At the age of 8, like most other little girls I knew, I played dress up in my Mom's clothes, imagining myself as a bride in a gorgeous white gown, holding a bouquet of roses as people cheered me on down the aisle to my groom. I got married almost a year ago now in a stunning white gown with my bouquet of roses except no one cheered as I walked down the aisle to my groom - that would have been a little strange. But, in all that daydreaming as a kid, I could always imagine the flowers, the taste of the cake, the music being played by string musicians - all the little details.

One great piece of advise my Mom gave me was take time to walk around the church and reception hall and soak it all in. If I didn't, I wouldn't remember most of it. I know plenty of girls who didn't have the chance to observe their cake, flowers, and special touches beforehand, and they only knew it was there because of their pictures. I wanted to remember first hand all those special details I wanted to be present on that day.

The morning of my wedding day, my Mom and I went together to see the church I had grown up in decorated for the ceremony. I smelled and touched the flowers. I sat in the pew where my parents would sit when I became a wife and they inherited a new son.

I got the chance to see our country clubs' reception hall be turned into a work of art. I watched as the florist assembled the flowers in the chandelier above my cake table, I saw my cake come to life layer by layer while the baker pieced it together. I seriously stared at it for a solid 2 minutes. (We took pictures with the cake, cut it and ate it, and I truly didn't get a good look at it during the reception!)

When your special day comes, I pray you take a couple of minutes to admire all those months of planning that day and enjoy it with your groom. Those memories will stay with you for a lifetime. :)