Next up is Lauren’s entry – a girl after my own heart, as I also kept my dress on till about 2am on my wedding day!!!

“I have to say, there are very few things I would have done differently when it comes to my wedding.  It was the best day of my life, and I would do it all over again in a second if I could!  However, I would love to give a few words of wisdom to any future brides out there. 

Not so fabulous…
Get your dress tailored just a hair shorter than you think you want it, and force your tailor to make it just a hair tighter than she wants to.  I think people forget to take into account that the first time you wear something, it stretches out a little!  I wore a strapless dress (which I remain obsessed with) but by the end of the night it had stretched slightly and as a result was too long.  I found myself stepping on the back while I danced and had to hold the bottom up by the end of the night so I didn’t stomp on it and rip it.  I WISH someone had given me this advice before my wedding!!”

"DO NOT sweat the small stuff!  There were lots of little details that I found myself stressing over- table numbers, guest book, ring bearer pillow, etc.  In the end, these are not the important things.  You won't remember them, and neither will any of your guests.  It's much more beneficial to spend your time on the details that really matter!

Fabulous...
One of the best moments of my wedding was singing to my husband.  My friend (who plays the piano) and I spent weeks rehearsing in secret, and I surprised him with a rendition of At Last right before the first dance.  He was so surprised, and it gave the wedding such a personal feel and a really unique element."

"The food!!  We got married at Veronique and were able to customize our menu with the chef and our event manager.  The meal was sooo good and totally represented our favorite foods!  And the CAKE!  Our cake was from Icing on the Cake, and it could not have been more delicious.  We didn't even bother saving the top tier- we just ate it the next day at the brunch!  I definitely don't regret not saving it, because Icing on the Cake gives us a free anniversary cake (thanks to Nancy's beautiful shot of it!)"

"Having a day-of coordinator!  Such a MUST.  You do not want to have to be worrying about every little detail on your wedding day.  Our venue included a day-of coordinator (actually it seemed like there were a few), and I didn't have to think about anything but enjoying myself the entire day and night. 

Having an after party!  We were lucky enough to live extreeemely close to our venue, so we had a lot of friends over to our place after the wedding.  I did not want the night to end, so it was an incredible way to keep the festivities going and stay in my dress a little longer!  I probably didn't take my dress off until about 3am.  You only wear it once, so wear it for as long as you can!"