Advice From Someone Who Just Got Married

There is no one right way to have a wedding. Whether you prefer traditional or unconventional events, only one thing remains constant: the wedding should be about you and your wants. We asked a recently married couple their top tips for having a successful wedding day.

What was your favorite part about the wedding?

Olivia M.: It felt like a house party my parents used to throw when I was growing up. We really focused on making sure our guests had a good time and tried to keep the “dog and pony show” to a minimum. We had dance music going pretty much all night, fantastic food, and an open bar.

Freddy M.: I’m a chef, and my wife and I are both Sicilian. Having high-quality food was a must for us, so we got married at a restaurant. It was awesome because we got married in one room, then headed to another for the cocktail hour while they flipped the ceremony area for the reception. It saved us a ton of money, and no one had to venture out to multiple locations on a cold November night.

Looking back, what could you have done without?

Olivia M.: We didn’t do any old-school traditional things like bouquet tossing or cake cutting. We just wanted to focus on the party. Looking back, we would not have had a bridal party. We love our friends to death, but we feel somewhat guilty for putting them through a long day of photos and logistics! We’d still have them do speeches and be in pictures but not force them to start their day as early as we had to.

Any money-saving tips you can give future brides and grooms?

Freddy M.: Unless you REALLY want to, you don’t need a wedding cake! Instead, we had a dessert table and a cannoli tower with a small 6-inch cake on the top. We saved a ton of money, and our guests devoured the dessert.

Olivia M.: We did not do fancy invites with the return envelopes and all of that jazz. I get that more formal events may require them, but I like saving paper. We had everyone RSVP on our wedding website instead.

How did you decide on music?

Olivia M: We are HUGE music lovers. That can’t be overstated. We hired our good friend, a well-known DJ in the Chicago club circuit, to curate dance music our entire guest list would love (important to note, we had a child-free wedding). When the clock struck 11, we turned it into a straight house music dance party until the party ended at midnight.

Freddy M.: We also had an extensive DO NOT PLAY list. We highly recommend giving that to any wedding band or DJ you hire in the event one of your guests has too many cocktails and goes rogue!