You can plan a wedding in as little time as you want if you're motivated

People said it was impossible to do it in six months, but now we know it was not only possible, but realistic. We could have planned it even faster, since there were months when we didn't work on anything for the wedding.

Plan your honeymoon for two or three days after the wedding

We left for our honeymoon the morning after the wedding, but we were too exhausted and overwhelmed to do much for the first few days. And we regretted not spending more time with family and friends who came from far away for the wedding. The added bonus of waiting a day or so is that you don't have to pack for the honeymoon right before the wedding in the midst of all the other things that are going on.

Create a registry

Even if you think you might have everything you need, a registry is still an important tool! Your guest will want to buy you gifts, and without a registry for them to choose from, they will use their own tastes to buy your shower and wedding gifts. That may sound charming, but the reality is that you will end up with an array of mismatched, duplicate items that don't reflect your style and needs. Don't worry – creative people will still use their own tastes when buying or creating a gift for you. But most people will buy from your registry.

Also, it is a chance for you to get things that you wouldn't ordinarily buy for yourself, like a high-quality set of pots and pans, sharp knives, new bed linens and towels, serving platters for entertaining, and useful appliances like a food processor. (We added a bread maker to our registry for fun, but now we use it all the time and are so glad we have it!) You can register at almost any store, so if your lifestyle is more athletic than culinary, register at Sears for sporting equipment, camping supplies, even tools! The possibilities are endless, and your guests will be glad to know that they're buying you something that you actually want.

Have a receiving line

We were wondering what the benefits were to having a receiving line, and ultimately decided against it because we didn't know when to place it in the order of the day. But if we had incorporated a receiving line, it would have saved time by allowing us to greet every guest and thank them for coming then rather than during the reception. Instead, we went from table to table to greet people, and that took almost all the free time we had during the night, leaving little time for dancing.

Take a video

The price of having your ceremony and reception digitally recorded is astronomical, and we cut it from our budget thinking that we would never watch it. But one thing we didn't realize is how much of the day we would miss out on. There are many things that happened during the ceremony and reception with our family and friends that we heard about after the honeymoon. So it would have been great to pop in a DVD and watch all the scenes that we didn't see because we were engaged in bride-groom activities, like having our pictures taken or cutting the cake. We do have some footage that our cousin taped for us on a borrowed video camera, and that was fun to watch. If you can't afford a professional, have a trusted friend or relative do it for you.

Eat Your Meal

We were so focused on trying to greet people at the reception that we almost didn't take time to eat. With the sensation of butterflies in our stomachs, we didn't even feel like eating. But our hostess persuaded us to sit down and enjoy the meal, and we were thankful. The food was delicious, and we needed the nourishment for the rest of the night's activities.

Hurricanes do happen in the Pacific

If you're having a fall wedding, you probably already know about hurricane season in the Caribbean. We decided to avoid the risk of planning a honeymoon there that might be ruined by a hurricane. Instead we went to the western coast of Mexico, where we thought we would be safe from any unpleasant weather. However, Los Cabos got hit by a hurricane about two months before our wedding, and another passed by while we were actually on our honeymoon. Thankfully it just missed the coast, but the lesson still hit home – you're in jeopardy of bad weather wherever you go, so you may as well honeymoon in the place you really want.

Stay organized

What really helped us in the planning process was being organized. Nate set up a website called a "wiki" that was very easy to access by multiple users. We were able to update information on it as often as we wanted throughout the day, and all the members of the wedding party could stay in touch and see what we were planning. If you're not web-savy, find ways to be organized that fit your lifestyle. Having a constantly-changing TO DO list is a necessity. Also, keep names and phone numbers of vendors within reach at all times.

Be flexible

Although it's your wedding day, many other people will want a say in how the day plays out. Your parents will probably have their own opinions about who to invite and how to plan. Your bridal party may also be free with their opinions. Even your fiance might disagree about certain aspects of the day. The important thing to remember is to be flexible, and understand that not everything will turn out the way you would like it. Even the things you work hard to plan may happen differently on your wedding day. But by then you'll probably realize that the only thing that matters is marrying the person you love. :)

Pray

All the planning that we accomplished was the result of lots of help from our Lord, who directs all our plans. We wanted Him to be glorified by our wedding, and the best way to do that was to surrender the day to Him. We prayed for our wedding and marriage daily. On our wedding day, Jen repeated Psalm 23 to herself before the ceremony to keep calm. And during our ceremony, we prayed several times and took our vows in the presence of our Holy Father and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe prayer helped our special day to go smoothly and our marriage to get off to a good start!