Can you believe it?? After all the planning, research, anticipation, and excitement, your wedding day is about to be here. For real. And that means it’s time to think about your getting ready process.
No doubt, you’ve planned every detail: everything from what hotel you’re staying at to when hair and makeup starts to the DJ’s song list for the reception. You deserve a medal for all of that work.
But here’s the thing — the beginning of your wedding day is just as important as the ceremony, the vows, the reception and the send off. It’s crucial to start off the day feeling prepared, calm, and excited; to give yourself a moment to breathe and take it all in. The morning is the only real downtime of your big day, and trust me, the rest of the day goes by in the blink of an eye. How your morning goes can define your entire mindset for everything else.
Seems self explanatory, right? Yet still, a lot of brides and their bridesmaids forget to plan the details of their wedding morning. Some underestimate how much time it will take, even though the getting ready portion of the day can be pretty lengthy. Others just don’t realize how quickly this portion of the day sneaks up on them, and the timing of it all slips away.
But don’t you even start to worry, because I’ve got you. With these tips, tricks, and lil nuggets of advice, your morning will be chill and fun and memorable and will have you in exactly the right mindset for your dream day.
Why Having A Wedding Day Getting Ready Space Is Important
The second you wake up on your wedding day, there’s a million things to do. To add to that, chances are the people you need probably won’t all be with you already. And when they do get there, everyone’s asking you questions, you keep asking yourself if you remembered everything, and you’re trying to stick to your plan and make sure everyone else does, too. This can lead to a little bit of chaos and a little bit of stress.
So it’s pretty advantageous to have a designated getting ready space, separate from the chaos, if only for a little while. A space for you + your people to feel the emotions and take a breather and get those bomb outfits on. A place for you to have a moment, separate from everything else.
Even if your getting ready space is just one room in a house or one part of your hotel room, the effect is the same: you’ll be grateful for that little bit of space you set aside to start your day off right.
What to Wear While Getting Ready on your Wedding Day
I’m sure at some point during this wedding planning thing, you’ve stumbled across a few photos on Pinterest of a bride + her bridesmaids, in some cute robes maybe, with some mimosas in hand?
Props to the mega-organized brides who plan this far ahead, or maybe read this blog post 😉
But besides looking all cute and coordinated in photos, there’s actually a genius reason behind these robes and getting ready button-downs. Can you guess why?
It might feel totally obvious… but getting your hair and makeup done, in a shirt that you then have to pull over your head, can pretty much be a disaster waiting to happen. That’s where these cute matching robes or button down pajamas come in.
You hired professionals to do your hair and makeup, so wearing a robe or a button down shirt helps you avoid worrying about ruining all the work when you get undressed. And they’re comfy and cute and look great in photos, so it’s a win win all around here.
Not sure where to start looking for these? Check out these pretty options from BHLDN or maybe these ones from Amazon are more your vibe. There’s so many pretty ones to choose from! If you’re not feeling the robe thing, there’s always matching pajama sets, too. Check out these cute ones on Etsy.
AND, as an added bonus, robes make great bridal party gifts. They’re useful and can be worn again long after your wedding day!
Tips for a Calm Wedding Morning
1. Get A Good Night’s Sleep
If you’re like me and you can’t sleep great before a big event, let alone your wedding day, there are luckily so many solutions out there. If essential oils are your thing, or you like having some candles burning, or maybe just having a soak in the tub, now is the time. Counting sheep has never really worked for me, but you do you, boo. Getting a full night’s rest will have you feeling so refreshed, ready and excited when you wake up in the morning.
2. Lay out all of your accessories the night before.
Keep everything together! Chances are, there will be a lot of moving around on your wedding day, with all of your stuff getting mixed in with everyone else’s stuff and next thing you know, you can’t remember where you put your shoes. I like to tell my brides to keep everything together in a shoe box, that way it all stays together with the dress! Your garter, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, that way you don’t have to worry about tracking anything down.
3. Don’t Forget to Eat
Your stomach might be flittering with nerves, emotions, butterflies and feelings, and your appetite may be nonexistent, but you’re about to be on your feet for a while — it’s really important to eat something and drink water before your day.
Foods that are hand-friendly — like muffins, bagels, fruits — are cool because they lessen the need for utensils and dishware! Mimosas are always a good idea, too, and look great in photos. 😉
4. It’s all about that ~ambience~
There are plenty of ways to calm your senses, but I find that music and calming fragrances work like magic. Having some of your favorite hype-up songs playing while you and your fave people get ready puts you in a good mood and distracts your mind a little. Having some candles burning or some other scent helps too, with the added bonus of bringing you right back to that moment every time you’re near that smell in the future. Ambience is underrated, but so worth it and simple to make happen.
4. Designate someone to handle your phone.
The last thing you should be doing on the morning of your wedding is texting people to coordinate things or replying to emails or stressing about instagram. Designate a bridal party member to be in charge of your phone so you don’t lose it, and let them handle the people who are trying to reach you.
Tips for Amazing Getting Ready Photos
1. Keeping your space relatively clean + clutter-free. I like to designate a corner of the room, a closet, or even a hallway as the “stuff space.” You probably don’t want stray neon pink hair curlers and sparkly makeup kits in the background while your mom helps you into your dress. Even though I always help move stuff around when I get to a wedding, having the room already clean + organized just means you get more time for photos!! Pick the darkest corner of the room + make a pile 😉
2. Natural light. Windows are your best friend for getting ready photos. They soften + balance the light, making it super flattering and pretty. Whether you’re getting ready in an Airbnb, a hotel, or your childhood home, picking a getting ready room with the best natural light is the way to go.
3. Have all your accessories ready. If you’re a bride who really loves details, a bride who really wants to have good photos of every small piece of the day, have them ready for your photographer!! Anything you would want included in those detail photos, you can stick in a shoe box: invitations, bouquet, dress, jewelry, shoes, rings (both bride’s and groom’s), extra flowers, ribbon, etc. This way, your photographer gets to take those photos quickly + easily and make sure everything gets back to where it is supposed to be as the focus shifts back to you!
4. Have some jams on. – You’re probably going to be feeling all the feels right when the photos start, if you haven’t started already. Having some music on helps turn those nerves into excitement. I’m a Lizzo gal myself, but make a playlist of all the songs you know put you in a good mood!
Small Bridal Accessories That Make A Big Difference
Some brides aren’t hugely concerned with the detail photos, but some are. It’s YOUR wedding day, and that’s all that matters. If you’re the type of bride who likes detail shots, you should think about:
1. A Nice Wedding Dress Hanger
If you’re wanting a photo of your dress hanging up in all it’s glory, the last thing you want to see in that photo is a tacky white hanger! You can’t go wrong with a classic wooden hanger to keep the focus on your piece de résistance.
2. Ring Box
Your rings are stunning and special and EASY TO LOSE! Having a cute lil ring box not only looks great in detail photos, it makes it so simple to keep all your rings together and safely tucked away. There are so many cute ring box options, too — like velvet or wood.
Final Advice
The getting ready part of your day is about taking everything in, your excitement, and your favorite people sharing in the moment, so the thing to remember above all is to enjoy yourself. I’ll do the thing I’m best at and capture those moments the way you’re living them, blending into the background when you don’t need me so that you can experience this special morning undisturbed. Just know that all your hard work and preparation and planning will come together and your day will be dreamy and beautiful. Let yourself take it all in and feel the emotions as your photographer captures them for you.
It is a natural feeling to get overwhelmed or stressed the morning of your wedding. And that’s so okay. Think of it this way, twenty years from now, you won’t remember the small snag in your bridesmaids hem or that your schedule was off by ten minutes. You will remember the way that you laughed and danced with your closest friends, the way you celebrated your love and your new future, and the way you felt when your Groom turned to see you for the first time in your gown. And if you hire me, you’ll also have some incredible photos of those moments to take you back to exactly how you felt, too.
