10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting Married

I got engaged a year ago and what a year it’s been. I was in a state of shock for the first couple of months, shrugging nonchalantly if anyone asked me about my dress or the venue (which people do, immediately) and running into restaurant bathrooms when our parents brought up the guestlist. It took about six months for it to sink in, and for me to start visualising how everything might come together. When there are so many details (vegan options, save the date font, napkins...) you really have to strain to see the bigger picture, of, you know, the greatest day of your life.

In a bid to make my life easier (and yours, reader brides) I have been diligently foresting pearls of wisdom from my wonderful friends – brides and brides to be – of all the things they wished they had known at the start. Crucially, the most important thing I learnt was to unlearn everything I'd previously been told, because there are some traditions you’ll love and want to keep, but so many others that you’ll discover are totally irrelevant to you. Lose anything that doesn’t feel real to you. There is a whole industry built around weddings, which does capitalise on the pressure everyone feels to make this the most perfect day ever, so just do you and remember it's about throwing the best party you’ll ever attend.