Bridal Beauty Advice from Real Brides

It seems like, of all the married people I know, the relationships that lasted the longest were the ones that had either a very simple or no wedding at all. These crazy bridezillas turn into mega-beasts trying to plan the "perfect wedding" and forget that it's only one day out of what is supposed to be a long, wonderful life together. Who cares if your teeth weren't white enough or your highlights weren't just so If people continued to put that same effort into their marriages, maybe 50% of them wouldn't fail...

Regret #6 Not realizing how whacked out the inlaws are until it's too #$%$ late. Son's fiance' is wonderful, shows us stuff in her price range and asks our opinion, making us a part of the planning. My daughter is getting married later and her fiance's family are seriously testing my last nerve. Want a more expensive venue, want to double the size of the guest list, got rude because the future MIL didn't get to help pick a dress (even though when HER daughter got married, NO ONE else was allowed to be there), wanted my niece out as a bridesmaid so a 3rd cousin of theirs could be one, wants more expensive food, wants a relative to be the photog, same person who ruined her senior pictures so badly we had retakes done, etc. etc. etc. The list of their irritations is long, but they seem to forget one very important fact: THEY'RE NOT PAYING FOR IT!! My daughter is NOT materialistic and she wants a small, family wedding and she's going to have it. The fiance' is on board with this as well but won't tell his family to shut it. He doesn't even know who the 3rd cousin bridesmaid wannabe is!! I may be on valium before this is over, but not because of a Bridezilla, but in-laws from HELL!

We eloped one day after work, we wore our jeans, boots and went to the JP paid $25 for the whole thing. Then we took our money and bought 10 acres and a custom built home. We've been together for 27 years and married for 20 of them, a big wedding is simply a party for everyone you know. I have never once regretted not having a large wedding, the only thing that once made me question myself was my Daddy saying to me, I wanted to see you get married you would have been the most beautiful bride. I said thank you and told him that I had been the most beautiful bride because I married the man I loved and at the end of the day that is all that mattered, that and having a place to make a home and not be in debt up to our eyeballs. The money put away for a wedding was much better used on a home.

Great to see I am not alone with my $35 dress and a small reception in the church basement, plus another get together later with family. That was 50 years ago and life has been good to us and we still love each other. We had the wedding we could afford and everyone was happy.

You need to watch "say yes to the dress." It's just a joke to see how much many is spent. I know the girls want that fancy wedding but geez, you never know how long it's going to last and that money is GONE!

"IF" I ever get married again, I want to just go to the beach and have a Justice of the Peace perform the ceremony. I spent over $75K for my wife on our wedding and that money could have been used for better purposes, but I wanted my wife to have everything she ever dreamed of. Funny but every couple that I know of who was married by a JP is still together. Interesting statistic?

I was married 37 yrs ago and wanted to walk to the music from Fiddler on the Roof - Sun Rise Sunset" my dad said if I walked to that song I would have to walk alone he would not give me away.. today I would stand my ground to hell with that attitude .. Lots of pictures the most important thing..

The only thing I regret is that my mother-in-law wore white. Every single inch of her. She even wore pearls. -_-

I guess you could call me a "middle age" bride,we are getting married on Dec 24. I'm smart enough to know that I am who I am, no amount of makeup etc is going to change me into a 110 lbs, blonde with perfect white teeth. Our friends and family who are going to our wedding know the both of us well enough that to change who we are would take away from everything that makes us "special". Since we live in Las Vegas we found a beautiful little chapel (Mon Bel Ami) that has a reception area and planned from what we wanted.The total cost is under $1400 and that included food,drinks and a cake for 25 people. I can't understand why people throw money( or parents going in debt) away to have the big over the top wedding. It's suppose to be about your vows to God and each other not to see if you can outdo the previous wedding of a freind that you attended.

So stupid. Would've, should've, could've ... you did what you thought was best at the time. Get over it.

During the time of planning our wedding i realized how superficial my soon to be wife was. made me sick to my stomach. I told her about it but she just shrugged it off like everything else i had an input on. giong through divorce now. some things you cant change!

There's nothing wrong with having a traditional wedding. I had one and my daughter had one. I didn't get to choose my wedding gown, my mother did. She wanted me to look the way she wanted me to look. My dress was nice, but not what I would have like to have worn. I swore when my daughter got married she would be the one to choose her wedding dress not me. That's as it should be. It was her wedding, not mine. She looked beautiful! She recently confessed to me that she's not sure she made the right choice of dress. Sometimes you just can't win! Anyway, weddings don't have to be so expensive that you break the bank. Set a budget and stick to it. The important thing to remember is that you are marrying the love of your life and your vows mean something. No where in the vows does it say, if I change my mind about you or if this marriage gets hard, will just call it quits. Marriage is treated as disposable these days. Read the vows before you get married. If you don't think you can commit until death do you part to them, don't get married. BTW if we ever get around to renewing our vows, I'm gonna wear the kind of dress I wanted to wear 34 years ago. ;)

I don't regret not having any children in my wedding party or restricting my guest list to adults only. Nothing disrupts a wedding ceremony or reception more than babies and young children crying, talking, or throwing a temper tantrum.

I think all brides do this, I did it and still do, but that's why there are anniversaries. Our wedding was a gift from his mother, but when we do our renewal probably for our 10th we'll do it ourselves the way that WE WANT IT.

"... tanner, blonder, whiter teeth." All inconsequential years later ... concentrate on staying married ... and make sure you're with the right guy from the outset ... P.S. My dress cost $17, my shoes $2, violets in my hair ... a small cake that tasted good, cheap wine (that tasted good) word-of-mouth invitations, etc. etc. still married 40 years later ... "The Day" is not all that important in the end ...

I think that the divorce rate went up so high because most people get divorced over the STUPIDEST THINGS. "He leaves his underwear on the ground when he takes a shower. We're done!" It used to be that you'd get a divorce over ACTUAL serious things, like Adultery.
Anyways, I'm personally a fan of not digging a debt grave for your wedding. You can enjoy your Wedding and have it not cost 20,000 dollars, which can be a shiny new(used) car. xD

What bothers me about all of these comments are that most people are bragging about how little they spent on their wedding and saying people are crazy to spend $$$$ on a wedding. Having a frugal wedding is great! But what's wrong with having a lavish affair? If you can afford it, and it makes you happy, why not just get what you want? And it's not like that money just goes into thin air... it supports businesses (a lot of them small businesses, like bakeries, flower shops, and individual photographers). If you're happy in a $25 gown at a courthouse wedding, that's awesome. If you're happy with a $5,000 gown at an estate, that's awesome too. Why judge either way?

I am a wedding photographer, who has done hundreds of weddings, and at each and everyone, you brides look simply "gorgeous and beautiful". So relax,don't sweat it, and enjoy your special day and much happiness, and a very long great marriage to each and everyone of you.

A lot of women seem to care more about their weddings than they do about their marriages. Sad.

People seriously need to get over themselves. Good grief.