As you may have heard, Dmytry Karpov and I got married on Monday, July 2nd. In a small ceremony with just a few very close friends, we committed our lives to each other and to our children. It was perfect and beautiful and I’m deliriously happy.

And I learned a few things of what NOT to do on your wedding day.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t start a new skin care regime three days before your wedding.

You’d think this was a no-brainer, but I have really clear skin and have NEVER had any breakouts or problems when I switch skin care. I’d run out of my normal cleanser and lotion, something I bought in California, and needed a new brand. So, on Friday, I picked up some very good products and began using them. By Monday, my face had turned red and blotchy with random breakouts. Thank goodness I also bought some new concealer, or all would have been lost. Moral of the story… just don’t do it!

2. Don’t use a new hairdresser three days before your wedding.

Again, no brainer. *sigh* Why must I learn these things the hard way? Our last hair dresser cut my hair super short, at my request. She did a great job. It’s not her fault I miss my long hair. She gave Dmytry an epic GQ look!

So, I’m growing out my hair again, but wanted it shaped for the wedding. Only, that hairdresser moved to a new location and we got someone new. I was not happy with either of our haircuts, but especially mine. I think it was actually better ‘unshaped.’

3. Don’t assume that a small living room wedding will be easy and fast to prep for.

It’s not. We had four friends coming up from California, and two friends who joined us via G+ hangouts. That was it. How hard could that possibly be? Well, several hundred dollars and a lot of shopping, primping and planning later, and yeah… turns out it is a big deal. Maybe it’s just me. I’m not a party person, or party planner. I don’t really enjoy doing that. The only party I’ve really loved was the epic New Year’s Eve party on the night Dmytry and I finally got to be together in person for the first time, and Ranee Dillon did a lot of that prep work with me, so it was easier. This time, she was an online guest! 🙂

4. Don’t assume that those tulle bows on the tulle packages are as easy to create as they lead you to believe.

They’re not. Mine looked like a poodle on a frizzy hair day. Fortunately, our 9-year-old is better at these things.

5. The most important! Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.

And it’s all small stuff. Yes, my face was blotchy. Yes, my hair was a wreck. Yes, it was a lot of work. But you know what? We’re married and we’re happy and our dearest friends were there to celebrate with us. And eventually we’ll have another ceremony for our family and friends who couldn’t attend.

It’s the journey, the commitment and joining of two lives, that matters–not the decorations or the hair. When I looked at Dmytry, I didn’t care about his hair cut, and he didn’t care about mine. No one noticed my poodle bows. The only thing anyone noticed or cared about was the love in the room. The rest is just frosting on the cake.

(Speaking of which, I actually made our wedding cake, and I’m so not a baker. Gluten free with vanilla filling… I even decorated it… and it didn’t suck! Yay!)

Dmytry and I met with a tweet and fell in love while writing partners. Now we’re married, raising three little girls together, and writing books together. The rest is inconsequential.

And for those of you who couldn’t be there, you can see the full photo album here on my Facebook Author page, and here’s a video of our journey together–from first tweet to Happily Ever After!