Guest Post: Mo Pie Please

Hi everyone! This is Meagan from Mo Pie, Please, and I'm thrilled to be here today while Michelle is basking in the afterglow of her incredible wedding. Michelle asked me to put together a little something about what I learned from my own wedding to share with you all and I couldn't resist indulging :)

My wedding took place last August in a lovely Napa Valley town named Calistoga.

{we held a rehearsal/welcome dinner at Calistoga Inn for our guests who traveled so far to be with us on our big day. The restaurant took care of all the food, drinks and intimate decor. The ambience was perfect for the occasion and my heart swells just looking back on it}

50 of our closest friends and family members flew out to celebrate with us and every last bit of the entire trip was magical. We spent the week leading up to the big day galavanting around the San Francisco/Sausalito/Point Reyes/Napa Valley area, with a friends camping trip, a romantic rehearsal dinner at a local brewery and a morning-after-the-wedding brunch in a petrified forest. Honestly, I wouldn't have changed anything about those experiences for the world if I could. And I can't, so that's great, right?!

If I was forced to change some things about the wedding, here's what they'd be ::

• I love, love, loved my Lela Rose gown and am so thankful for my parents helping me out with it. It was a splurge and I will cherish it forever. But if I had to do it all over again, I think I might choose one of these inexpensive gowns instead ::

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Not for any particular rhyme or reason, just that ever since I've been thinking about how much we spent on it and how much that money sounds really nice right about now. Also, I remember the night of the wedding, I nearly cried when I took my dress off. I knew I was never going to wear it again, at least for the purpose it served, and it made me incredibly sad.

• Our wedding venue was absolute perfection, but because we decided to take the Friday package, the wedding had to end earlier than everyone would have liked. I was ready for it to last many hours more and we were all sorely disappointed when they shut us down.

{some of my favorite shots of the beauty at Hans Fahden Vineyards}

• So much of the day was a blur for both of us. I don't think there's anything you can do to really prevent that from happening, but asking your photographer to capture things that you want to experience for years to come is a great idea. Ask for shots involving the two of you but also make sure they capture the moments you're not around to fully savor. When we took or photos in the vineyard, it was after we had served dinner but right when the dancing began. While we were away, we missed some memorable dance moves from my nephew and our best man. Plus, I have seen pictures of other guests dancing that I don't recall having seen, so that's nice to look back on and know they were having fun. Just be prepared for a confusing feeling when it's all said and done with :)

{our first dance was to Sam Cooke's I Love You for Sentimental Reasons}

• Two things I learned - if you are dead set on having a specific detail look a certain way, don't be afraid to quadruple check to make sure it's been done right. A friend's mother made me a cake stand out of a tree log and I was so excited about that little touch. The bakery put the cake on top of the tree log but didn't remove the sheet it was originally sitting on, which was bigger than the tree stand. I was very disappointed when I realized that. It's a good thing that cake was the best I'd ever had...

• Never expect the ceremony to start on time. Remain calm, have a glass of champagne to calm your nerves and just let the little things slide.

Moments before our ceremony began, the coordinator came to tell me that one of our ushers had left to hunt down some lost guests. Since there were only 50 guests, they decided to push the ceremony back until the lost guests arrived. I just let it slide, just went with the flow. Apparently she had been nervous to tell me about it but I didn't let it get me down. As they like to say, "don't sweat the small stuff."

• Most importantly, just be you and have a ball. Show gratitude to each and every one there with you, have your cake and eat it too, drink champagne, but also drink loads of water throughout the day. And maybe pass on the raw broccoli for lunch. I almost made that mistake.

Congratulations, Michelle! I'm so happy for you, your husband (eeps!) and your new life together. And to all of you reading, thanks for having me! Hop on over to my corner of the web - I'd love to have you!