I love working with brides and grooms. I love weddings in general. Being around vendors, planners, other photographers, and brides, you learn A LOT about what you should and shouldn’t think about when you’re planning a big day.

I reached out to one of my oldest friends about her own wedding planning experience to share with all of my current and future brides her top 10 pieces of advice. Chelsea Mercer is the owner of 130 Red Boutique in Goldsboro, NC, and had a beautiful and sentimental wedding day!

But she won’t lie to you…it didn’t happen easily or over night. It took a lot of thought, planning, late nights, conversations, and preparation to create the day she’d always dreamed of.

Here are her top 10 tips for future brides to keep in mind while planning the perfect beginning to their marriage.

1. Find a photographer and videographer you love.

I can’t even begin to express how important it is to find a photographer & videographer that you know you will be pleased with. The entire day goes by so fast that all you have to look back on afterwards are the pictures and the video.

This was the most important detail for me. Photography is an investment and you truly get what you pay for.

As for videography, I went back and forth on this. I was a little overwhelmed by what we would have invested in both video and photography but hands down the best decision I made was to invest in a videographer too. There are so many minor details you miss (ex. seeing your husband walk down the aisle) that you’d never get to relive if it wasn’t for a videographer.

2. Make sure you have a schedule for large bridal parties.

For girls who have a large wedding party (cough, cough, 11 including me) have your Maid of Honor come up with some sort of schedule for hair and makeup. You may laugh reading this, but to keep the day running smoothly and to avoid getting behind, this is a game changer.

3. BUY A WEDDING PLANNER (I can’t stress this enough).

There are SO many major and minor details and things that need to be done that you need a separate planner to maintain everything.

I highly suggest the Erin Condren wedding planner. Mine was a 12 month planner and it included a monthly break down for a timeline of things that I needed to have done. It truly kept me on track and prevented me from missing. It is also a sweet keepsake that I plan on hanging onto.

4. Music, Music, Music!

It sounds so minor but I wanted to make sure that my DJ played fun and upbeat music that I knew our guests, my husband, and I would all enjoy. For the months leading up to the wedding I had a sheet in my planner that I would jot down any song that I heard and wanted to have it played at our reception. I even told my DJ we wanted “very minimal slow songs.” After a sweet and intimate ceremony we were all ready to dance and have a good time.

5. Make a shot list.

It sounds cheesy but there were certain pictures that I had always seen and knew I wanted (Ex. my bridesmaids and I in our getting ready robes). For the most part, if you invest in a good photographer they will get all of the important details but having a shot list insures that they don’t miss any important photo that you were hoping for.

6. Make up your mind the night before your wedding that you will not let small mishaps the day of ruin your day.

It was a torrential downpour up until two hours before my wedding. I was so relaxed. My mom and bridesmaids kept asking if I was ok. I had made my mind up the night before that as long as I was married at the end of the day, I wouldn’t let anything else bother me. Thankfully two hours before the ceremony the rain stopped, clouds parted and it was absolutely beautiful. You don’t get this day back, let the small stuff roll right off your back.

7. Request a timeline meeting with your photographer.

With most ceremonies happening between 3-5 PM, there isn’t a lot of room to play with time with everything that has to be done prior to the wedding. Having a meeting a few weeks before the wedding to work on a timeline makes a tremendous difference in how smooth the day runs. Most photographers do this to stay organized, but if they don’t, make sure it happens! Your photographer really is such a huge part of your day.

8. Write a letter to your groom.

Although I planned to do this prior to the day of, my emotions were all over the place and I didn’t have the time until the morning of. I highly recommend this. I felt like I could write a novel the morning of. I was so eager to get to the ceremony and excited all at the same time.

I felt like by writing it that day that it was much more raw and real than a pre-rehearsed letter that I could’ve slowly worked on for weeks. It was just my mom, my best friend, and my sister hanging out before the busy day started and it really calmed my nerves to sit and write to Dylan to let him know how excited I was.

9. Have personal messages recorded for your video.

This is an “I wish I would have” tip. My husband’s mom had the videographer let each guy jump on the camera for 15-20 seconds and say something to or about Dylan. Oh my….the waterworks. It’s one thing for you to know how great the person you’re marrying is but to see all of the people who love him talk to highly of him –– that is something I will hold onto forever.

It’s not as easy for guys to be vulnerable as it is girls and guys don’t always express their feelings as freely has girls do but this was so sweet and genuine and I have watched it as many times as I’ve watched the wedding highlight video itself.

10. For the bridal party -– Make a list of letters to write to the bride.

This tip is geared more towards the bridal party. Get together and make a list of letters to write to the bride (Ex. “Open when you find out your pregnant”, “Open when you feel overwhelmed”, “Open on your first anniversary”). My bridesmaids did this for me and gave it to me on my wedding day. I think this made me the most emotional.  A box of letters from some of the most important people in my life. Something I will cherish forever.