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wedding video songs

12 Tips for a Beautiful and Meaningful Wedding from Newlyweds!

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12 Tips for a Beautiful and Meaningful Wedding from Newlyweds!

So you said, “Yes!” and now you are embarking on the wedding journey!  Congrats! Marriage is one of the most amazing things EVER and we are thrilled for you! As newlyweds, we put our heads together to come up with “what worked and what we wish we would have known” to help you get started!
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1. INCLUDE GOD FROM THE BEGINNING

Jeff and I got so stressed in the beginning with trying to find a venue in our budget that would work for the amount of guests we thought we would have.  It was overwhelming and to be honest, I told Jeff I thought we should just elope.  As we were scouring the Internet one night, I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart. “You haven’t included me.”  I shared this with Jeff and we both stopped what we were doing and began praying.  It was in that prayer that the Lord gave us specific direction. I’m talking He gave us the name of the city to where we should look for a venue.  If you want a more in depth story here is my blog post on this miracle. But the point is, invite God in from the very beginning and He will direct your steps!

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2. PLAN THE WEDDING TOGETHER

You might be the girl who was planning her wedding since the moment you could play dress up or you might be the guy that just “doesn’t care”, but one of the coolest experiences for us, was that we made our choices together.  Sure there was compromise (I can get carried away with gold) but in the end, people kept telling us, “we see you and Jeff everywhere.”  The celebration was a reflection of our new lives as one and that is a special experience.

Even if you know this in your head, put extra safeguards around this for your heart. It can be easy to get caught up in the wedding and without realizing it, you have stopped dating and working on your relationship.  Have a mentor that holds you accountable, definitely DO Pre-marriage counseling, set dates that are just for you two, and check in with each other on a personal level.

Don’t listen to the wedding dress shops and the venues and the wedding planners—you don’t need a year to plan a wedding. We planned our wedding in 4 months because we wanted to start our lives together.  You don’t need to put your lives on hold or compromise your purity because you want the perfect flowers or venue or you want to please everyone in your family.

Seriously. You can’t.  Focus on your future spouse, because in the end it is about you two.

I made the mistake of pushing off small tasks, which made us cram a lot of little things in two weeks before the big day. You are going to want wedding week time with family and friends that are in town.  Take the small tasks off your plate early!

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7. CREATE A SHOT LIST OF PHOTOS YOU WANT

Speaking of delaying small tasks….I wish I had done this.  I had it “in my head” but when it came to the day, things were happening so fast that a lot of what I had in my head was lost.

Think about the people you want to hold you accountable, to do life with you, who are going to be there for you through your marriage. Being a member of a bridal party is a big job. Also note, sometimes it’s ok to not ask someone who you know is in a season of life where they would be overwhelmed. Just have a conversation with that person so they know you care and understand it would be unfair to put such a burden on them. 

This is what your bridal party is for (and also why you want to be sensitive to the seasons of life people might be in!)  They want to help you, so get good at delegating!  We both talked about how we wouldn’t have gotten through our wedding without our bridal party. It was like we had a troop rallying around us, cheering us on, selflessly helping us…they were in it.

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10. LET YOUR BRIDESMAIDS CHOOSE THEIR DRESS

I highly recommend this.  As women, our bodies are different, and the dress that looks good on one girl might not look good on another.  Plus it stinks to have to spend so much money on a dress that you won’t wear again! I gave my girls a color palette and told them I wanted it to be long. They chose dresses that were unique to them, which was special to me.

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11. IF YOU CAN HELP IT, DO NOT LEAVE RIGHT AWAY FOR YOUR HONEYMOON!

Weddings are emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting.  Give yourself at least an extra day to not have to rush off to the airport and be on an agenda.  Process the magnitude of this event, enjoy each other (you probably won’t have seen each other alone the week prior), give yourself time to breathe and relax!

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12. DO A WEDDING VIDEO AND HIRE OLSEN MEDIA!

First of all, I will admit I was on the fence about a wedding video. I figure we were spending so much money on pictures that maybe we could cut the budget. I am so thankful that we hired Eric! Our wedding video is one of my most favorite memories I have! The day goes by so fast, and to relive it was really a gift! Jeff and I are both in the entertainment industry and have been around a lot of directors and DP’s….Eric, blew us away with what he captured. He has an incredible eye and a gorgeous way of telling your story.
— Jeffrey and Jacquelyn

We happen to agree especially with that last point!

Share this with anyone who is planning their wedding and could use some quick tips! Also, click below to check out their incredible wedding in the California mountains:

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5 Tips That Are Worth Remembering When Planning YOUR Day

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5 Tips That Are Worth Remembering When Planning YOUR Day

We are continuing our series in sharing tips from recent brides!  These following tips were given by Devin Gertkin.  Devin and Nic's day was absolutely beautiful from the outdoor ceremony to the sparkler send off after the evening was through! Devin was kind enough to share a few tips to the engaged couples out there that are planning their big day, in hopes that these tips are helpful to you!


TIP I.  "Remember it's YOUR day: Even if your families are chipping in and helping you pay for things, it's okay to remind them that in the end it should be all about you. It's easy for them to start to live out their dream wedding in yours, but once you kindly remind them they (usually) are brought back to reality! Just because "everyone else does it this way", doesn't mean you need to! We didn't do a lot of the "traditional" things like throwing the bouquet, dollar dance, cake, and really tailored our day to us. I couldn't have imagined it any other way!"

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"remember... it's your day"

 

TIP II.  "Give yourself time to plan the wedding: We had 14 months to plan our wedding and it was amazing. We didn't feel rushed, we secured the big things right away (ie. place, DJ, food, photograhper/videographer) but then gave ourselves some time to just enjoy being engaged."

 

TIP III.  "Skip out on real flowers: It's a huge budget eater. After pricing out flowers and having a mini heart attack, we went with babies breath and dried hydrangeas. You can buy bulk flowers from somewhere like Sam's Club for cheap cheap. We had a jar full on each table, about 20 else where, made 3 bridesmaids bouquets and had flowers to spare for around $300."

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"skip out on real flowers... it's a huge budget eater"

 

TIP  IV.  "Spend the money on a photographer/videographer: These will be your only true keepsakes from your wedding besides your memories and it's so worth finding true professionals to capture it. As I look back at our photos, and especially our video, there are so many moments I had forgotten. The day flies by and it's impossible to remember it all. I still cry every time I watch our video and I look forward to sharing it with our kids in the future and re-living that perfect day."

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"I look forward to sharing it with our kids... and re-living that perfect day"

 

TIP V.  "As everyone says, don't stress the small stuff: You have NO control over things like weather on your day, and if you're planning an outdoor wedding you risk rain, wind, too hot, or too cold. We took the risk, and although it was misting through most of our pictures and pouring during our first dance - I never let it bother me. Because in the end all that matters is that you get to marry your best friend." 

 

I hope you find that these tips were helpful to you and that you found a tip that you can incorporate into your wedding!  Something that immediately stood out to me while watching Devin and Nic's wedding video was the smile she had her face the whole day!  She exuded pure joy!  She mentioned in her tips to let the little things go because you can't control everything.  It seems like such simple advice, but when you actually think about it and take in what that would actually be like, it's a little scary.  Giving advice to let go of some things when they don't go as planned on the day that is supposed so be perfect and the most magical day ever, is not just advice that can easily be taken.  This advice may not be easily grasped but it's worth a shot, especially if it helps you smile more than worry on your big day, because it is going to be the happiness you had that you will remember more than any rain or clouds. 

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"it's going to be the happiness you had that you will remember"

It's very true, your wedding day is huge and, yes, there is a lot of pressure that goes along with that.  However, as far as having the perfect day, it will be perfect for you and your future spouse because of what you made of it and because of the words of commitment you shared on that very special day.  As far as those little bumps that may arise, they will give you a good story to tell!  So as much as you can, fight to let those little things go and laugh about it because after all, you are getting married!  How awesome is that?!?  

Don't waste your energy or one second of the one day that is ALL ABOUT YOU worrying about things you can't change.  Instead, try your hardest to focus on the constant that is in your life now and will be forever starting on that very special day.  Give that commitment and future spouse all your attention, because they sure deserve it! In taking Devin's advice I hope you will have the most happy day, just like she did!  

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"give that commitment and future spouse all your attention... because they sure deserve it!"

Thank you Devin for your contribution to this series!  

Thank you for reading!

Remember to subscribe for future tips from the brides themselves!

Watch Devin and Nic's beautiful wedding video!

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Amanda + Matthew - June Wedding in White Bear Lake, Minnesota

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Amanda + Matthew - June Wedding in White Bear Lake, Minnesota

Amanda and Matthew had such a wonderful wedding! Everything was just perfect including these two. Nothing could stop the smiles on their faces. I don't think they stopped smiling since they saw each other for the first time while Amanda walked down the aisle. I had a great time filming with you guys and hope you enjoy reliving your big day over and over! Thanks for choosing Olsen Media!

Music licensed through art-list.io and musicbed.com

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Trevor + Anna - Summer Wedding at the Arboretum

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Trevor + Anna - Summer Wedding at the Arboretum

Anna + Trevor June 24th 2017 The Arboretum, Chanhassen, MN The Wedding Collective 2017 Filmed and Edited by Olsen Media Music licensed through Art-List.io and musicbed.com

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Corey + Leah - Beautiful Wedding in the Rain

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Corey + Leah - Beautiful Wedding in the Rain

A little rain is good luck on your wedding day and a lot of rain means getting wet and photos under umbrellas but also, a lot of fun! Nothing could bring down Corey and Leah on this day as they celebrated their love with friends and family. Thank you guys for choosing Olsen Media and congratulations!

Music licensed through Art-list.io and musicbed.com

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Jeff + Jacquelyn - Gorgeous California Wedding in the Mountains

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Jeff + Jacquelyn - Gorgeous California Wedding in the Mountains

Dream destination, wonderful couple, and joyous friends and family. The perfect mix for an incredible wedding! What a great event to be a part of and to capture. Jeff and Jacquelyn are both actors (which isn't hard to see!) but there was no acting involved on this day. Emotions swelled through heartfelt vows and letters and it was easy to see the love these two share. Thanks for having me film your big day and congratulations!

Music licensed through Art List.io and Musicbed.com

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Kiel + Grace - Wonderful Barn Wedding in Central Minnesota

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Kiel + Grace - Wonderful Barn Wedding in Central Minnesota

What an amazing wedding this was! Amazingly decorated barn, Prairie Bay catering (honestly a favorite of mine), a lake in the woods, a really fun group of people, and a great couple that are a perfect match for each other. All the ingredients for an incredible wedding day! Thanks again to Kiel and Grace for having me capture your big day!

Music licensed through art-list.io and musicbed.com

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Benjamin + Emily - Beautiful Fall Wedding in Southern Minnesota

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Benjamin + Emily - Beautiful Fall Wedding in Southern Minnesota

There's nothing better than a crisp, fall day in Minnesota and that's exactly what Ben and Emily's day was. Fallen leaves, a little chill in the air, and more than enough laughter and joy to go with it. These two were a pleasure to film with and have such a genuine love for each other. Thanks for having me film your big day!

Music licensed through art-list.io, musicbed.com, and songfreedom.com

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Nic + Devin - Fall Wedding at it's Finest

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Nic + Devin - Fall Wedding at it's Finest

My wife and I agree that if we were to go back a do it all again, this is the kind of wedding we would have. Outdoors, in the country, reception in a tent, fun and inviting! Nic and Devin put together a joyous and relaxed environment that put everyone at ease and welcomed them to enjoy the celebration. What a great wedding to be a part of and to capture. Thank you both and blessings on your marriage!

Music licensed through Art.list.io and musicbed.com

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