Hey Beautiful Readers!
There comes a time in the planning process when you realize there’s half a day (or more) to account for leading up to the big moment. What you do with that time is both carefully calculated, and completely free.
How? You ask.
Let me begin from the planner's perspective. While the “wedding” starts when the ceremony music hits its first note, my meticulous timeline creation begins the minute the bride opens her eyes. It’s vital to plan for what you do leading up to your venue arrival, from that point until getting dressed, and from getting dressed to the ceremony start. Avoiding logistical concerns during this time, and thinking through minute details can significantly decrease your stress levels and ensure the parts of the day you are most concerned about are given the most amount of time and attention.
For insight, here are some questions I give to my clients when creating their Morning timelines:
Are you getting ready at the venue or off-site?
What are you wearing to get ready?
How are you getting to the venue? How is your fiance getting to the venue?
Where are you eating breakfast? What are you eating? Does that include coffee? What about mimosas?
How many girls are getting their hair and makeup done?
Do you have any responsibilities to complete or delegate? (we’ll do a deep dive on this at a later date)
Are you doing a first look? Or first touch?
What time are your vendors arriving? More specifically, what time is your photographer arriving?
Are you taking any photos before you get into your dress?
Do you have a playlist and a way to play music?
This is definitely not all of them, but I won’t bore all of you whose weddings I am not planning, with those details. I wanted to break this up into two parts, so this week we’re focusing on the time between waking up and getting dressed.
It is important to note, having a detailed timeline does not mean it has to be hectic as soon as you open your eyes. I have a bride right now who’s having a 6pm ceremony and sharing breakfast and a walk on the beach with her fiance in the morning before arriving at the venue around 12pm. They’ll eat a light lunch and have mimosas before getting ready for all photos and first looks about 3 hours before the ceremony.
What happens between venue arrival and those photos beginning is where you
should have a bit of fun. I’m sure the viral trends have made their way to all of our feeds;
matching pajamas
face masks
Robes
Slippers
champagne glasses
Hangers
gifts to or from the bride
karaoke / dance parties
Incorporating some of these elements into your morning plan can help keep your mind off of the big moment. It also invites opportunities for priceless behind the scenes photos, intimate moments shared with some of your closest friends and family members, and memories that you’ll carry on for a lifetime (completely
separate from those you have of your actual wedding ceremony and reception).
Having a Day Of Coordinator, no matter how big or small your wedding is will be one of the greatest investments you ever make. Now I admit, I might be a bit biased, but the general consensus and one of the biggest regrets people have coming out of their weddings, is not having hired one. Partnering with a trusted and experienced professional ensures that there is cohesion amongst vendors, a single point of contact who knows exactly what’s supposed to be happening and when, and of course someone taking care of all of the little details so you don’t have to worry about a thing. These individuals are a minimal cost addition to your wedding day budget, but one that makes an exorbitant difference on your peace of mind and ability to be calm.
The tone for the entire day is set in those early moments. Eat a good breakfast, play good music, sing and dance along, pop a bottle of champagne outside, shed a tear over the letters your bridesmaids wrote you, let his best man deliver you flowers, take a moment to get dressed with just your mom, have your sister put on your necklace, do a first look with your bridesmaids, and give yourself time to be able to breath.
Details and small nuanced additions don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Ask everyone to wear a matching color if you are not providing or don't feel comfortable asking anyone to purchase something new. Bring a bluetooth speaker and play your favorite girls night out jams. Just be intentional about your choices and timing.
As always, it’s important to give a little credit to our grooms. Although most of you spend the morning with an ice cold beer, sharing laughs with the boys, and
probably heckling each other over a game of pool or a close round of BlackJack. But whether you arrive dressed or show up in style and get some behind the scenes photos for yourselves, you should have fun with your morning as well. So cheers your whisky, let your dad fold your tie, have your best man put on your cufflinks. Let your guards down a bit and embrace the
moment you are sharing as well, your boy is getting MARRIED!
I was curious and asked my husband to describe the way he felt that morning. His response, “At peace, and nervous about sharing an intimate moment in front of all of those people” - which is more common of a feeling than you could ever imagine amongst both brides and grooms. But he also said he felt normal, and not rushed. They had a bit of fun with some game day pictures getting off the bus, and the boys surprised him with a special high end bottle of bourbon!
Careful planning, activities that bring you joy and peace, and delegated responsibilities all help keep the couple calm. These key elements, coupled with meticulous timeline creation and day of management are a recipe for the utmost success on wedding day. Take advantage of planners and other resources to craft a morning that fits your lifestyle and needs and brings you, most importantly, comfort!
So what happens after you put on your dress, leading up to the very moment before you walk down the aisle. To gain more insight into what the full wedding morning will look like, be sure to check back in next week where we’ll be addressing one big question and how it affects your entire pre-wedding plan: First Look or No First Look?!
Xoxo,
Alyssa
Comments