You may be thinking, what if i'm so caught up in everything that has to happen on the day, what if I can't relax and enjoy myself, what if something goes wrong..........let me stop your right there!
Your wedding day will be the best day of your life, but I've got some little wedding hacks for you to ensure you have peace of mind and to make sure you can enjoy yourself to the max!
Eat Breakfast
Start your day right! Line your stomach and make sure you have eaten. If you are worried about your dress, it is still vital you eat. You have a long and extremely exciting day ahead and you want to feel your best. So make sure you have eaten before the day really begins, because it will be a long gap until you eat again!
Allow Time in The Morning
Make sure you have allowed enough time in the morning to not only eat, but to get yourself and your bridal party ready and over to your venue. Remember if it is a civil ceremony you need to allow time to meet with your registrar as well. I advice being in your dress and ready 30 minutes before you have to leave or 30 minutes before the ceremony if you are getting ready at your venue. By giving yourself enough time in the morning you can really enjoy the morning with your bridal party.
Delegate
Delegate, delegate, delegate!
You cannot and should not be doing tasks on your wedding day. Except for relaxing, being pampered and then seeing everything you have planned and imagined come to life. So with that being said you need to ensure that you have amazing support on the day. whether that be your venue managers, caterers, wedding planner/coordinator. It could even be a group of awesome bridesmaids who have totally got you back! Whoever it may be, it can't be you. There will be 'on the day' tasks that need taking care of. Such as paying final cash payments to some suppliers, making announcements/ being toastmaster, ushering guests throughout the day and ensuring certain things happen at certain times. So choose careful, enlist the with their roles and jobs and then relax!
On The Day Schedule
Create an on the day schedule. This will need to include all the timings for the day. starting from when the suppliers are all arriving and setting up and any prep that you or your 'team' need to be involved in? It may even start from the day prior to the wedding. Include all the details throughout the wedding day, ceremony timings, travel timings. When guests should make their way through to the wedding breakfast. How will they be told and who will announce this? Then hand this out to all suppliers and anyone that is part of your team that is helping ensure a smooth and perfect day for you. this avoids any confusion and conflicts as everyone is literally signing off the same hymn sheet.
Emergency Kit
Make yourself a little emergency kit bridal bag. Or what I like to call 'The Bag Of Dreams'. This bag of dreams started way back, when I was actually a maid of honour and I made sure we had a bag for every eventuality and I was it's 'keeper' for the day. It became a bit of a running joke, but it most definitely came in handy! Have things like deodorant, cotton pads, face wipes, nail varnish in both your colour ( for any chips) and a clear for tight runs! You may want to add blister plaster, hairspray. the list goes on. check out my emergency kit and take from that what you will ;)
Hydrate
Don't forget to drink water! I mean this is a daily task right, but it is so important on your wedding day. You will no doubt be having a few alcoholic drinks throughout the day, so ensuring your water intake is key. It will also make you feel more energetic and help combat any type of hangover the next day! But also if you are getting married in the hotter months or even abroad, it is even more crucial to ensure you are staying hydrated!
Take 5, just you!
This is the biggest piece of advice I tell my brides. Your wedding day can run away with you a little and you can end up going from one thing to the next, without really getting a chance to take it all in. I always suggest to my couple to take 5, just the two of them. Take a moment to breathe it all in, to be just the two of you and take stock of the momentous day and the chapter you have just started together. The best time to do this, is as your guests are making their way through to the wedding breakfast. Just go off and take 5, it'll be a lovely moment you will treasure.
Enjoy the things you've paid for
That may sound strange, but hear me out! If you have chosen a particular cocktail because it is your favourite, make sure you have one. If you have picked some entertainment during the drinks reception ensure you get to take part, or listen to them. If you have spent hours finding the most perfect band for your wedding, get on the dance floor and enjoy them. For my own wedding day for example, it was ALL about the music. We met through music and it is a big part of who we are! We didn't want our couples shots to go on too long, because we wanted to get back and hear the acoustic singer that we had booked for the drinks reception! When it came to the evening entertainment, we made sure we had done the 'wedding walkaround', so that we had greeted and thanked all out guests. which meant when the band started, we could hit the dance floor with our guests, knowing we hadn't missed anyone and could enjoy the entertainment.
Say Thank You
Make sure you thank your guests for coming. Whether that is during the drinks reception, a receiving line, the wedding walk around or via personalised notes on their place settings. Although in person is obviously more personal. Try to get round to everyone on the day. For more on the receiving line and wedding walk around check out this blog post.
Relax and Enjoy
Above everything else. Enjoy yourselves. relax, let it all happen and take the day in. It will be the best day of your life, it will whizz by. so soak it up and enjoy every moment!
Lauren x
PIN IT
