Wedding Morning: Tips & Advice // How to Have a Stress Free Morning on Your Wedding Day // Savannah, Georgia Wedding Photographer
getting ready for your wedding
If this is your first time planning your wedding, you've probably read a lot of tip guides so far - how to pick a coordinator, how to have a hair and makeup trial, which dress is best for you, best wedding venues in your area, etc. Something that is often overlooked, however, is what the heck you're supposed to be doing in the morning on your wedding day! Are you just supposed to chill out and have fun, or are you missing something important that could drastically alter the course of the day?
I'm Ashlee, a destination wedding and portrait photographer based in Savannah, Georgia. With almost a decade of experience in the wedding industry, I know all the tips and tricks to help your day go as smooth as possible. Here's my list of tips to help the morning of your wedding be dang near perfect.
1. Prepping the Dress
When your photographer arrives, the’ll most likely want to take all of your detail phots - including that iconic dress shot! It’s important to bring a mini steamer (here’s a link to a portable, wireless one!) so that you can get all of the wrinkles out of your dress. Alternatively, you can hire a steamer to come in and do this for you so you don’t even have to worry about it! You should also double check for any tags, and if it’s aesthetics are really important to your, consider purchasing a velvet, wooden, or custom hanger and ditch that old plastic one.
2. Speaking of Details…
I go over this in my bridal guide, but bringing all of your details and securing them in a box or bag for your photo/video team is super helpful! The usual stuff to have includes:
And don’t forget!!
Dress Shoes
Tie
Cuff Links
Dress Socks
Watches
Boutonnieres
Cologne
Perfume
Invitation Suite (including save the dates)
Rings (all three!)
Earrings/Necklace/Bracelet
Garter
Shoes
Bouquet
Extra Petals/Flowers (ask your florist for this!)
Other Items: Trinket dishes, Ribbons, Hand Painted Champagne Bottles, Lipstick, etc! Anything that is special to YOU!
Extra Tip: To make these photos even cuter, consider getting a custom wax melt with your initials on it! Or even custom stamps that match your wedding theme. Another trend I’m LOVING right now is the custom wedding day newspaper!
3.Remember to Eat!
It’s easy to lose track of time on your wedding day, so the best time to eat is going to be when you’re getting ready! My favorite snack ideas for getting ready are grazing boards, bagels, pastry assortments, fruit salad, breakfast sandwiches, and quiches! If you’re having an afternoon wedding, you could always get sliders, nuggets & fries, or hoagies! You’ll want to be full, but not feel too heavy and bogged down - so I recommend lighter/healthier snacks for the morning of, and then you can really go for it at dinner time! Oh - and make sure to drink water, too.
4. The Importance of Buffer Time
We all know the saying “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” - and this applies to your wedding day, too! As much as I’d love if every timeline worked out and went to the minute as planned, that’s really not how it happens most of the time. Hair and Makeup is of course extremely important on your wedding day, and since it’s so important I hiiiiiighly suggest adding extra time!
Maybe you don’t like how your eyeliner came out and you want to redo it, or your hair just isn’t sitting right. These things can happen, and it’s important to add a little extra time in the day to account for it so you don’t end up rushing other parts of the day.
5. Tidy Up before Your Photographer Arrives
If you’re getting ready with your bridal party in a hotel room, chances are, things are gonna get messy! It’s super easy to leave spare items laying around as you get ready. If you’ve hired a photographer to come photograph your space, you probably didn’t have water bottles and makeup bags in mind when you envisioned your getting ready photos.
Also, having a lot of stuff everywhere can be subconsciously overwhelming. To help prevent clutter, I suggest finding your “clean-freak” bridal party member or friend, and assigning them to clean up duty. It’s your wedding day - so let the people around you help! It’s also easiest if you dedicate one area of the room, that’s out of the way, to be the clutter spot - this way people still have somewhere to place their things.
7. The Emergency Kit
Also known as a “bride bag” - these items can save the day when you least expect it. You can get small emergency kits on Amazon at a pretty affordable price. I suggest having on hand the following:
Sewing Kit
Bobby Pins/Hair Ties
Oil Blotting Cloths
Mints/Floss (make that first kiss fresh!!)
Heel Savers
Safety Pins
Fashion Tape
Band-Aids
Medicine (pain killers, etc.)
Tissues
Makeup Remover
Deodorant
Scissors
Tide Pen
Phone Charger
Hair Spray
8. Pump Some Jams
Set the mood for your wedding day by playing your favorite songs and getting everyone in the spirit! There’s nothing quite like singing along to your fave tunes with your best girls by your side. You can create collaborative playlists on Spotify that all of your friends can add to, or just select one of Spotify’s pre-made wedding getting ready playlists. I also suggest getting a good blue tooth speaker, with everyone talking it can get a little difficult to hear just your phone! Along the same lines - BRING A POWER STRIP. You're going to be plugging in multiple phone chargers, hair tools, and more!
9. Make Things Extra Special
The morning of is going to fly by - so take some time to be extra present. One way to do this is to have a toast. You can make mimosas and have your bridal party plan little speeches, or you can give one yourself and talk about how grateful you are for everyone’s support. I’m also a gift giver at heart, and it’s super memorable to give your future spouse or your bridal party a small gift the day of. This can be big or small. Jewelry, photo albums, hand written letters, Matching PJs for photos, fun socks, etc. add an extra little sparkle on your day. If you do end up deciding to write a letter to your partner, let them know ahead of time so they can write one, too! Also - don’t forget about parents! You can definitely write them letters and gift them small gifts as well. This day will be super emotional for them and I know a gift from you will mean SO much to them!
10. Outfits
This tip only applies if you're really into the aesthetics of your photos and want everything to look picture perfect the morning of, but think about your outfit! There are SO many cute getting ready outfit options out there now. From simple white robes that say "bride" on the back, to PJs that match all of your bridesmaids, there's something for everyone! Another reason to have a robe or a button down dress - you don't have to pull a PJ top over your head after you've had your hair and makeup done!!
11. Delegate Your Phone to Someone
Being present on your wedding day is something that a lot of people don't think about, and it's Important! You're only getting married once, you want to experience everything is fully as possible. Also - the amount of texts and calls you're going to get from vendors, parents, and more can get overwhelming very quickly - it's so nice to have someone else give you little updates like "the makeup artist is on the way!".
12. Have Your HMUA Come to You
There is nothing more stressful than driving around on your wedding day, rushing from location to location. I've seen so many weddings where people opt to get their hair done at the salon vs their hotel room, and I can always sense the urgency from everyone because you have to account for drive time. The morning is really going to be the only time you can relax, chill out, and breathe. I highly recommend having a hair and makeup team that is willing to travel to you.
13. The Bride gets Dressed Last
There are a few photo opportunities we can do with your bridesmaids if they're dressed before you! My two favorites are the first look with the bridesmaids (keep your dress a secret until this moment for added drama) and a staged photo of the bridesmaids helping you fluff your dress. If they're still in their PJs when you're getting dressed. you might be crunched on time and miss out on the opportunity to have these fun photos with your best friends. Same vibe for your future spouse! You'll want your partner to get dressed last in their room too, their friends will be able to "help" them put on their jacker, etc. To get amazing photos of you getting your dress, I suggest putting it on almost all the way, then come to me and we'll have your parent, maid of honor, etc. button/zipper you up nice a slow for photos in a clean area. These are some of my favorite photos that come out of most days.
BONUS if you have extra time:
If you and your bridesmaids are ready ahead of time, and have maybe 15-30 minutes before your next big event, you can use this time to take bridal party portraits! I always love doing this earlier in the day because it gives the you more time to have photos of just the two of you later in the day. Instead of a 20 minute couples session during cocktail hour, maybe you'll end up with 30-45 minutes.
To sum it all up - keep things tidy, be prepared, be present, and enjoy yourself.
Catch ya next time!
- Ash