Despite your dreams of a fairytale come true, the wedding day can be very stressful. Yes, you will finally be marrying the man you love, but with the amount of planning that goes into making the big event happen, you may be in danger of having a stress-induced meltdown. There is the potential for mistakes, so you want to do all you can to make life easier for yourself.
I’ve been involved in a few myself and seen room for improvement, mentally taking notes for my own big day.
bride emergency kit
1. Planning is important
There is lots to do before the big day, from looking at the best venues to picking out your bridesmaid dresses. Make a checklist of everything you need to do, and accomplish your tasks ahead of time. This will give you peace of mind in the run-up to the wedding and will cut down a lot of the stress on your wedding day. I’m using The Knot checklist… kind of out of order but it’s at least letting me know about where I should stand with tasks before the big day.
2. Get plenty of sleep the night before
You have a long day ahead of you, so it is advisable to get plenty of sleep the night before. You don’t want to spend the night celebrating with alcohol, and then wake up the next morning with the mother (in law) of all hangovers. I made this mistake at a friend’s wedding… never again. Get your beauty sleep, and you will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever the day throws at you.
3. Hire the beauty squad
Weddings can be expensive, so you will want to save money where you can. However, you don’t want to look like Bonzo the Clown when you walk down the aisle because of your best friends ill-conceived efforts with a makeup brush, so hire a professional to work on your hair and makeup. You want to look good on your wedding photos, so the cost will be worth it.
I found my MUA through a friend of my mom’s and my hair stylist through a family friend stylist who wasn’t available. Use Instagram and talk to your friends! My venue suggested crazy expensive stylists that I wasn’t super impressed with, so it took a little research but I’m very happy with my choices.
On the same note- don’t feel like everyone going to the wedding needs to get ready with you. This was a mistake that set one wedding I went to back over an hour.
4. Find moral support
Your family and friends are great for moral support, so for all your emotional needs, they should be your first port of call. You need those people around you who are going to uplift you, encourage you, and make you smile. Ditch anybody who will only make you feel bad, and give them a job to do to keep them out of your hair. My MUA also said she only wants my mom with me while I’m getting my makeup done. I’m fine with that.
5. Call in the professionals
Your family may be able to take on some of the wedding tasks, such as directing guests in the car park and looking after the kids after the service. However, there are some aspects of the day where the professionals should be called on. So, to avoid the mishap of Uncle Pete leaving the lens cap on, and your mother-in-law giving your guests food poisoning with her unfortunate fish stew, hire experienced people to carry out those jobs which require the professional touch.
Because my venue is pretty all-inclusive, the food is totally taken care of (once we have our tasting). Our photog was another recommendation from a friend, and I hired a month-of coordinator to make sure everything falls into place.
6. Arrive early, but not too early
You want to get to the wedding on time, but the earlier you get there, the more stressed out you may be. Give yourself time to relax, spend time pampering yourself in the morning, and then arrive at the church at a reasonable time to take some pictures there before guests start arriving.
7. Go with the flow
This is your day, so enjoy it. If something does go wrong, don’t stress, and go with the flow. Chances are, nobody will see the issue you but you- if you’re not too busy to notice. You’re getting married to someone you love, and that is all that matters. So, if the best man knocks over the chocolate fountain, or your mother-in-law locks herself in the loo, keep smiling, and carry on regardless.
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