What Is Bridesmaid Dress Shopping Like?

Wedding dress shopping was so hard for me ... but bridesmaid dress shopping? Oh, that was a breeze! I didn't have to do anything but watch my bridesmaids put on a fashion show for me.

But, really though, what is bridesmaid dress shopping like?

If you go to a chain dress shop, you can check the styles online before you go. Most will allow you to search by color, which is a good way to sort. Since your bridesmaids dresses really need to match your wedding colors, you want to eliminate any dresses that aren't in your colors (and avoid potentially falling in love with that dress and then needing to change your entire color scheme).

I actually did this with my maid of honor the night before we went bridesmaid dress. I texted a bunch of photos with huge bows and puffy shoulders to my bridesmaids, joking that I would be picking those. But, really, I found a dress I loved (although it only came in wisteria, not eggplant like I had originally wanted for my bridesmaids), but went to the store with an open mind.

Three of my bridesmaids met me at the store the next day. Before they started trying on dresses, the consultant asked for their shoe sizes. She wanted them to try on dresses while wearing heels (which is what you do when you're wedding dress shopping too). She brought over a few pairs, then asked for their dress sizes so she could grab the closest samples.

I sat in a chair. That's basically all I did for most of the time we were there.

I told the consultant about a long gown I saw online that was just incredible. It had ruffles down the front and was perfect for our summer wedding at the beach. She grabbed three so everyone could try it on simultaneously. It looked amazing on two of my girls ... but looked like a mess on my maid of honor, so it was crossed off the short list.

The consultant pulled a few other samples for the girls to try on, but I was underwhelmed. So I left my chair and rummaged through the racks. I found a few I liked, so the consultant left to pull them for all three girls.

There was a dress that all three of them looked great in ... but it looked like they were going to a club rather than to a wedding. Maybe a guest or two might show up in something like that, but it wasn't bridesmaid-appropriate.

And, finally, after trying so hard to not just go with the one I found originally, I gave in. I asked the girls to try that one.

Of course, as luck would have it, I just loved it on all three of the girls. They were all different shapes and sizes, but they all looked beautiful. I just knew that would translate well to the other bridesmaids who weren't able to make it to shop with us. I was upset that it didn't come in eggplant, but our colors were eggplant, lilac, and silver. Since lilac and wisteria are just different ways to say similar colors, I had to decide what was more important: having a dress I loved or having a dress in a darker purple hue. I told myself that since it was summer, the lighter dress would look better, and I abandoned my dream of bridesmaids in eggplant.

This is why I'm warning you to filter by color before you even look at dresses. You don't want to fall into my situation.

I said yes to that dress and, as the consultant went to grab paperwork, one of my bridesmaids encouraged me to ring the "Say Yes To The Dress" bell that's usually reserved for brides ... which I did, ever so quietly, after the consultant turned the corner.

She came back and took down the names of my bridesmaids who were there and asked what sizes they wanted to order. And that's the hard part. You may not exactly try on a dress in your size or you may be in-between sizes and you'll have to get the dress altered. Plus, between shopping and ship time, you might lose a couple pounds and that could change your dress size. So you need to order the closest size, without going under (basically, the opposite of The Price Is Right). If you order a size too small, there won't be any extra material to make the dress bigger. If you order a size too large, though, you can always take it in or up.

The bridesmaids who were there ordered their dresses immediately (and then we went out for pizza). The others had to call the shop, give my name, and then they could order.

When the dresses came in (and the arrival times were staggered, based on size availability), the shop called the girls to pick them up. Whoever needed alterations got those done, and they all showed up in perfect dresses on my wedding day. It was the first time I had seen all my bridesmaids in the dress and I couldn't have been happier. No one complained (not to me anyway), so I think they were all happy too.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What was your bridesmaid dress shopping experience like?

How Moving Day Is Just Like Wedding Day

If you follow A Bride On A Budget on social media (we're on Facebook, Twitter, and, as of two weeks ago, Instagram), you may have noticed I didn't post any photos of Easter bunnies or crosses to celebrate yesterday. Instead, I posted a picture of a moving truck. Because -- after much house hunting and then a decision to just build a brand new house -- Pete and I (and out cat, Totes McGotes) moved into our (first and) forever home.

So instead of spending Easter weekend coloring eggs and eating chocolate bunnies, we spent it loading boxes into a moving truck. We were very lucky to have friends and my parents help us ... but as I was stressing over questions about what should go where, it got me thinking about how moving day was just like wedding day.

How Moving Day Is Just Like Wedding Day

You Have To Coordinate A Lot Of "Vendors" Before The Big Day
When you're planning a wedding, you have to get in touch with a ton of vendors before your wedding day. You need to pick a venue, choose the flowers, book a DJ, get your dress, on and on, right? And, you do this all before the wedding day so everything is set to go at your wedding.

Moving is the same way. You need to pick a house, choose a mortgage company, book a rental truck, get your water and electric set up, on and on. And, you do all this before moving day so when you get into your home, you have lights and the ability to flush the toilet.

You Need Friends To Help
If you remember my post about what no one tells you about your wedding day, I told you that you need that one set of friends. At the end of the night, all your guests and bridesmaids and vendors leave and you and your groom are left to clean up the venue. And so, you need that set of friends who will help you pack left behind favors and pieces of cake and then take them home for you.

You need those friends on moving day too. And, funny as it may be, we had those same friends who helped us pack up our wedding help us pack and move to our new home. I kept telling Pete all day, "These are good friends. They're good people and we're really lucky to have them." But, realizing they are the same ones who stayed behind at our wedding (and aided in my super secret guitar gift for Pete and brought me socks to our wedding reception because I forgot to pack some), they really are good friends.

You Need To Delegate ...
On wedding morning, everyone asked me what they could do to help. I asked one bridesmaid to keep track of the rings, I asked my dad to hold onto the envelopes with tips in them, etc. I kept handing out tasks as people asked for them because, really, I needed help.

The same with moving day. I needed to tell people what boxes had to go down first, what furniture went in what room, etc.

... And Then You Need To Just Relinquish All Control
Finally, on our wedding day, I just gave up. I was getting stressed trying to figure out where everyone was and what everyone was doing. It got to a point where I didn't care. I had faith in my planning and the people I had delegated tasks to, so I just let the day go off as it should.

Same with moving day. Eventually, I just gave in. Instead of trying to tell everyone how to pack and what to put in certain boxes, I let everyone pack extra stuff in unlabled boxes (meaning we slept without proper pillows on our first night because they were in a box that I didn't pack). But it had to get done and, so, I just let it.

At The End Of The Day, It's Just You, Your Spouse, And Your New Life
When all is said and done on your wedding day, you're married. Everything that happened over the course of the day led you to being married, your souls fused together, and you and your spouse starting the rest of your lives together.

And that's how moving day was too. When everyone went home, Pete and I sat on the couch in pajamas, watching Dateline, eating microwaved popcorn. And it was perfect. There was no other way that I would have wanted to spend that moment and no one else I would have wanted to spend it with.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What part of moving day felt like wedding day to you?

Tips For Giving Gifts That Aren't On The Wedding Registry

Today is the kind of day that you need a break from. It's the Monday-ist Monday ... except it's Thursday. And only Thursday. But already Thursday. It's the kind of week where you need it to really only be Monday because there's too much work week stuff to do and not enough work week left.

That's how every week felt when I was wedding planning. There's too much to do and not enough time to do it and every day closer to the weekend meant one week closer to the wedding.

This is me right now.

We're moving out of our apartment on Saturday into a gorgeous house that we had designed and built. I'm so happy to get into our home, but I'm living in a world of boxes right now. And working around them too, since I blog at home. The walls are literally closing in on me as we pack and pile boxes against them.

And then, today, my parents picked up our cat because they're watching him during the move so he doesn't accidentally run out the door when we're packing the moving truck. I started to get teary eyed when they brought him to their van because I'm emotional, moving is hard, I got into a situation with a contractor, and my stress level is through the roof.

Once my cat was out of sight, I walked to get the mail. And inside our mailbox was a package. From Amazon. To me.

I didn't order anything recently, especially not to this address where we're only at for three more days. I was so baffled that I started to open it as I walked back to the apartment. And there, inside the box, was a note from my brother and his wife saying, "Enjoy your gift."

My gift was a Ninja Mug that I added to an Amazon Wish List back in 2013. It absolutely turned my stressful day on its head and made me smile so big ... especially because it was so unexpected.

So why do I tell you this story? What does it have to do with weddings?

It has more to do with registries than anything else. Couples often register for items that they want and need. And it's customary to pick up something off the registry as a shower or wedding gift. And that's exactly what I do ... but I can't stop there. That's not me. So I also add something personal that's not on the registry with our gift. In the past, I gave a bottle of wine to wine lovers, a picture frame to a couple that takes a lot of photos, and we got coffee mugs that are so close to my heart.

If you want to surprise the couple and give a gift that's not on the registry, there are a few gift giving tips I have for you:

Give something useful.
If you've planned a wedding before, you know what things you need, so give that. A personalized stamp and thank you cards are my favorite useful gifts.

Give something personal.
What's something you know about the couple? If they love to cook, a cookbook would be fun. If they like the beach, a few new koozies could be nice. It doesn't have to be something extravagant, just something fun.

Give something that wouldn't be on the registry.
If you stumble over a set of plates with a cute design, leave it in the store. The couple probably registered for new plates, so one random set would probably end up getting returned. Same with something like bath towels. If you're getting a registry-type item, just stick with the registry.

Give something edible.
Does the groom love a certain beer? Pete really wanted to try Pliny the Elder beer, which is so hard to get. One of his groomsmen actually found a few bottles, put them in his checked luggage, and flew them out from San Diego so they could share them in the hotel on the morning of the wedding. That is the kind of gift that makes a memory.

Give something fun.
This ninja mug, it's fantastic. It's just fun and whimsy -- and I kind of have a thing for fun and whimsy mugs. Do you remember my owl mug? I use it every single time it's clean. No joke. It's actually sitting on my desk right now, facing the ninja. It's like my coffee mugs are having a staring contest. But something fun, that's a great gift (and better than another set of chip clips. We got at least four sets over the course of our engagement).

BRIDAL BABBLE: What is your favorite gift to give that's not on a wedding registry?

5 Times You'll Wish You Had A Stamp During Wedding Planning

Expressionery provided the items for this post. All thoughts and opinions belong to A Bride On A Budget.

I. Love. Stamps. I love stamps.

Okay, pause and go back and read that in your best Oprah "I love bread" voice (you know, the one from this commercial). I understand Oprah's passion for bread. I mean, who doesn't love bread? Here in North Carolina, we can't get good bread like we could when we lived in New York, so it's a sad struggle. I still love bread, I just can't eat it every day like her.

But we're not talking about bread. We're talking about stamps. And I love stamps for wedding planning. If you started wedding planning without stamps, once you get one, you'll love stamps too. I don't mean postage stamps. We're talking about nice, self-inking stamps.

You need them. Every bride needs them. Shoot, Oprah could use one to label all her bread. But why you ask. Why do I say that my favorite gift to give newly engaged couples is a personalized stamp? It's simple, really. You will get so much use out of them, plus it will save you so much time. And when you're wedding planning, you really don't have time to spare. So time you can save is a blessing.

5 Times You'll Wish You Had A Stamp During Wedding Planning

1. When You're Addressing Envelopes.

This is an obvious one. Think of all the return addresses in your future. There are engagement party invitations (and thank you cards for that), save the date cards, bridal shower invitations (and thank yous), wedding invitations (and another set of thank yous), plus you have to address your RSVP cards that are stuffed into your wedding invitations. That's eight sets of return addresses. Let's say you send out 100 invitations for each event, that means writing your address 800 times.

Ouch.

Instead, you can pick up an address stamp, like the Love Address Stamp from Expressionery. My suggestion would be to put both your first names on it and no last names. That way, you can still use it after you get married and it doesn't seem messy with the bride's maiden name on it (in case she chooses to change her last name).

2. When You're Making Wedding Favors.

You don't have to order thank you tags if you have something like the Handmade Address Stamp. You can use a paper trimmer to cut tags from a piece of card stock, poke a hole with a one-hole punch, then stamp them with your handmade stamp. This is perfect for any favors that you make yourself (like our homemade fudge maybe?).

If you're giving favors that you didn't make yourself, you're better off with the In My Heart Custom Stamp. You can personalize it with your names or you can just write the words "Thank You." That's what I would do ... mostly because after your wedding, you can lend it to your best friend for her wedding and no one will really realize you shared.

3. When You're At A Bridal Expo.

Before my first bridal expo, someone told me to bring an address stamp. I didn't understand why, so I didn't bring one. My cramped hand at the end of the expo really wished I had listened. Each vendor wants your name, phone number, and email address so they can get in touch with you. It's a lot easier if you already have this information in a stamp. Just stamp it and move on to the next vendor.

A quick tip: Create a separate email address for wedding planning. That's the one you'll put on your stamp and give to vendors. You'll have all your wedding emails in one place and you won't have to sift through countless emails with funny cat photos to find the one from the photographer you love.

4. When You Need Thank You Cards.

I always like to give a pack of thank you cards to my friends who get engaged. That way, when anyone gives them an early congratulations gift, they have a thank you card ready to send. If not, they risk being caught off guard and needing to run to the closest store to pick up a card.

But what if you need a card and don't have one handy? If you have a piece of card stock and a stamp, you're in luck. Fold and cut the card stock, then stamp the bottom right corner with a monogram stamp, like the Detailed Diamond Monogram Custom Stamp. You could stamp in the middle too, but I think the bottom right corner seems a little more artsy -- and a little less last minute.

5. When You Feel Like Personalizing Everything!

If you have stamps, you should use them everywhere you can. Get your money's worth, ya know? I used the With This Ring Custom Stamp to make personalized drink stirrers, just because I could. And you should do the same thing. Making wedding welcome bags? Stamp them with your wedding logo instead of purchasing stickers. Feel like making paper wedding koozies? Put your logo on them. Want personalized napkins? Pick up plain cocktail napkins and stamp those too. You can really stamp anything, so the only limit is your imagination.

You can check out Expressionery's website here. If you fall in love with something, now is the time to buy it. You can save 25% off your total with the code SPRING25. That code will work on all products on Expressionery. If you're just looking for stamps, you can get BOGO stamps (through March 20) with the code BOGO16. You'll also get free shipping on orders of $50 or more.

The items in this post are projects I made using stamps from Expressionery. The tutorials for the homemade gift tags and drink stirrers will be on the blog soon!

BRIDAL BABBLE: When did you wish you had a stamp during wedding planning?

10 Mother Of The Bride And Groom Gift Ideas

Your parents are so important to your wedding. They want to do everything they can to make your wedding the most special day of your life. Any help you need -- stuffing envelopes with invitation, choosing your menu, assembling favors -- your parents will be there for it.

Of course, you will want to get them something as a thank you gift. You don't need to get them something huge, but a nice token would be great. I put together a list of 10 Mother Of The Bride & Groom Gift Ideas to help you brainstorm.

10 Mother Of The Bride And Groom Gift Ideas

1. Willow Tree Mother and Daughter Memory Box
2. To My Mother Picture Frame
3. Forever Your Son Frame
4. Mother Tote Bag
5. Mother Travel Mug
6. Mother Of The Bride & Mother Of The Groom Bracelets
7. Mother Bangle Bracelets
8. Pearls Of Love Necklace
9. Photo Book
10. Gift Cards

Willow Tree Mother and Daughter Memory Box

I really love Willow Tree figurines. They are really timeless. But many people already have a couple. That's why I really like this Willow Tree Mother and Daughter Memory Box. You can fill it with memories from your wedding day (petals from your mom's corsage, photos of you guys getting ready, etc.) and give it to your mom. I'm sure she will really love it.

Purchase here.

To My Mother Picture Frame

I remember seeing a super sweet picture frame on my uncle's dresser, one from his daughter, about walking her down the aisle. I just absolutely loved it. I was so excited to find this To My Mother frame. You can get one from the bride to her mom or from the groom to his mom. There are ones for maid of honor, dad, and more too.

Purchase here.

Forever Your Son Frame

If the To My Mother frame has too many words on it for you, the one above is for you. The Forever Your Son frame has only three short sentences, nine words, that will hit your mother in the heart. Plus, the black and white frame and ribbon means that it will match any colors in the photo you add.

Purchase here.

Mother Tote Bag

I have a whole post about how tote bags are such a great thank you gift idea, so I had to put a Mother Tote Bag on the list. It's by CafePress, which means you can choose from a wide variety of designs. You can fit one that will for your mom's and your wedding's style.

Purchase here.

Mother Travel Mug

Tis the season of warm beverages, so I have travel mugs on the brain. I love this Mother Travel Mug. Just like the tote bags above, you can choose from different designs and test. We actually got similar mother of the bride, grandma of the bride, and father water bottles for our family as part of their thank you gifts.

Purchase here.

Mother Of The Bride & Mother Of The Groom Bracelets

I am a huge fan of these Mother Of The Bride & Mother Of The Groom Bracelets. They come as a set, which makes it easy. They are both hand stamped on the inside with the following: I'll take care of her always. (Mother of the Bride Bracelet) and Thank you for raising the man of my dreams. (Mother of the Groom Bracelet). What I love is that instead of this being a gift from you to your mom and your husband to his, it's from you to his mom and him to yours. So sweet.

Purchase here.

Mother Bangle Bracelets

Alex & Ani bracelets are so popular right now, so I have no idea why the brand hasn't come out with a bridal line yet. As a substitute, check out these Mother Bangle Bracelets. They are American made and adjustable. You can pick up either Mother of the groom or Mother of the bride.

Purchase here.

Pearls Of Love Necklace

I love Dogeared jewelry. I actually picked up a Dogeared necklace for my mom and she wears it often (you can check it out here). The one I got her is very similar to the Pearls of Love necklace. It's really timeless and doesn't shout "mother of the bride" so she can wear it long after the wedding.

(Side note: I actually stopped here to go to dinner at my parents' house and saw this necklace waiting to be put on after dinner.)

Purchase here.

Photo Book

Parents love wedding albums. That's a fact. Since you won't be able to give them a photo book right away, give your moms a card with a note inside that says you will make a photo book for them when your professional photos arrive.

Purchase at Shutterfly, Montage, Blurb and more.

Gift Cards

After our engagement party, we wanted to say thank you to our parents and we did it with gift cards. Get them one to their favorite restaurant (or nail salon or spa, whatever). You can actually get discounted gift cards at Costco, so if you have a membership there, definitely pick them up.

Purchase them on Amazon, Costco, or at the restaurant's website or location.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of these mother or the bride and groom gift ideas is your favorite?

How To Get A Wedding RSVP From Mickey Mouse

A few summers ago, I went to Disney with my mom and, at the very end of the night right before we left the park, we took a photo with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. We were at Disney a month before Pete proposed, so I couldn't invite them to the wedding (because, well, there wasn't one at the time).

When we did mail our wedding invitations, I sent one to Mickey and Minnie and the President. I received an RSVP from the President and First Lady ... and the one from the Mouse's.

I opened the mailbox and inside was a postcard from Mickey and Minnie. I had read online that Disney sent you a pin on the Mouse family's behalf, but we actually got a postcard, not a pin.

Personally, I think that's better. You can add it to a wedding scrapbook with the other RSVP cards or put it in a frame to display at your wedding. A pin is so bulky -- plus, are you going to affix a Disney pin to my wedding dress?

If you want this for your wedding scrapbook, address an invitation to:

Mickey & Minnie
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, California 92512

There's no guarantee you will receive anything back, but we got a postcard just over five weeks after we had sent the invitation. These keepsakes will be really nice to have years from now.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Where would you sit Mickey and Minnie if they did say yes?

Wine Glass DIY Centerpiece

If you're getting married at a vineyard (or if you just love a nice glass of red), you should incorporate wine into your wedding. You can send out cork save the date cards, have mini bottles of wine as your wedding favors, and make this wine glass DIY centerpiece for each table.

We actually saw it at the wine and chocolate festival in town a few weeks ago. I thought it would be perfect for weddings, so I had to snap a photo and put together a tutorial.

Wine Glass DIY Centerpiece

What You'll Need:

• Stemmed wine glasses
• Gold enamel paint
• Fake flowers (in your wedding colors)
• Plastic fern leaves
• Wine corks
• Bamboo skewers
• Styrofoam ball
• Any additional items you want to use to decorate

What You'll Do:

Wash and dry the wine glass. You want to make sure it is completely dry.<

Paint the outside of the wine glass, leaving the stem clear. Note: Some paints require a base coat to prep or a top coat to seal. Be sure to read the paint's direction in order to ensure you use it correctly.

When the paint is completely dry, stick a Styrofoam ball into it.

Stick the fern leaves and flowers' stems into the ball.<

Push the wine corks onto a bamboo skewer and stick the opposite end into the ball (you may need to cut the bamboo skewer if it is too large for your glass).

Add any additional embellishments you want (or just leave it as is).

I actually really prefer that this is made with fake flowers instead of live ones. That means you can make them as ahead of time as you need and won't be cramming to do them the day before you're walking down the aisle. It also makes it easy for your guests to take the centerpieces home, display them, and never have to worry about filling it with fresh flowers.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make this wine glass DIY centerpiece?

Love wine-themed wedding projects?

Check out our twine-wrapped wine bottles tutorial.

Koozie Wedding Favor Ideas

Before moving south, I never used a koozie. Ever. Which is just ridiculous because they're brilliant inventions. I mean, they hug your drink and keep it cold. I spent years walking around outside with a naked water bottle as my beverage got warm.

When we got married, I wanted to give out koozies as a rehearsal dinner favor. I thought it would be such an amazing idea. It was something I picked up in North Carolina, and since our wedding was in the Tar Heel State, it was perfect. Once we started planning, though, we decided to do an open bar at the rehearsal dinner ... which meant water from a tap, beer from a keg, and wine from bottles. Everyone had cups, so no use for koozies. I loved the idea a lot, but had to scrap it.

But you don't have to. Seriously, it's such a great idea that you can make it work. We were at a wedding over the weekend and actually got koozies as wedding favors. We've both already used ours, and I even gave one to the bride when we were out two days after the wedding (because she was putting a napkin around her beer. Koozies are better).

There are cute Etsy listings for these (and Etsy is actually where our friends got them for last weekend's wedding. She got them from SipHipHooray, if you want to take a look). Etsy listings can often go out of stock quickly, so, even though I love and support small businesses, the ones below aren't from there.

I picked out my top five to get you started.

Drink Koozies Wedding Favors

1. Eat Drink And Be Married Koozies
2. Wedding-Themed Koozie Set 
3. Something Brewed Koozie
4. Personalized Wedding Can Cooler
5. Personalized Collapsible Can Coolers

Eat Drink And Be Married koozies

The Eat Drink And Be Married koozies are really cute, simple, and right to the point. Being black and white means they can match any theme, although they look best with a chalkboard theme. Personally, I love multiple fonts on the koozie. It pops that way. We were planning to go that route, had we made these.

Purchase here.

Wedding-Themed Koozie Set

This wedding-themed koozie set is the only one on this list that isn't uniform. It comes with six different pictures: two text only and four mismatched images. Three are pink, two are blue, and one is purple. For someone like me, who had a wedding-specific need for things to be very uniform, this absolutely wouldn't work. But for someone who doesn't like matchy-matchy things, this set is perfect.

Purchase here.

Something Brewed Wedding Koozie

Believe it or not, there's an entire site dedicated to wedding koozies. I found this Something Brewed koozie on a site called, quite simply, Totally Wedding Koozies. You can purchase can coolers and bottle sleeves in a variety of materials. The site has a ridiculous amount of designs for everything wedding (there are ones for engagements, save the dates, weddings, anniversaries, bridal parties, and more). You can choose one of their pre-made designs or upload your own. For someone who is a little more hands on, this is the way to go.

Purchase here.

Personalized Wedding Can Cooler

All the koozies we have are thin and flexible, If you want something that is more sturdy, these personalized wedding can coolers are made of a thick foam. You can choose from a bunch of designs and layouts too, plus a ton of colors too.

Purchase here.

Personalized Collapsible Can Cooler

If you want options, these personalized collapsible can coolers are for you. You can choose the style (neoprene or sponge), koozie color, imprint color, font, and more. It's a lot of decisions, but you'll end up getting exactly what you want. And for me, that's what I need.

Purchase here.

For more favor ideas, check out our favors link. If you're curious, check out what we had as our bridal shower favor and wedding favor.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of these koozie wedding favor ideas is your favorite?

Why You Should Think About Everyone Except Yourself On Your Wedding Day

Let me tell you a story about myself.

We were in Japan over the summer and meeting our group at a train station by where my grandma grew up. Pete and I arrived first, and while we were waiting, we went into a grocery store that I had been into a couple dozen times. I wanted to buy my favorite Japanese treats (Koala's March, Pocky sticks, and those chocolate mushroom-shaped cookies that have a name I don't know).

When we were in the snack aisle, I spotted almond crush Pocky, which I had never seen before. I bought a box and was so excited to sit at the train station waiting and trying them.

We got back to the station, though, and as soon as I pulled them from the bag, everyone else in our group started to arrive. So I did what I do. I shared. I opened the box and passed them around before even taking one for myself ... although silently hoping that there would be one left for me. If there wasn't, fine, no big deal. I would just buy another box for myself later.

This is me. This is how I am. I share, I think about other people, and I put their wants before mine because I just want people to be happy, genuinely happy, and that makes me happy.

So when I was planning our wedding, I wanted to make everyone happy. I wanted to give every person a moment to shine. I made wedding welcome bags for each of our out of town guests so they would really feel welcome. After our second dance (we did our first dance, then a second first dance), I had our band play my parents' wedding song so they could have a dance. Then, there was gifting Pete his dream guitar. And the final song of the night was "You Are My Sunshine," which is my grandma's favorite song (and one that is so special to my family).

It was so important for me to share this day and make everyone feel special. And I didn't tell anyone (well, besides the band since they had to have the song available to play). I wanted to surprise everyone with a really special moment.

I didn't do anything specifically special for me because, really, the whole wedding was for me. Pete would have gone to the court house, but I wanted a church wedding and white dress and chocolate cake so that's what we had.

When I got into the limo with my bridesmaids, my cousin Erica turned to me. "What do you want to listen to?"

And it was that exact second when I stopped. I was planning all these special moments for everyone and here was my cousin, asking me what I wanted to listen to because it was my special day. And instead of saying, "Whatever anyone else wants" or something diplomatic as I usual do, I picked Fall Out Boy. Because that's what I wanted to listen to on the way to the church. And we did and I danced in my seat and sang loudly and it was amazing.

That moment was for me. I didn't plan it or take it. It was just given to me unsuspectingly. That's exactly what I did for everyone else, and I know they felt as surprised and happy about it as I did in that moment.

So my advice to you is worry about everyone else. Plan for them. And, if you're lucky, someone will be worried about you.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What's one thing you're planning, for someone else, on your wedding day?

Get Free Wedding Invitation Samples From Wedding Paper Divas

Choosing wedding invitations is really, really difficult.

For me, our save the dates were simple. I knew exactly what I wanted (magnets), what photo style I wanted (thanks Pinterest) and found the exact wedding magnet that would be conducive to this. I had them picked out long before we had a date.

I can't say the wedding invitations are that easy. I knew exactly what I wanted, but I couldn't seem to find it anywhere. I thought about just DIYing them, but that was impossible. I don't have those kinds of skills. So I had them designed by Nicole at Glossie (who we have sung many praises of!) and spent 13 hours cutting them.

If you are just as indecisive, but going the designer route isn't for you, Wedding Paper Divas can make your life easier.

You can get eight free wedding invitation samples from Wedding Paper Divas. That link will take you to the Wedding Paper Divas site. Select your invitations, add them to your cart, and enter the code FREETRY at checkout. Your total will come to $0, and if you choose the slowest shipping method (5 to 7 days), that will be free as well.

Inside your packet, you'll get a wedding stationery guide, your invitations, matching RSVP cards, color and paper swatches, a font options card, and matching envelopes.

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Those are actually really great. Your color choices are printed on each type of paper, so you know how colors look on different stocks. The colors will look different based on the type of paper you choose, so this is really handy if you're obsessed with a certain hue (and, let's face it: it will also save a lot of headaches because when it comes to weddings, everything is a potential headache).

When I got my sample invitations, I realized how very similar some of them were. I also noticed that the RSVP card for the Hawaiian flower invite had portabella mushroom as an entree choice and the wedding was happening in Hawaii. Someone should invite me to that wedding. Please.

My samples ranged from square to rectangle, simple to bright colors. That simple one, by the way, is sort of crazy.

See, the starfish one, which I thought was most appropriate for our beach wedding, actually uses dummy text for a ceremony in Wilmington, NC. Um ... our ceremony was in Wilmington, NC. The reception wasn't because I checked out every reception hall in Wilmington, and none fit exactly what we wanted. I would have checked out Wilmington Beach Club, had it really existed on 24 North Third Street, as the invitation suggests. Instead, 24 North Third Street is actually the address for the courthouse. So, the ceremony could take place there.

The samples are actually helpful because you can also see different verbiage on how they are addressed. Is the wedding being paid for by your family, your fiance's, yourself, or a combination? There is a different way to address each situation, and seeing a variety of invitations can help you decide what to write on yours. 

I wanted a trifold wedding invitation ... or so I thought. It wasn't until I was looking through the wedding stationery guide that I saw pocket folds. Assembly is required, but you can paste your invitation down and then use the pocket to store your other components (RSVP card, directions, hotel accommodations, etc).

Having samples to look at, even if you don't ultimately choose them, can help you narrow down what you really want.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did you order your free wedding invitation samples yet?