Featured Bride, Mary L. Wedding Location: Braham, MN | Wedding Date: October 1, 2011

The final days.

This time next week, I’ll be Mrs. Jensen. Mrs. Mary Jensen. It's got a nice ring to it, don'tcha think? Tim and I used to say, "Ahh, only a year and 4 months, 'til our wedding." Then it was, "Ahh, only 180-some days 'til our wedding." And now, it’s less than a week! Everyone says that the last week before your wedding is the most stressful, but I’m still waiting for it all to hit me. Our pre-payments to vendors have been made, our menus are set, the attendant’s gifts are wrapped and ready to go.  My beautiful Maggie Sottero bridal gown fits like a glove, my trial run for my hair went fabulously, and I couldn’t be happier! I am as chill as an ice cube.

On cloud nine...

I have been on Cloud Nine for the last month. Well, honestly, for the last year and a half; ever since Tim and I got engaged. Counting down the days with my Tim, my best friend, have been the best. I even drew little wedding themed pictures for the countdown of the last 30 days! We are fine-tuning the schedule for our honeymoon, listing the different attractions we want to visit (including Sea World - where we just ordered our tickets to!), and just enjoying these moments.

Organization.

My organizational skills have proved themselves to be quite handy these last couple of weeks! I formatted our programs, put together our centerpieces (with the help of family), and ordered all of our last-minute necessities. Everyone involved in the wedding knows exactly what time everything will take place, thanks to the cute little schedules I made for them.

Letting go of the little things.

We are looking forward to this weekend, but I am coming to terms with reality. My absolute biggest pet peeve, is when people are late, or things don’t start on-time.  Every day, I have been telling myself, that it is OK if our wedding doesn’t start until 4:05 pm, (it's scheduled to start at 4pm), or if our salad isn’t served right at 6:30pm. I’m not exactly thrilled about these things, but it's reality. It’s OK, Mary. REALLY. And I know it won’t detract from the happiness and all the joy of Tim’s and my big day.

Some friendly B2B (Bride-to-Bride) advice.

If I can give one piece of advice to my fellow brides-to-be, it is to RELAX!! All of my friends, who have either been brides themselves, or have been involved in weddings, have told me to remember to relax; so all the little things won’t pass you by. I've definitely appreciated everyone reminding me of that! Don’t let the little stresses of life get you down, just find a way to make lemonade from the lemons life likes to throw your way.

The last weekend before the wedding.

This past weekend, the last weekend before our wedding, Tim and I made sure to just enjoy ourselves. We didn’t stress about the wedding, opting instead, to spend time with each other, and with our friends and family.  We spent part of Saturday finalizing payments, picking up my dress (which looks GORGEOUS!), and sharing in the joy of a friend, who had her own bridal shower for her wedding, which will be later this fall. We also went shopping for a birthday gift for my mom and went to The Lion King 3D (which, by the way, was awesome! Even better than when I was little!). As we were driving, we noticed it was just past 4pm, and Tim and I looked at each other and smiled. Tim said, “Hey! This time next week, we’ll be walking down the aisle!” Gosh, I love this man! Sunday was a lazy day; we had a final meeting with our Pastor, then a nice BBQ with Tim’s parents. We finished printing and folding our programs, then just came home and spent a nice evening together. So, here’s to a great week, filled with happiness, and ending with a joyous celebration of love! ♥ Watch for a later post, filled with all of our fun wedding deets!

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Thanks, Mary! We're so excited for you and Tim, and couldn't be happier that you were gracious enough to share your wedding journey with us.  We're anxiously waiting to see your beautiful wedding photos! If you're interested in becoming a My Wedding Chat Featured Bride and sharing your wedding story with brides and wedding-lovers alike, email Blog@WeddingsShoppeInc.com, for more information. Other Posts You’ll Love: Featured Bride Mary L: Update, T-50 Days and Counting! The Honeymoon: Go Big, Go Small... or Not Go At All? Picking Your Wedding Flowers Finding THE Dress How It Happened: The Proposal Finding the Perfect Bridesmaid Dresses

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