For a bride, the hours spent getting ready on the morning of her wedding should be a joyful time among friends, filled with laughter as the seconds tick away in that final countdown to Mrs. As a recent bride myself, I know that behind the best wedding days are months of planning and preparation.
While, unexpected and unavoidable hiccups can arise, there are so many things you can do ahead of time to ensure an enjoyable, stress-free experience while getting ready for your wedding…and come away with amazing pictures of the process!
1. If you are getting ready at a hotel, upgrade the room you plan to get ready in. When a bride, the mothers of the bride and groom, the bridesmaids, the flower girl, a photographer, a videographer and a tulle-filled wedding dress all try to fit in the same room, it can be a little cramped.
2. If the room is small, have the mothers and maid/matron of honor get ready in the room with you and have the rest get ready in the next room. They can join you once you are ready for your final reveal.
3. Invite mother of the bride present during bride’s getting ready, and father of the groom present during groom’s getting ready for helping with the outfits (putting on jewelry / boutonnieres, etc). While the mother of the groom and father of the bride have their own spotlight during first dances, we usually forget to make shine our other set of parents! Let’s be sure they share a special moment with you!
4. Plan for people to be late! If you think you need to start getting ready at 10 a.m., make it 9 a.m. That way, if one of the girls is running late, or someone has to make a run for safety pins, you don’t need to panic.
5. The day before the wedding, double check with your bridal party that they know when to be where. You don’t want to wake up to a flood of texts on your wedding day asking what time the makeup begins.
6. Hydrate and snack! It’s going to be a long day, and the last thing you want is for your stomach to start growling during the vows.
7. Hide away any suitcases, dishes or unsightly items. You want your getting ready area to be neat and beautiful for pictures.
8. Set out one of your save the dates, your invitation suite, shoes, jewelry and any other items you would like to see included in the detail shots. This way the photographer won’t have to pull you away from hair and makeup to find everything.
9. Bring a nice, wooden hanger for your dress. A plastic hanger can ruin photos of your beautiful wedding gown.
10. While long hair blowing in a beach breeze sounds romantic, in execution it’s really just a mouth full of hair. Style your hair up, braided or pulled away from your face. The beach can get windy, not to mention hot, and we want to see your face during the ceremony.
Most importantly, pop some champagne, and enjoy your big day! Things might go wrong and plans might fall through, but at the end of the day, you will be married to the love of your life with joyful memories, and beautiful photos, that will last a lifetime and beyond.
