1. Comfy shoes are a must.
2. You will panic about getting your or your spouse's name wrong, but it will be OK.
3. You will feel totally weird saying your vows.
4. And you won't remember them later.
5. But you will always remember how emotional it felt to pledge your actual life to someone.
6. You won't be able to get your head around the fact that saying a few words and signing a piece of paper makes you married to someone.
7. You won't really feel married yet.
8. Put someone else in charge of storing and collecting your belongings.
9. It might seem like a big deal at the time if tiny things go wrong – like the flowers not turning up or the DJ playing the wrong stuff – but you won't remember it later, in the larger scheme of things.
10. You will forget a lot of small details that you spent ages planning. That's OK too.
11. Accept all drinks offered.
12. You want good photos, but being taken away from the fun while they're taken can be annoying.
13. Your face will ache because so many people want photos with you and you're genuinely so happy.
14. Your dress will not remain pristine, no matter how hard you try. But that's what dry cleaners are for.
15. You'll realise how special all your nearest and dearest are when you take a moment to look around.
16. There will always be one guest who is by far the drunkest of them all.
17. The evening will go by incredibly quickly, and in a blur of faces.
18. At least once when people refer to "Mr and Mrs," you won't realise they're talking about you.
19. There will be at least one person you don't spend enough time with – whether it's your mother or your spouse or someone who travelled overseas to be with you.
20. You will get so used to saying "thank you so much for coming" that you'll end up saying it to your parents and the waiters.
21. You will wish you could go back and do it all again, but take everything in a bit more.
22. You will be exhausted and overwhelmed afterwards, and your face will hurt.
23. You will have no idea what to do with all the cards you receive.
24. And you still won't feel married. But you have the rest of your life for that :)
