6 things I learnt from my own wedding day…
After 6 whole years of planning and two cancelled dates (yes covid) I finally celebrated my wedding day on 1st June, and it was everything I had hoped for and more. Everyone tells you how fast the day goes, and it is so true, from the 6am wake up call to start getting ready to the final song at 12am, everything in-between just went by in a flash.
So, based on my own experiences, here are 5 things I learnt throughout my day which I think will be valuable to any couple on their upcoming wedding…
Be as organised as you can the evening before to give you the most stress-free wedding morning
My wedding morning was a whirlwind. Although I only had 2 bridesmaids, my mum, nana, and partners mum all had their make-up done and I had 3 flower girls for hair so despite best intentions, from about 10am things got a little crazy, especially once the photographer and videographer arrived. I made sure I put a little box of things I wanted the photographer to take a picture of in the morning including my jewellery, wedding accessories, invitation, perfume, and shoes so they were good to go as soon as he arrived which is a great idea especially if you want shots of all the finer details (they are lovely photos to look back on).
If you are likely to get overwhelmed on the morning, only invite people to get ready with you who you think will create a lovely memorable experience, also its ok to ask people to leave, it’s your day and the morning it’s just as important as the day in terms of relaxing you and getting ready for the celebrations.
Give your bridal party a list of things you need to remember on the day
I am a bit of a self-confessed control freak and had planned every part of the day down to the tee, but one problem with being the only person that knows every part of the day…things get forgotten. I had planned little details such as smoke bomb shots with our bridal party which unfortunately were forgotten about on the day. Your bridal party are there to support you throughout your wedding so if there are any details that need to be remembered, write them down and pass them on so you can go on and enjoy the day….even suppliers need reminding sometimes, they get super busy as well, so this way, everyone is kept in check.
Ask the wedding coordinator to liaise with the bridal party on the day if any problems crop up
The last thing you need to be worrying about is finer details, this also relates to your family members as well. If anyone has questions, the wedding coordinator is the best person to ask, so you can soak up the day and not be coordinating your guests…you have enough to think about
Have a list of photographs you would like taken on the day and share it with the photographer and a member of the bridal party
Do you have certain family members you absolutely want a professional picture with? Write a list of all those special shots so they don’t get forgotten, the day is a whirlwind so the last thing you want to do is look back and realise you never did get that special shot. It is worth sharing this list with the photographer prior to the day but also sharing it with a member of the bridal party and just ask them to check all the shots got ticked off! This way, your photographs can be coordinated in an efficient way so you’re not spending your entire day getting photographs opposed to mingling with your guests.
Don’t worry about everyone else
You will have heard this before, but it is so true. Everyone has that one aunty or overbearing parent who thinks it’s their day and not yours. You don’t want to look back and feel like all you were doing was trying to keep everyone else happy. It is so hard to mingle with everyone on the day as your being pulled left right and centre getting pictures and cutting the cake etc etc but just remember everyone is there for you and your partner because they love you so go and enjoy yourself and be sure to have a day you will never forget.
Also (this point came from my partner who had chewed himself up about giving a speech for months) don’t ruin the build up by feeling pressured to do something on the day because its ‘tradition’ or something you are ‘excepted’ to do. Whatever that may be, on the day you will realise it really doesn’t matter, you do you!
Prepare for the next day
Nobody really talks about the day after the wedding and its something I hadn't really given much thought to, but obviously everything you take to your venue has to be packed and brought back home, in addition to the flowers, cake etc which are brought up by your suppliers. Your venue may help but ultimately it is down to you to make sure everything is packed away and taken with you, and if their is a wedding on the next day, this usually has to be done pretty early on. Having a list of everything you need to take back with you can make sure nothing gets lost.
Here are a couple more tips that may help...
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Be prepared, maybe with some boxes.
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Have a plan what you will do with your flowers, will family take them home, will you donate them or are they just to be thrown?
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Remember the cake, and if you have lots left over cut it up and freeze it straight away so you can enjoy it in the weeks after the day
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If you need to return anything to suppliers, make sure they are all packed up safely ready to be returned
Any North-East brides, I will share a blog soon on the suppliers I used for the day and my personal recommendations, of course SV being one of them ;)
Chelsie xx