What I would like to share with you today are 6 tips to help avoid disappointment on your wedding day. By this I mean, things that you can do to make sure that your day runs seamlessly. I’ve learned is that there are steps you can take to organize and prepare yourself for a wedding day.
#6. Have consultations with your vendors.
Get to know your vendors and ask questions! Find out what is reasonable to expect from them based on what they offer and how they run their business. Be specific in your requests. There should be no surprises on your wedding day. Every couple is different so don’t assume they already know what you want for your wedding day. Vendors want to get it right! A great wedding vendor will stay in contact with you and keep you updated.#5 Create a schedule for your wedding – and plan for things to take longer than you think they will.
Most brides will create a schedule for their wedding so that everyone know ahead of time when things are scheduled to happen. My biggest piece of advice here is to plan for things to take longer than you think they would. Often times there will be hold ups or reasons why the timeline gets pushed back. But if you plan for this ahead of time you won’t be disappointed. Plan to be ready at least 30 minutes before your ceremony begins. And by ready I mean dressed, packed up and everyone into the limo or vehicles. Consider printing this schedule into a pamphlet and hand it out to your wedding party and family so everyone stays organized.
#4 Don’t get completely intoxicated the night before your wedding – and try to go to sleep relatively early.
If you hate hangovers as much as I do, save the partying for the night of your wedding. Have your bachelor and bachelorette parties in advance of the wedding weekend. It seems like a great idea at the time – it’s one of the most special times in your life and worth celebrating! But you are going to have to talk to people all day and pose for lots of photos – you don’t want to be doing this with a giant headache and little rest. There will be a lot going on at a fast pace and you’ll want to be able to concentrate.
#3 Drink lots of water the morning of your wedding and throughout the day – and make sure you eat breakfast and lunch.
Drinking plenty of water will help your skin look great for photos and it will also keep you in a better mood. This is especially true if you are getting married in the summer on a hot day. It’s easy to get caught up in the commotion and forget to drink water and eat. Even as a photographer or videographer I sometimes forget to take time to drink some water! I have witnessed brides and members of the wedding party faint at their ceremony due to dehydration. The worst thing you could do is drink beer all morning and then go and stand in the hot sun during your ceremony. Consider ordering (or making ahead of time) trays of sandwiches or fruit/vegetables to put out in the morning so that you don’t have to waste any time making food. Have bottled water at the ceremony.
#2) HAVE A RAIN PLAN – I cannot stress this one enough.
Brides often don’t want to even imagine that their wedding day may turn into a torential downpour – but it happens more often than you think. Be prepared and have an alternate plan for your ceremony if its outdoors and have other locations for photos. Depending on how much rain there is, your photographer may still be able to photograph some or all of your photos outside. It can actually make for beautiful photos! This depends on the photographer and what they are comfortable with so make sure to talk about this ahead of time. Try not to be upset if it rains, your wedding will still be beautiful even if its not what you originally imagined.
#1 Have a realistic expectation of what a “Perfect Wedding” will be.
This is a tough one but it’s important to understand that not everything will be 100% perfect on your wedding day – and that’s perfectly normal. There will be hiccups and bumps along the way but the most important thing is that you and your other half are married at the end of the day! Be patient, stay calm and have fun on your wedding day! Carefully decide what is worth getting upset about and what isn’t. You don’t want to look back on your wedding day and remember being upset and frustrated the whole time. It’s your day so just try to enjoy it as much as you can no matter what happens. Stay positive!
