Last minute tips on how to ensure you are set up for a stress-free and memorable day.
If you’re reading this, it means you’re smart enough to realize that a little planning may go a long way toward ensuring that your wedding day is stress-free. As the wedding day draws near, it’s time to start focusing on the small actions you can take that will have a significant impact.
This article will give you the inside scoop on a few last-minute suggestions that will not only make the day more enjoyable for you, but also provide you the chance to take the best wedding day pictures. I have a special perspective as a wedding photographer that has allowed me to see things that many brides and grooms missed on their special day up close.
Everyone is familiar with advice on how to plan when you have years or months to go, but what about advice for the actual wedding day? So continue reading for my unique advice that will assist you as your wedding day draws near.
Oh, and be sure to read my post about letting go on your wedding day, too! What can you do to ensure that your wedding day is stress-free? Breathe first, because even if you are the most prepared bride in the world and have a wedding planner, things will still go astray. Seriously, don’t even worry about it; it’s quite natural.
Nothing else matters; just remember that this is the day you will marry your closest buddy! Perhaps your parents are running late, the flowers are not what you expected, and it is pouring. When you’re getting married to the person you love, none of this matters. If the epidemic has taught us anything, it is that making plans is something only fools do. Okay, I’m being a little sarcastic, but the point of all this is to say: don’t worry if it’s not what you had in mind.
To do a week before your wedding
1 An emergency kit – pack it now!
Here are a few suggestions for items you might wish to bring to your wedding: Hair ties, bobby pins, sunscreen, extension cables, money, breath mints, tissues, deodorant, baby powder (for perspiration! ), tweezers, painkillers, sewing supplies, and a tiny first aid kit should be included! In this article you can find my recommendations for most essential emergency kit items.
2. Keep all the ‘details’ in one box
Details are anything you might want to have captured on camera, usually jewels, clothes, cufflinks, and invites. Keep everything in one location. So that your photographer can quickly find everything without interrupting you, you can hand this off to an attendant. Aside from knowing where your rings are, make sure you pack two copies of your wedding invitation together with the envelope and any other printed details like programs menus or bride and groom sitting cards. Check out my bridal details checklist article.
3. Get your wedding shoes broken in and pack your dancing shoes!
Most people attending your wedding will be sporting new footwear. So it’s important to give yourself enough time to make sure they fit and break them. It might definitely help you to enjoy your day and be in the moment if you get your feet accustomed to your wedding shoes for both of you.
Your feet will get fatigued after wearing heels for a while, even the more comfortable kind that many brides wear. Make sure you have some flats you can change into so you can enjoy the dance party. These Rolly Flats are ideal (and look super cute too). To ensure that everyone can dance the night away, you might even want to supply flats for all of your women. You shouldn’t use your sore feet as an excuse to avoid the dance floor!
4. Practice bustling the dress
It might take much longer than you think to bustle a dress. If it has a single button and a loop, it’s simple as pie. We’re only talking seconds here. But it may easily take 20 minutes to get this perfect if you have a large, sophisticated, and busy system running.
So, cut down on that time by rehearsing beforehand with your mother, maid of honor, or chief bustler, whoever that may be. Similarly, changing into a different outfit—such as a sari, qipao, or ao dai—takes more than five minutes from your wedding dress. It could need 30 minutes! Practice and time yourself at home.
5. Encourage men to learn how to tie a bow tie
Okay, so it might be amusing to capture pictures of the guys as they attempt and fail to knot their bow ties while watching countless YouTube tutorials. To be quite honest, it might not even matter to you how quickly you get ready. Isn’t that the joy of it all? Of course it is possible! However, I believe that in these days of shorter weddings, it might negatively impact the timetable if the males are unsure of how to knot their neck ties.
6. Print out the family photo list and timeline (or share them online)
This is crucial, especially if your family isn’t the most structured group around. You’ll be aware of their unique needs. The most important thing is to make sure they know the schedule, or at the very least the details of where and when they need to be for family photographs. If they are known to be chronically late, change the timings on their copy so it reflects earlier timings!
7. Make your final vendor payments
When you are planning your wedding without a planner, you will be responsible for handling vendor payments on your own. Contact each vendor or use the payment portal to take care of any balances due in advance so you don’t have to worry about attending to those reminder emails when they come through. Many of these payments are due just before the wedding day. Do you intend to pay your vendors that day? Make sure you have a person on hand who can handle this.
8. Check in with your vendors
Additionally, now is a perfect time to check in with your vendors, make sure everyone is on the same page, and find out if they have any last-minute requests for information from you or any helpful advise. It’s always a good idea to make sure that everyone is secure, well, and symptom-free in the times we now live in as I modify this in mid 2022.
9. Pack your marriage license
Although it’s simple to overlook, your officiant will undoubtedly require the license. Only when this is signed is your marriage legally recognized. Put it in a file or folder so that you can access it quickly and avoid creasing it.
10. Get a good night’s sleep
It may sound apparent, but you’d be surprised at how many things get done the night before! It is simple to see that unless you plan an early night, it could not wind up happening given all the excitement. Another bitter irony is that on this particular day, you might need to get up at a very ungodly hour (4, 5am!) to start doing your hair and makeup as well as the hair and makeup of your women.
Check out also 40 essential items most couples forget – Wedding dat rescue kit! & What I love about Chicago My favorite things about Windy City
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