Fifteen Years, Fifteen Lessons

1. The venue's staff matters more than the venue. 2. Your timeline should have thirty minutes of nothing in it. 3. Guests remember the food, the temperature and how long they waited at the bar. 4. Nobody has ever regretted a first look for logistical reasons. 5. A rain plan you have not seen in person is not a rain plan. 6. The best-dressed weddings are the ones with fewer decisions, not more. 7. Hair and makeup runs late. Build for it. 8. A planner is cheaper than the mistakes a planner prevents. 9. The dance floor fills when the room is smaller than you think it should be. 10. Sound at an outdoor ceremony is a budget line, not an afterthought. 11. Vendors talk. Treat them well and your day runs better. 12. Two hours before sunset is worth rearranging your entire schedule for. 13. The toasts should be shorter than everyone plans. 14. Something will go wrong and almost nobody will notice. 15. Fifteen years in, the weddings I remember are the ones where the couple stopped managing and started attending.