You plan it for months (or years), but there'll always be things you can't predict on your wedding day. Here, brides who've been there tell you how to prepare for the unexpected.
"Stage fright happens to brides, too"
"I'm a shy, quiet person and, normally, the idea of standing in front of 100 people would terrify me. Somehow, I thought it would be different on my wedding day. It wasn't. To my horror, straight after the 'I dos', a blotchy, red rash crept over my neck and face. Reassuringly, the celebrant told me it happens quite a lot."
Georgina, 33, Melbourne, Vic
"What's more important: wedding or marriage?"
"My family and friends were constantly asking about my wedding, but never questioned me about the fact that I was about to start sharing my life with another human being, which seemed much more important than, 'Are you wearing a band/veil?' I felt relieved when the pressure to have a perfect wedding day was finally over."
Gabrielle, 32, Perth, WA
"Don't make big plans for your wedding night"
"I had amazing plans for my wedding night - after the reception we wanted to kick on to a bar with our friends, and then have a romantic night in our candlelit wedding suite. But by midnight, I was exhausted. I'd been up for 19 hours and experienced a roller-coaster of emotions. So, instead, my husband spent his wedding night picking bobby pins from my hair."
Sharon, 34, Ashfield, NSW
"Parents will probably complicate things"
"Both my parents and my husband's are divorced and all have new partners. Trying to please all of them was incredibly difficult. But how can you ignore their demands when they're contributing money? Eventually, my husband and I decided we had to be firm and do what we wanted - after all, it was our day."
Kellie, 25, Cabarita, NSW
"Your dream dress will be over your budget"
"Before my wedding, I imagined getting married wearing a $500 classic, cream suit. But I ended up splurging on an antique lace dress, which cost thousands in fabric alone. We went so over budget for the wedding in general that we gave up and spent what we liked. So don't beat yourself up if you blow your budget."
Emily, 27, Perth, WA
"Some of your closest friends won't make it"
"I had this romantic notion that everyone I invited to the
wedding would attend. But in reality, some people won't be able to - especially if you get married overseas, as I did. It's easy to feel upset, but ultimately - like most wedding details - it won't matter on the day. Your wedding will still be incredible."
Fiona, 31, Rose Bay, NSW
"Even 'ideal' bridesmaids can cause headaches"
"I'd heard horror stories about lazy bridesmaids, so I thought my super-organised friend would be perfect. But Kate, who had a list - and an opinion - for everything, was so organised I started to feel I had lost control of my own wedding. Although Kate had good intentions, I wish I had picked someone more on my wavelength."
Michelle, 29, Prahan, Vic
"At the weddings I've attended, the bride cried, so I thought I might, too. But as soon as I arrived at the church I felt calm. As I walked down the aisle, my husband-to-be was looking at me in a serious, but tender way I'd only seen once before - when he proposed. Then, during the vows, he cried. I squeezed his hand, and at that moment I knew we had made the right decision."
