From hand-me-downs to hand-made, our wedding was truly homegrown. With help from our friends. some out of the box thinking and the attitude that less is more, we created a weekend to remember.

1. Pick a location where the natural beauty provides your decorations. Less waste, less money, less planning and less to organize. Resist what is not in season or local for that particular place for the same reason.

2. In your own calendar, once you’ve picked the date, use the weekend before as your “Wedding date”. That way you get most everything done by the weekend before, allowing for time with out of time guests. That week was full of some of the most precious moments for us (and there is always lots of stuff that has to be done…don’t kid yourself.)

3. Do not buy any more bridal or wedding magazines (especially within 6-8 months of your wedding…they only remind you of what you don’t have, haven’t done, can’t afford and won’t look like)

4. Pick one person to be in charge during the wedding day or weekend. A really good friend, who you totally trust, and who is willing, is great. Or hire a planner for the day. It is really important to be able to enjoy your wedding as guests, not hosts.

5. Ask for help – you can create your vision but not by yourself. DIT – Do It Together.

6. Engage your friends in the skills they have….people want to help. Let them! It will be so much more memorable for everyone.

7. Stick to your budget….religiously. It helps to simplify the decision making process. And then, be okay when you go over by 10-20%.

8. You don’t need a year to plan a wedding. Actually the more time you have, the more time you have to worry over details and get overwhelmed with choices.

9. Take a Marriage Prep class! Your wedding will be over in a few hours – the marriage is meant to last for a while.

10. Resist the “I should” and the “But I have to” choices – they don’t reflect what you really want and will distract you from your vision.

11. Take dance lessons.

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