

That’s my two cents, married ladies do you have any wedding planning advice to share?