Having a stress-free morning on your wedding day has a huge impact on your wedding day experience! On your wedding day you should feel EXCITED and maybe a little anxious, but stress should not be an emotion you are feeling that morning! Prepping ahead of time and organization is key! So I want to give you 10 tips that will help the getting ready portion of your wedding day flow effortlessly and be full of joy!

1. Pick a close by or onsite getting ready location! 

Getting ready in a bridal suite provided by the venue or a location nearby that has lots of natural light is best case scenario! This will help you maximize your wedding day timeline and not waste time traveling. I have noticed a significant difference in the ease of the Bride and Groom when everything is all in one place, rather than multiple different stops throughout the day.

2. Choose locations based off lighting.

99% of my decisions as a photographer is based on LIGHT and a lot of what makes a good photo is based on the lighting. Having lots of natural light streaming through windows is key in your getting ready space for beautiful photos! This will also be a HUGE help to your make-up artist who will likely place you in front of a window facing the natural light.

3. Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.

So many different scenarios can come up on a wedding day that you were not anticipating. It is important to build extra time into your timeline so that potential setbacks will not impact your day negatively or cause stress. There have been several wedding days where the prep runs late and it cuts into other aspects of the day. There are millions of reasons why this can happen, but often it is because hair and make-up was underestimated. One way to prevent this is having a hair/makeup trial prior to the wedding day to have a realistic estimate of how long this will take and it will give you the confidence that you will love the way you look! And I always recommend telling those involved that everyone needs to be ready 30 minutes before they really do as cushion time.

4. Bride, MOH, and Mother of the bride should not get ready last.

In case hair and makeup ends up running later then planned it is best not to schedule the bride, MOH, or mother of the bride last in line. It is most important to get photos of the bride getting ready and putting her jewelry on. If everyone else is running behind having your MOH and Mom dressed and available to help you put on your dress/jewelry is most important.

5. Sleep & Eat!

Get a good night’s rest the evening before and make sure you have scheduled someone to deliver or pick up food for you and your girls! Wedding days can be long and are packed full! You probably will not eat again until dinner at the reception and even that can be quick and rushed. Make sure you take some time to eat and choose food that will sustain you throughout the day and drink plenty of water.

6. Gather your details the night before

I always request that all the bridal details are in one spot ready for me to grab when I get there! I always walk in and give the bride a big squeeze and meet all her friends/family in the room and then grab all the details to photograph while they finish getting ready. It is SO helpful if all of these details are already put together and organized in a box or bag with handles and it prevents the bride from running around trying to find everything.

7. Think through coordinating robes/pajamas.

Everyone loves to have a cute photo with all their girls in pretty robes or cute pj’s! Choose a color and material that go with the colors you have chosen for the day.

8. DELEGATE any morning of responsibilities!

If there is any communication or things that will need to get done that morning make sure you are not the one doing it! If you do not have a planner or coordinator that morning have a friend appointed to those responsibilities so that you can just enjoy the morning with your bridesmaids! Let people know ahead of time who that person is and their contact number to reach them if anything comes up. Your only job is to enjoy the morning while you prepare to marry your best friend!

9. Have your florals delivered when photographer arrives

You will want to make sure your florist drops off your bouquets and the boutonniere when your photographer is schedule to arrive. Your florals are a huge part of what makes your detail shots so beautiful! This is one of the number one thing that ends up not happening on time so make sure you are clear with your florist. Also ask them to provide some extra flower clippings/greenery that did not make it into the bouquet to be included in your detail shots. You will LOVE the outcome!

10. Choose your vendors wisely

Think about who will be with you while you are getting ready: photographer, hair stylist, makeup artist and any other friends/family that you choose to be in the room with you. Make sure they all will bring joy to your day and be a supportive presence.

11. Have a bridal emergency kit.

Fill this kit with all the essentials: bobby pins, deodorant, lipstick/gloss, toothbrush/toothpaste, tissues, double sided tape, scissors, eye lash glue, tide-to-go pen, gorilla glue, safety pins, pampers baby wipes (believe it or not these babies get the stains out of everything!)

I hope these tips are helpful as you plan your big day!!