One of my favorite things I like to debunk is that “wedding days always equal stress”. Can wedding days be stressful? Sure! Are there moments throughout a wedding day that emotions run high? You bet! Are there ways to plan ahead to avoid those moments? I truly believe it’s possible!
I would say that the most stressful part of a wedding day starts at the beginning when everyone starts to show up. You’re making sure you didn’t forget any items, that all vendors showed up on time, all of the bridal party arrived on time, etc. Then it pivots into making sure your hair and makeup is completed on time, your dress is hung up and ready to go, your bridesmaids are ready and that your flowers arrived on time, too.
This is where it *can* get stressful.
For all of that to flow smoothly and on schedule, everything else has to go according to plan. It all hinges on each other.
That is when one segment of the day runs late, which then runs into the next segment and the next. Soon enough, you could be 30 minutes behind schedule before you know it. However, this is a worse-case scenario. Secondly, just because one part of the day may run late does not guarantee they all will.
By applying my tips below, I’ll dissect how you can avoid this for your wedding day!
I cannot stress this enough. “There’s no such thing as being over prepared” … especially for a wedding day. Am I right? Whether that’s having an emergency kit of items, a checklist of everything you need to take to the venue, or taking care of those “to-do”s the night before, the easiest way to have a stress-free morning is to show up prepared. I love to send my Brides a checklist of things that I need from them in the morning or that they need to do before I arrive. This helps the bride to relax, knowing that the little details are taken care of and that I’m set up for success, too, when I arrive.
I believe there’s also responsibility on your bridal party members as well. It’s important that they take their roles seriously in helping to stay on schedule. Do they know where they need to be and at what time? Are they carpooling to the venue? Are they ready to show up and keep the timeline moving? Make sure to communicate any concerns you have and share the timeline details with them so that everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect.
It feels weird to have to mention that, but after a decade in the industry I’ve seen a lot of things that could’ve been avoided. It’s my job to make sure you and everyone else feels the most relaxed and prepared that they can!
I will never be able to repeat myself enough about this and wedding days. Cushion time is a MUST and ALWAYS. This is especially crucial for the arrival and getting ready portion of the day. Why? Because this is the key timing for a domino effect to take place. Every part of the day before the ceremony hinges on getting ready timing. This looks like if you/bridesmaids show up late, hair and makeup runs late, florist runs late, or even if the photographer shows up late. These are key elements to knocking a domino effect of running behind if there’s not cushion time in place.
Cushion time is most helpful with even a spare 5-10 minutes. Every minute counts on a wedding day and so choosing to be PROACTIVE is the best way to stay relaxed and prepared. Not to mention, if one portion of the morning runs late but you had planned cushion time, then you’re back on schedule!
Would you like your wedding day to be as stress-free as possible?
Here’s how I handle wedding days to help you achieve that goal.
Does this sound like what you want for your wedding day? If so, Click here!