Bride to Bride Advice

“Before planning your wedding, really sit back and think about what makes your relationship unique, and reflect that in the wedding. For example, I love all things girly, but Josh is very much a man’s man. That’s what inspired me to have a rustic-yet-elegant feel at our wedding. It helped create the feel that Josh and I, as individuals, were coming together as one.” —Ali Jones, married in May 2013 on family property in West Plains

“Devote a portion of the day to each other, and escape to remember why you’re there.” —Lauren Swenson, married June 2013 at River of Life Farm

“Depending on the type of wedding, ask more people than you think you’ll need to help set up. It was amazing to me how much help we had, but a few more hands would have been nice.”—Jessie Hopper, married June 2013 at the O’Reilly Family Farm in Ozark

“I would really recommend pre-marital counseling, simply for the fact that it brings you back to why you are getting married in the first place—you love your fiancé! We were fortunate enough to have a pre-marital counselor who challenged us to answer the seemingly not-so-big but important questions, like ’Where do we go for holidays?’ and ’Who takes care of the bills?‘ These are things you really don’t take the time to think about when you are trying to book a caterer or pick out your bouquet."— Angela Stillwagon