The day of your wedding has arrived. Whether you got any sleep last night or none at all, it’s time to nail a stress free wedding morning. You want to arrive at the alter feeling excited and ready to party, not rushed, stressed and in need of an energy drink!
It can be tempting to leave a whole lot of little loose ends to tie up on your wedding morning. Arranging your placed cards into alphabetical order, writing your speech, packing your overnight bag. Sure, they sound like small, quick tasks. But when you have a bunch of them to complete, you will run out of time to truly be present and get excited about the day ahead.
So, here are our expert tips on how to nail a stress free wedding morning like a pro.
1. Think about food for your wedding morning ahead of time
Wedding mornings are filled with excitement and anticipation. And believe me. The time flies. To create a stress free wedding morning, think about what you will be eating on the morning of your wedding ahead of time. This ensures that everyone with you is nourished in amongst all of your wedding morning activity.
Where budget allows, we often advise couples to consider booking breakfast and lunch platters. That means you don’t need to think too much about the food you are going to serve. Have someone you trust head to collect the platters. Or better still, have them delivered directly to your getting ready location.
If your wedding budget doesn’t extend this far, reach out to family and friends. See if a loved one can make a platter of sandwiches, a fruit platter or something similar. Then simply place these plates somewhere central for you and your loved ones to eat across the morning.
Think about whether those getting ready with you will need plateware, knives and forks and be mindful to keep sauces to a minimum. Especially if those eating the food are already going to be dressed for your wedding. No one needs the stress of last minute stain removal from wedding outfits!
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Yes. It sounds simple doesn’t it. But hydration is super important. Some people forget to drink lots of water on their wedding morning and arrive at the alter dehydrated and light-headed.
The day can be filled with all sorts of emotion. Excitement, nervousness and perhaps a little anxiety. Fuel your body so it can support you on one of the most important days of your lives.
We recommend nominating someone in your crew who will keep your water bottle or glass topped up. They can make sure those around you drink lots of H20 as well.
A word about alcohol. We don’t mean to be party poopers, but your wedding day is a day for pacing yourself…and others. Whilst it can be tempting to pop the bubbles or a beer at 6am, you have a long day ahead of you.
A few celebratory drinks along the way shouldn’t be out of the question. But starting drinks back to back from early in the morning is bound to end poorly. Today is a marathon, not a sprint. So keep those waters flowing freely across the morning.
3. Make sure everyone has transport to the wedding
Booking transport for the two of you is something that is often planned well in advance. But have you also thought about how family members or friends who are getting ready with you on your wedding morning are getting around on the day? For a stress free wedding morning, don’t assume that everyone knows how they will be getting to your ceremony or reception.
Work out which cars will be driven, who will drive them and which guests will travel in each car. This will ensure there is not a last minute panic as you are about to leave your getting ready location.
If you have booked transportation, make sure that you let the company know exactly what time you want to leave your getting ready location. If you are hoping to have a couple of photos with your transport before you leave, let the company know that in advance too.
Reputable companies will ensure that transport is onsite a little ahead of time so they are ready to leave on time, keeping the rest of your wedding day timeline on track.
4. Don’t overschedule your wedding morning
Got grand plans to do a 5km run, sit down for a gourmet breakfast or finish off a couple of last minute tasks before your wedding ceremony and reception? Time can get away from you on your wedding morning. Hair, make up and grooming appointments tend to dominate your time.
Trying to fit in too many last minute tasks can be stressful on your morning. For a stress free wedding morning, try to have everything finished and ready to go the night before your wedding. That includes packing your overnight bag for your wedding night, printing off vows or speeches, pressing and steaming wedding day dresses and attire and writing thank you cards for your wedding party or loved ones.
5. Give a copy of your wedding morning schedule to your wedding party and family members
Wedding mornings should be a relaxed and super stress-free time for you both. Take the time during your wedding week to type up or write up a schedule of what the morning will look like for you, your wedding party and your family.
Whilst you have had months to prepare and think about your wedding day, those around you may not have been that invested…until your wedding morning!
There is nothing worse than answering everyone’s wedding morning questions. “What time am I in the chair to get my hair done?” “What’s for breakfast and lunch?” “What time are we leaving for the ceremony?” Stop all the questions by printing off a wedding morning schedule and popping it somewhere central so those around you know just what your morning holds – without you having to tell them over and over again.
Better still, nominate someone in your crew to be the “go to” person for everyone’s questions so you can float through the morning stress free.
6. Get things ready for your photographer and videographer
When your photographer and videographer arrive at your getting ready location, they’ll want to capture a few things – your florals, rings, perfume, cologne, shoes, watches and jewellery and wedding invitation are common items that photographers and videographers love to capture in “details shots”.
The night before, pull all of these items together in one spot to make it quick and easy for your photographer and videographer to capture them. They’ll often move those items to a light filled space so don’t stress too much about setting them up.
Capturing these shots quickly will ensure there’s even more time for photos and footage with you and those you love who are getting ready with you.
7. Choose your wedding morning crew carefully
Wedding mornings can bring out a range of emotions in yourself and those around you. Nervousness, excitement and apprehension can bring out the best in you, but they can also make you a little sensitive. So, it makes sense to choose to surround yourself with those people who make you feel awesome about yourself.
If you know that a particular family member triggers you a little when you are nervous or anxious, consider excluding them from your wedding morning preparation. Obviously, it makes sense to be sensitive to hurting their feelings when making this decision, But remember, your wedding morning is all about keeping cool, calm and collected. Surround yourself with those who allow you to feel this way.
Also take some time to carefully think about the number of people you have with you at your getting ready location. Having too many people with you can make your morning feel chaotic and stressful. Take into account the size of the space you are getting ready in. Make sure there is space for you to get away from other people across the morning if this is important to you.
8. Delegate any last minute jobs
In a perfect world, there won’t be any last minute jobs to attend to on your wedding morning. But things don’t always run smoothly in your final wedding week.
Don’t be afraid to ask your wedding party crew or family and friends to assist with any last minute jobs on your wedding morning. This is one of those days in your life that is 100% about you. So don’t hesitate to ask others to assist with last minute tasks such as steaming dresses, packing petals into cones, packing items into your car or preparing snacks and drinks for you across the day.
Those who you have chosen to be with you at your getting ready location are there for you – they are super excited about helping in any way they can to make your day the best day ever. Many hands make light work and that is never truer than on your wedding morning.
9. Double check you’ve packed everything
During the week of your wedding, create a list of items you need to take with you when you leave your getting ready location. This might include beauty and grooming items, deodorant, your speech, your vows or a spare pair of flat shoes to swap into so you can comfortably hit the dancefloor with your guests.
Once you are ready to leave, give yourself five minutes to double check you’ve packed everything on your list.
Now go and get married!
Need a hand pulling your dream day together? Contact us to learn how we can create a stress free wedding planning process for both of you.