The Only Piece of Wedding Advice You Need
You’ve probably already heard plenty of wedding planning advice, but I know you haven’t heard this tip yet. After my younger sister, Shae, got married this fall, she reached out to me with the most unique and dare I say, most important piece of wedding planning advice I’ve ever heard.
Like all brides and grooms, Shae was warned by so many well-intentioned friends and family members that the wedding day goes by so fast that it will be hard to remember later.
In fact, Sony recently surveyed 2,000 brides and grooms proving that this is not uncommon at all. They found that one in four people admitted to not remembering their wedding vows (yikes!) and 54% said they have wedding day memory loss.
As sad as this is, as a wedding photographer and former bride, I can attest to this myself. Your wedding day will fly by. Despite having taken a moment or two to “slow down and soak it all in” as all wedding blogs advise, I only remember bits and pieces throughout my own wedding day.
A few minutes of rest doesn’t make up for a day full of wedding day chaos, so most of my memories stem from the photos that were taken. I’m so thankful for these photos, but I know I’m missing a few precious memories from my perspective.
Shae, however, remembers most of her day.
Her trick? Journaling. Shae made it a priority to journal the day after her wedding and record everything she remembered about the wedding day while it was still fresh.
Why journaling?
Journaling helps to sort through your memories from your brain’s various regions (visual, auditory, verbal communication, etc.) and brings out the most important details according to this study. In short, writing about your wedding day will help solidify your memories, as well as give you something to look back on later or hand down to the next generation.
Shae did say that writing about the long and detailed day was an overwhelming task. She broke it up into three more manageable journaling sessions and said that it was much less intimidating.
If you’ve got a long plane ride to your honeymoon destination, this is the perfect time to break out a notebook and pen. These memories fade fast though, and it’s imperative to journal as soon as you’re able to.
Of all the wedding planning advice you could receive, I hope you take this advice to heart. No matter the amazing vendors you hire, or how many compliments you receive on the food and flowers, after it’s all over, nothing will matter more than the precious memories of your wedding day.
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