i agree with so many of the things everyone said but a couple things i have to say are what i have learned:
1-make sure your photog will give you a CD of ALL your images asap, and included in the cost, none of this "on your 1st aniiversary you have the option to purchase it".
2-decide as early as you can what is really the most important thing to you and save the damn $ NOW for it instead of waiting until a week before your wedding to try and book a cheap photog (learned this the hard way )
3-ive learned that its not creepy to make best, life-long friends on the internet and that they will be there for you thru thick and thin, and will know exactly what you mean whenever you have something to share
4-there is an amazing, fantastic, magical reason you and DH decided to get married in the first place, and you remember it the moment you see him when you walk down the aisle. all the tough stuff and spats and agruing over the last year are worth it, just to make you appreciate him even more at that moment