Names: Rachel Mays & Shane Ayotte

Where they live: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles

How they spend their days: Rachel owns Bread & Butter Public Relations; Shane is a television producer.

Years together: 4

Their story: We met at L.A. dive bar The Kibbitz Room and haven't been apart since. Shane proposed while we were on vacation in Hawaii and we decided to marry then and there. (See, Mom, you can meet nice guys in bars!)

Wedding locale: Holy Innocents Church, Maui.

What they learned while planning their wedding: Have fun! This is your wedding, not the Spanish Inquisition. It should be about the two of you celebrating your life together, nothing more, nothing less.

Names: Tatiana Fernandez & Benjamin Nemo

Where they live: Atlanta

How they spend their days: Walks, planning meals and trips, quoting favorite moments from 30 Rock and Arrested Development.

Years together: 2

Their story: We were good friends as twentysomething Stanford MBA classmates, and after reconnecting ten years later, a slow-burning spark finally ignited. After a year of long distance between Atlanta and Mexico City and dealing with the U.S. immigration process, we are at last together and happily married.

Wedding locale: Mexico City prewedding for south-of-the-border friends and family, followed by a civil ceremony with a small group at our home in Atlanta.

What they learned while planning their wedding: Focus on the right details and break routine to create a unique event that neither breaks the bank nor absorbs your lives.

Names: Heather Goeddel-Kelly & Alan Willis

Where they live: New York, NY How they spend their days: During the week, Heather works in retail; Alan in finance. Weekends are spent hanging out in the East Village with our bulldog, Flash.

Years together: 3

Their story (in 50 words or less): We met in San Francisco and were good friends for five years before our first "real" date — a week of skiing in Whistler. By that time, Alan had moved to the East Coast, and the first six months of our relationship were long distance. Heather eventually relocated to New York, and on the two-year anniversary of our first date, Alan proposed in Whistler.

Wedding locale: El Dorado Golf & Beach Club, Los Cabos, Mexico.

One interesting factoid/piece of advice you learned while planning the wedding: No matter how big or small the event is, take the time to step outside of it and look in. One of our favorite wedding memories was going up to the balcony overlooking dinner and watching all of our friends and family having a great time together.

Names: Catherine Chen & Sin-Chang Chiu

Where they live: Washington, D.C.

How they spend their days: Catherine works on combatting international and domestic human trafficking. Chang is a political analyst focused on China and Southeast Asia. When we're not working, we play with our 1-year-old rescued Indonesian street pup, Mika; read; and hunt for vintage furniture.

Years together: 3

Their story (in 50 words or less): We first met in college when he was dating my housemate. Fast-forward ten years when we ran into each other at a party and began dating. A year later I was given a job opportunity in Indonesia; Chang quit his job and followed me to Jakarta with a ring in his pocket.

Wedding locale: Khayangan Estate, Bali, Indonesia.

One interesting factoid/piece of advice you learned while planning the wedding:

1. Befriend your vendors. Set the tone of your wedding by being gracious and generous with those who are helping to make your day perfect.
2. No matter what happens, enjoy yourself. A good photographer can work in any setting, but no amount of artistic talent can replace an upset bride's facial expression.