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You’ve been dreaming of this day since that special someone popped the question, and now after a few weeks of reveling in your new couple status, you break into planning mode – or maybe you break into a sweat!

Whether you’ve always known exactly what your wedding day would look like or if you’re a virtual deer in the headlights, we reached out to our readers and a few wedding pros to give you some insider advice for a fantastic wedding day.

Perfect Planning

Organizing your own wedding is a huge undertaking, and of course you want everything to run smoothly. Here’s what our readers think about saying “I do” to asking for help.

• Get a good wedding planner! We found out the day after our wedding that a generator blew and I could have been left dealing with it, but he got it fixed and no one was the wiser! ~ Liz M.

• If you really can’t afford a wedding planner, make sure the venue has a good coordinator, so everything flows smoothly. ~ Erin R.

• No matter if you hire a planner or not, have a backup plan for inclement weather. ~ D. Schnaars

• Interview several planners way ahead of time and get lots of recommendations and referrals before choosing one. ~ Katherine K.

• Our wedding planner was able to get us lots of discounts with the suppliers she uses regularly. That alone was worth every penny we spent on [her]. ~ Lisa M.

Money Matters

The wedding budget is always a hot topic for brides and grooms, so take a little direction from these readers on how to keep your costs in check.

• Don’t bother with favors! People throw them out, and they don’t remember them anyway. ~ Vic A.

• Programs are such a waste of money. ~ Blair M.

• I wish we would have spent half as much on our wedding. We could have used the other half towards our honeymoon or our house. ~ Lexie W.

• Get married during Christmastime to save on décor. ~ Erin L.

• Don’t forget to budget for your honeymoon. It’s a huge expense, but it’s worth it!

~ Jeanne D.

Very Important People

Your family, in-laws, bridal party and guests are all integral to your happy day, so take a few tips from our readers on how the special people in your life can more easily be a part of your joy.

• Ask the parents to write down their names before the invitation is printed. ~ Barbara G.

• If guests don’t R.S.V.P., call them! As awkward as it might be, it may turn out some guests didn’t receive their invitations, as mail service has been less than ideal. ~ Sandra L.

• Label parent seating on first rows (especially for divorced parents). ~ D. Schnaars

• You pick the color, but let your bridesmaids pick the style of their dresses. Not everyone’s body type is the same, and they know what looks best on them. ~ D. Schnaars

• Register for EVERYTHING! You never know what people will get you. ~ Ari V.

Captured Moments

Memories may last a lifetime, but photos and videos are still a must for your big day – so say our readers, who had this advice.

• Spend money on a photographer. You will cherish the photos forever. ~ Stevi S.

• Get a photographer! My wedding was super small, so I didn’t get one. To this day I wish I had. ~ Emily T.

• Hire a photographer and videographer. There was so much I got to see that I never would have if I didn’t have photos and a video to look back on. ~ Abby M

• Have a separate videographer than the photographer. ~ Dyan S.

• I love watching our wedding video with the kiddos every year on our anniversary. ~ Molly B.

• If you don’t already have a wedding Facebook event page, create one so your guests post and tag photos of your ceremony and reception. You’ll love the candid pics in a different way than the professional ones. ~ Anne S.

Unsolicited Advice

Sometimes advice is spot on, and sometimes it, well… stinks. Our readers are big fans of trusting your gut and staying the course on what you believe is right for your wedding day.

• Don’t listen to anyone. It’s your wedding, not anyone else’s. ~ Shanna D.

• I should not have let my mother-in-law pressure me into having my sister-in-law as a bridesmaid.

~ Jenny R.

• I let my mother-in-law choose my flowers and centerpieces, and she picked red roses. I actually hate red roses! ~ Melise N.

• Everyone has an opinion – even those who have never been married. If it doesn’t work for you, kindly disregard it. ~ Alex C

• My mother tried to talk me out of marrying my fiancé. We’ve now been married for 36 years! ~ Ginger S.

• Don’t feel like you have to fall in line with traditional wedding ideas. Make it yours. If that means having weird music to walk down the aisle to or wearing a colorful jacket and tie or dress, do it. If it means renting a Mardi Gras float to take you to the reception, instead of a limo, do it. We did! ~ Blake T.

Carpe Diem

By far most of the comments we heard from readers reminded couples to have fun on their wedding day. You’ve been planning for months, so enjoy the fruits of your efforts and seize the day!

• Spend time having fun, not trying to talk to everyone. They will come talk to you.

~ Kara S.

• Don’t sweat the small things on your wedding day. No one will notice but you. Just have fun! ~ Marlo M.

• Take it all in. Enjoy every second. Have fun. ~ Ashley F.

• The only thing your guests will remember is how much fun they had, so join them and have fun. ~ Jordan J.

• Don’t let the little things stress you out. HAVE FUN and enjoy this beautiful time with your fiancé and family. ~ Michelle M.

• Have the caterer pack a to-go plate for the bride and groom. You will be too busy either enjoying each other or talking to guests to eat. And then, all the food will be gone!

~ T. Smith

• Be as crazy as you need to be in planning the wedding, but once the day comes, take deep breaths and be present in every moment. ~ Katherine K.

Pro Tips

We also asked a few Acadiana-area wedding vendors to give us their best planning advice. Here’s what they had to say:

Lovely Events + Planning

• Establish an all-in budget and guest list before doing anything else. These two things will determine pretty much everything, so they are important to have before you start booking vendors or making any decisions about your wedding day.

• People view wedding planners as a “splurge,” so I would say to always “splurge” and make sure you hire a professional for at least the month-of coordination. This will make sure all of your hard work and planning doesn’t go to waste. They help you catch the things that you would not have thought about and let you truly relax in the weeks leading up to your wedding day!

Classy Chassis Mobile Bar Co.

• Whiskey, rum, and vodka are the most common liquors, so stick with those.

• Have a cocktail hour, then switch to beer and wine or a cash bar.

• Have a his and her cocktail only.

Your wedding day will be one of the most special experiences a couple will share, so make it all about you and your fiancé. Most of all, remember to just have fun!