Just one? Nope. Can't. Here's three that make us smile:

We were all taking turns at the piñata, perhaps having too much fun blind-folding and spinning each other around 'one...two...three times and...swing!', when the Matron of Honor steps up to bat, swings, and almost lands the blow on the face of my now-Father-in-law! Gasps and exclamations erupted from the whole group, followed shortly by hysterical laughter when it was evident that nobody was harmed.

Sitting on the ground--Eastern European style, Turkish rugs and all--with my new bride, my best friend, laughing and crying as we listened to the speeches our friends and family gave. It was the first time we were seated as a married couple, and it was right. I had the overwhelming peace of knowing that I had just made the best decision of my life--I married my best friend.

We rented bikes for our exit, and *tried* to ride them away into the sunset. Turns out, San Francisco hills, wedding dresses, and bikes do not make for the most graceful of exits. So, we walked our bikes away. ;)

Two things that you'll hear a lot: make your day about you and don't stress.

Your wedding day is not, contrary to popular belief, the most important day of your life. That title belongs to every day following your wedding--each day you say, 'I do' without all the hoopla and hype of some big event. That said, your wedding day is quite likely the most elaborate and most celebrated party you'll ever throw. So, make it yours. Don't blindly follow tradition, but choose to participate in the events that are meaningful to you as a couple. For us, this meant that the groom was present when the bride was dress-shopping. It meant that there was no garter or bouquet toss; there was no dancing; there was no alcohol; there was no caterer.

There was, however, a first look on a mountain, a picnic with our bridal party before the ceremony, foot-washing, vows in our journals, and matching wedding bands. Our decor included a plethora of Indian tapestries, Turkish throw pillows, Mexican blankets, and glass, geometric terrariums with beautiful succulents. We had a buffet of local gastronomy, a temporary tattoo bar, large floor rugs all over the ground, and a bunch of games (including twister and the classic 'Guess Who' with the names and faces of our guests, custom-made by Angélique).

We also found ways to cut costs in a city known for it's very high prices: we found our venue--a hillside, backyard garden--using AirBNB; we imported many of our decorations from other countries, getting bulk and wholesale prices without buying in bulk; we found our other decorations online and used coupons and free shipping and spent countless hours searching for the best prices; in the end, we only rented a few items (which we were very happy with!), so we went home to our new and empty apartment with virtually everything that was at our wedding.

But it was a very, very stressful planning process. The combination of having a destination wedding (in a city we had never been to and had no friends or family in), buying every decoration individually and on our own, the logistics of housing and transporting nearly all of our guests and bridal party, and some issues with our original planner made for a lot of lost sleep during the seven months preceding our wedding day. And it was all for a single day, a party.

Finding the balance between uniqueness and too much work is a difficult task, but absolutely necessary if you want to enjoy your wedding and at least some of the planning process. So, our advice is to hire a wedding planner who really, really understands and has experience with your style, and ask friends and family to help.