There’s a lot of help and advice out there for planning your wedding. But what about the ACTUAL day?
I have some real-life helpful tips for surviving the big day and actually enjoying it!

* Whilst this article is spearheaded towards brides, grooms, same sex couples and everyone in between will find something useful.

Before we start incase I forget – Top Tip – Go to the bathroom prior to putting on your dress. Even if you don’t feel like you need to go, just go! Ok lets get started…

Delegate, delegate, delegate

If a job doesn’t need you and only you to get it done, get somebody else to do it.

The bride is usually the last to get ready so let your ‘helpers’ help you get ready –doing up your dress, putting on your shoes or jewellery. Believe it or not these are actually special little moments being created. 

Make sure somebody travelling with you on the day has a phone with important contact numbers. Don’t you worry about it or get caught up with social media – this is purely for emergency contacting only. Live in the moment and resist the urge to ‘post’; being fully present is way more fun. 

Have a little faith

Confirmations have been done. You have to trust that your suppliers will follow through with what has been ordered and organised. If they don’t that can be somebody else’s issue to deal with. 

Keep your run sheet handy

What’s a run sheet? Basically you just write down the times that things are happening and the contact details for that person. For example, the wedding photographer arrives at house at 11am, here are the photographer’s details, leave house at 1pm etc. etc. Make sure you and someone on your partner’s side has a copy as well as relevant suppliers like reception coordinator, MC etc. Trust me, this saves a lot of headaches. Someone’s got a question? Refer them to the run sheet, my friend. Boom. 

Stay calm

Be careful you don’t morph into a nasty stress-head the day of your wedding. I get it; you might be nervous, anxious, worried, angry. Maybe a guest has pulled out of your wedding at the last minute or you’re furious your bouquet hasn’t turned out exactly how you imagined. Don’t spend your wedding day feeling stressed and annoyed. You need to make like Elsa from Frozen quick smart and ‘Let. It. Go.’ 

The preparation in the morning can be full-on for brides; have a think about what you can do to make it easier. Good food, good music and good company. You chose your bridesmaids because you love them (hopefully!), which must make them good company. Enjoy. If your family are the cause of your stress, which let’s face it can happen, a good tip is to let your photographer know. I’ve seen a photographer handle this so well: she directed everyone and took the bride away for a while, taking shots but also giving her a breather from her family who were stressing her out.

Eat breakfast

It’s going to be a long day and you need to make sure you have enough energy to get through it so eat a good quality brekkie. 

A sneaky celebratory bubbly is common for the morning of the wedding for most brides.. .A word of warning, however; even though it feels fine at the time, don’t drink too much or you may regret it later. You want to enjoy every minute of your wedding day not be feeling yucky or bleary eyed. All those things can affect your overall experience, cause inappropriate behaviour and affect your beautiful looks (think drunk look – not pretty).

It’s a good idea to prepare some snacks for you and your bridal party; it can be big gap between breakfast and your reception. Some snacks will ensure you make it through with no hungry-angry bridal party members. 

Don’t worry about the weather

Whatever the weather, it’s all good. If it’s hotter than usual, air con and fans will aid you, and a bit of powder will sort out any melting make-up mishaps. If it’s a bit brisk you will be so full of adrenaline you won’t even feel the cold. Most venues have good climate control so everyone will be fine. If you’re having an outdoor ceremony and its raining, it may be time to activate your Plan-B. The most important part is you two getting married, if there’s a change to venue, it will still be awesome. 

Bring back-up shoes

If you are wearing pretty wedding shoes, chances are your feeties are going to get sore by dancing time. Be sure to bring a comfortable back-up pair just in case. There’s nothing worse than sore feet when you want to dance up a storm.

Prepare yourself for the paparazzi

Guests can be notoriously intrusive at weddings when it comes to snapping pictures. If you are concerned this may happen, it might be a good idea to put on your wedding invite not to take photos at the ceremony, to leave it up to the photographers. Or I can relay a message before ceremony commences. Try to remember, though, that guests are excited and want to capture the moment, they might just capture a cool moment that the photographer didn’t. 

You cannot make everyone happy

Let me repeat that because it is one of the biggest wedding lessons you can learn: YOU CANNOT MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY.
Some people are not going to be happy with you or your wedding. It may be that they don’t like the food, your dress, or where they’re sitting. It could be anything. But at the end of the day remember it is YOUR wedding, and you should not worry. You simply can’t please everyone. 

Pack an emergency bridal kit

A bridal kit contains essentials to get the bride through the wedding day with whatever it may throw at her. You can keep it under the table at the reception (or most venues have a prep room where you can leave your bags) and fix yourself up prior to going into the reception. That’s your time to utilise the emergency kit. 

I recommend your bridal kit contains (but is certainly not limited to) the following items: 

– Deodorant – an absolute must item. You need a good strong deodorant to help get you through. Make sure it doesn’t leave marks or have an overly strong smell that will interfere with your perfume.

– Tissues – this is right up there next to deodorant. You will most likely need tissues at some point; it could be nose, eyes, make-up related, who knows? Just make sure you have them.

– Perfume – it’s great to refresh that special fragrance prior to the reception.

– Lip stick, gloss – you might need a touch-up..

– Bobby pins and hairspray. 

– Bandaids – I recommend the clear blister gel pad ones.

– Safety pins – Just in case there are any wardrobe malfunctions, a safety pin will fix it all.

– Breath mints – everybody likes fresh breath!

– Pain killers – smiling and being super-happy can give you a headache. True story. 

Eat at the reception

Please, oh please, make a conscious effort to sit and eat your meal at the reception. I know there are lots of people to talk to, have photos with and think about but first, you must eat!

Communicate with your suppliers

If there are certain photos you want captured like you and your bestest girlfriends, grandparents, family shots, etc. make sure you tell your photographer. If you don’t ask you cannot receive. If your DJ or band is playing the wrong songs, ask your MC or somone to sort it out. Your wedding suppliers are there to provide great service and memories; utilise them and communicate any issues or requests.
 *just remember you don’t need to be rude to get what you want. Your suppliers are people too

Get some alone time with your one and only

This was one of the best pieces of advice I received prior to my wedding. During the reception, my husband and I just went outside and sat down by ourselves for a few minutes. It was fantastic. We had a chance to just stop, breathe and really take in the momentous event which took place that day. We couldn’t stop smiling. It made time slow down a fraction and recharged us for the rest of the reception.

Have a ball!

Depending on the size of your wedding you may not be able to get around to spending quality time with everyone.
That’s OK.
You don’t want to spend the entire night trying to give everyone attention when you could be doing your own thing and having fun.
A great opportunity to say hi to everyone is shooting table or group photos – use this time well. Make sure your photographer stays on top of the timing, though, allowing only a few minutes per table. Otherwise it can be a major time zapper.

Above all, enjoy.
Immerse yourself in everything that is happening around you.
Look, listen, feel, take it all in.
Remember this is but one of the best days of your life…
The next chapter is only just beginning.