I DO'S AND DONT'S

The following is another old post circa Feb. 10, 2007.

At the request of my friend Alison, who is in the process of planning a destination wedding*. Here are some do's and don'ts. . .

DO: Pack your bags in advance, you want to make sure that you have all of your daily necessities, especially if you are doing your own hair and makeup for the big day. It is not just another vacation, it is your wedding, and tiny travel sizes just may not cut it.

DO: Let somebody that's in their right mind, this will not be you, be in charge of your wedding dress. My mom-in-law practically handcuffed her carry on bag housing my dress, to her wrist. It took a lot of thought and a lot of looking to find the perfect dress, at this point it would not be an easy thing to replace.



DON'T: Arrive at the airport, wave to your friends that are also pulling up, smile at your mom, then realize that your luggage is not in the back of your friend's car. Have to haul ass back to your friend's house to retrieve your luggage, get pulled over, hear a police officer say "I hope somebody DIED, it just took me ten minutes to catch up with you" while you are on the phone with the best man screaming hysterically, "WE'RE GOING TO MISS OUR FLIGHT."

DON'T: Miss your flight, especially if that is the only flight to your destination that day. Don't miss your flight, especially when half of your wedding party is on it and your mom's are wearing mother of the bride and mother of the groom t-shirts. That made for interesting conversation for the rest of their travels. "Oh where are the bride and groom?" only to hear "WELL. . . they are not here, they missed their flight."

DO: Expect to spend a lot more money on your trip than you originally planned. Those last minute plane tickets you have to purchase because U.S. Airways cannot accomodate you. Not only that, but they automatically cancel your return flight, and then charge you a cancellation fee. Awesome.

DO: Be very thankful after your hellacious travels that all your bags made it with you. Sigh of relief when you see them on the carousel. Well, at least things cannot get any worse. Right?

DON'T: Take your eyes off your luggage even when you think you are in the clear because you are in a taxi to your hotel. He may just happen to misplace your bag while dropping other people off at the ferry. The bag may just happen to contain the suit that your soon to be husband was going to wear on your wedding day along with his clothes for the entire trip.

DO: Hope that you are in a place with excellent shopping. Just in case your groom has to find a suit to wear the next day.

DON'T: Even try to deal with limo transportation to the site of the occassion unless the driver has nothing else planned for the rest of the evening. We had to be rushed out after barely getting a bite of cake.

DO: Have family and close friends there to share the special occassion. Our wedding would not have been the same without those that were there. After the tragedy that was our travelling experience it would have been difficult to pull ourselves together and actually enjoy the beauty of it all. There was not a better feeling in the world than the Friday night before the wedding when everybody was there to celebrate and stood up and cheered us into the restaurant. Then proceeded to eat fresh fish that the boys caught that day and drink and take 4000 pictures, and drink some more. Long live Presidente!!!

DO: Plan something fun for everybody to do together at some point during the trip. The Sunday after the wedding all 16 of us went on a 4 hour sailing and snorkeling outing. When you look around at the phenomenal scenery, then look around at your family and friends laughing and having fun, you have to think to yourself. . .How many times in one's life do you get the chance to be on a sailboat in the Carribean with a group of 16 people that you love. Savor it!!!

DON'T: Stress about the things you still have left to plan, the reception for instance. Enjoy the wedding and the honeymoon you only get to experience it once.

DO: Take full advantage of it being YOUR TIME TO SHINE. ha ha. Pris knows what I'm talking about.

DON'T: Worry about any of the do's and don'ts because once you look at the love of your life and realize you are in the midst of the best thing that ever happened to you, none of the trivial stuff matters. When you cannot stop smiling at eachother, because you are about to say I do. That's what it's all about.

So to all of you out there that are on your way to tying the knot, headed to the altar or to the beach, it's all worth it, every single moment. Here's to knowing that you will find your PERFECT dress, you will not break a nail until after the ceremony, you will make it there even if you miss your flight or get a flat tire, and even if your groom ends up wearing his swim trunks, it will be the happiest day of your entire life.

*Alison's destination Wedding went off without a hitch and was absolutely beautiful.