5 Things Every Bride Should Do Before She Says 'I Do'

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There's more to planning a wedding than just picking out cakes, flowers, dresses, and color palettes! Fawn Weaver, The New York Times bestselling author of Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage and the founder of the Happy Wives Club, breaks down the most important things for a bride-to-be to do before she walks down the aisle.


1. Become the boss of your wedding. This doesn't mean you should ignore the desires of your groom. It means you and your husband-to-be should team up to ignore the desires of everyone else. This is your day. Your vows will go by so fast. Before you know it, you'll be spread out across the hotel bed, rings on left fingers, and amazed at how lightning fast it all went. The most beautiful brides are the ones that decide not to allow stress to take over their wedding planning. Breathe. Stay calm. And tell everyone, other than your man, to butt out (in a nice way, of course).


2. Play the 'What If' game. My husband and I may have come up with this — not quite sure. But we played a game of "What If" each and every time we were together: "What if we can't have children? Would you be open to adoption? Could you be happy with a family of two?" was one series of questions. "What if I was offered a promotion to an international position located in London. Would you come?" was another set of questions. There are no rules to this game. Ask any question that comes to mind no matter how silly or how vulnerable it might make one of you feel.


3. Designate your calmest, most rational friend, as your publicist on wedding day. Have you ever watched celebrities on the red carpet or at photo shoots? Their job is to look good, so their publicist's job is to shield them from all incoming stress and requests. The cake delivery running 30 minutes behind is not something you need to know about. The florist delivering the wrong color flower petals for your flower girls is not something you need to know about. Your job is to look and feel fabulous. No stress allowed.


4. Spend more time planning your marriage than planning your wedding Your wedding will last one day. Your marriage is for life. Don't you think it deserves some planning, too? My husband and I went to a clinical psychologist (who specialized in premarital counselor) for 12 weeks. Best. Investment. Ever. A decadent chocolate wedding cake can easily cost you thousands. Don't you think your marriage deserves an investment of at least that much?


5. Stick to the budget. Some of the biggest fights in the early months of marriage come after a couple receives the credit card bills from their big day. This is your day, it should be beautiful. But if a cost-related decision you make for your wedding day, is likely to cause a nightmare in your marriage, you might want to skip it. Your wedding is for one day. One amazingly, magical day. Your marriage is for life. And you have the power to create an amazing one, from day one.