06/23/2026
💕 Dear Brides,
After recently celebrating 34 years of marriage, planning both of my daughters' weddings, and spending decades listening to brides share their excitement and stresses, I feel compelled to share a little motherly advice.
Everyone dreams of a beautiful fairy-tale wedding—and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But remember, while the wedding day is important, the marriage is even more important.
As you're making decisions, ask yourself:
💖 Will this expense bring joy and memories…
or financial stress for the first few years of our marriage?
I've listened to many brides talk about all the money spent on things that, years later, are sitting in storage or being sold for pennies on the dollar. Those gorgeous centerpieces may seem worth every penny now, but sometimes they become boxes that take up space while you hope someone else will buy them.
If having a simpler reception, asking family to help with food, or doing things a little differently means avoiding years of debt, what is truly most important?
Will an expensive wedding delay buying a home?
Starting a family?
Paying off school loans?
Having financial peace?
Marriage is about building a lifetime together—not just planning one beautiful day.
Work together. Save where you can. Celebrate with the people who love you. Your family and friends understand—they've been there too.
💕 Use this season not only to plan your wedding, but to prepare for your marriage.
Just a little advice from someone who has been married 34 years, has raised daughters, planned weddings, and has had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of brides.
✨ One thing I would absolutely encourage you to invest in? Your photographer.
My husband and I didn't. We have plenty of family pictures and a picture of us cutting the cake, but almost no pictures of just the two of us together from our wedding day—and after 34 years, I truly wish we did. ❤️
At the end of the day, your marriage will last far longer than your centerpieces—but your photographs will become priceless memories.
💕 Just a little friendly advice from a seamstress, a wife, and a mom.
