The things we wish we knew... 10 tips for your wedding day!
After going to over 150+ weddings, you learn a thing or two.
Also after having your own wedding you learn what works, and what really, really doesn’t. We have a whole bunch of things we have learned over the years, and it’s time to offload it all to you!
We hope this helps you. We wish we had this info back in the day! You will save some stress and time, and maybe even some money.
1. Create a separate email for wedding vendors!
When you begin enquiring with different vendors, you become swamped with emails! It’s almost like you’re drowning. So how about creating a separate wedding email address to keep the wedding biz in the one place! We love this tip – it’s free and worth everything.
2. Ditch your phone!
On your wedding day, you gotta unplug. You need to relax and be completely in the moment. Give your phone to a friend to keep it safe. Give your vendors the phone number of a parent or a member of the bridal team for urgent matters.
3. Dress nicely from the beginning of the day!
When your nearest and dearest and photographers arrive to the hotel room (or wherever you are getting dolled up), you should still bring it! Some cute pyjamas, or a cute dressing gown will do the trick. Be sure it’s easy to take off to protect your hair and makeup – otherwise be prepared to be cut out of your outfit ;)
4. Protect your feet!
Almost every bride we have photographed takes her special wedding shoes off halfway through the photos because they are so uncomfortable! Brides and grooms, wear your shoes in around the house the weeks leading up to the day. You don’t want to be in pain!
5. Eat, eat, eat!
It’s true, you forget to eat on your wedding day. Be sure to have plenty of snacks around that are easy to eat – protect that makeup, girl! Also, your bridal team will thank you forever if you pack a picnic basket of treats to devour during the photo hour (this job can be delegated to a person in your bridal squad too). Your vendors will love you forever if you keep them in mind too! Fruits, sandwiches, dried fruits and maybe some cheese and crackers.
6. Family photos
The family photo portion of the day is the one a lot of couples dread – but it’s so important. Making sure you show value and appreciation for your family taking part in the event is priceless. Also, how often do you have everyone all in the same place at once? Here’s a few sub-tips:
a. Don’t overdo the list. Plan between 10 – 15 group shots. Too much will get very tiring for you, and you’ll have a large group of people standing around waiting and not enjoying themselves!
b. Elderly and young children first.
c. Ask your parents for group suggestions. They usually appreciate these photos the most!
d. Give the list to a person on each side of the family to assist the photographer in getting each group ready.
7. Please, print your speeches
We love technology, too. It’s convenient, especially for a last minute speech. But please, write your speech early and hand write or print it. Phone lights can affect the photos, and there’s something really off about reading from your phone. If you have a physical copy of the speech you can keep it as a keepsake! Bonus!
8. Everything will work out
Be flexible. There’s always the chance that things won’t go exactly as planned. If it rains, remember we are all waterproof. Things almost always happen, but it’s okay. Stressing doesn’t help any situation – it just adds stress, and the people around you feel it.
At the end of the day you will walk away with the love of your life – married. That’s the best! All of the things that went ‘wrong’ on our wedding day are now all stories we laugh about today.
9. Put someone in charge!
Assign a person you trust the role of managing the day. If someone has a question, they are the person to go to. Preferably not a person in the immediate family (they need to relax too). We assigned a person like this on our day, and we had zero stress! A few weeks later we were told all of the things that went “wrong”, and we had no idea on the day. Best idea EVER!
10. Have a mini date
It’s your wedding day, yet you don’t get much – or any – alone time. Somewhere in your wedding timeline, either after a first look or after the formal photos, schedule in some alone time. Soak in all of the feels, have a smooch and just hang out. It was the favourite part of our day, and we recommend it to literally everyone we meet.
That’s all for now! We have so, so many more tips rolling around in our heads to share, so keep an eye out for the next time we feel like spilling!