The morning of your wedding should be a peaceful & lively {in a fun way!} affair. I often hear about brides who run behind, go into chicken with their heads cut off mode, all of which is a direct result of, well I hate to say it, poor planning. Whether organization is your strong suit or not, there are a few key steps every bride should follow leading up to & most especially the night before the wedding day. Working a few key elements will ensure everything flows as it is absolutely intend & more so, when you look back on your day {photographically speaking}, you got everything out of that morning you possible could have.
1. Get Your Ducks In A Row
You’d think this one would be common sense, but you’d be surprised. Before you go to bed, take the time to lay out everything that you’re going to need the following morning: dress, undergarments, shoes & accessories, etc {this goes for makeup and hair products as well}. By laying everything out & getting things ready, you’ve positioned yourself in the best possible light. Anything that might have been missing, was found the night before, not 30min before you had to walk out the door, any problems that might arise, tackled the night before. As well, by laying everything out, you’ve positioned your friends to actually help you. Instead of frantically screaming to someone in general ‘Where the hell is my veil?!’ you can turn to a specific friend & simply ask them to get the veil off the dresser. Additionally, ensure that you have laid out everything that you might want the photographer to photograph, things like your wedding invitations, a special momento and so on. By making each element readily available you free yourself up! All of this serves to keep you in the right frame of mind & eagerly enjoying your time while getting ready. Bonus: Photographers LOVE when everything that you have for the day is laid out and waiting for them to photograph. There is no bigger nightmare then the mommy syndrome, & there is nothing worse then a bride who is trying to enjoy her time while being interrupted every two seconds to ask where something is.
2. What You’re Wearing Will Be Immortalized
Whether or not you have a professional photographer there to photograph the process while you’re get ready, at a minimum, your friends will be taking photos. It might not seem important to you right now, but wearing your ratty half falling apart T just because its easy to get over your head, might not be your best choice. Remember photographs are forever {or until you delete them!}, so you’ll have time to reflect on your day. Make a point to choose what your going to be wearing while getting ready, it not only should be easy to get out of, it should be something you’ll be able to stomach when you look back on the day however many months/years later. A gorgeous new robe, the perfect new bride T, or maybe just a simple T shirt dress, whatever it is, make sure its something that you’ll be able to stand looking at for the length of time.
3. Location, Location, Location
Much the way your clothing will be frozen in time, so will the actual location of where you’re getting ready. Not everyone can afford a gorgeous hotel suite just to get ready, nor am I suggesting that you need to, but you will need to be OK with wherever it is. The location of where you get ready becomes the backdrop to every image…. meaning, that crack in the wall that you were meaning to fix, trust that it will rear its ugly head at some point in photographs. Getting ready at your aunt’s house but don’t love her interior decor tastes, yup, thats going to show up all over too. Select a location that pleases you to look at & serves your needs. As well the location should be relative to where you need to be directly after leaving once your ready. Finding a location near to everything is paramount as you dont want to waste time driving around if it can at all be avoided.
With a touch of planning, a mild dose of organization & strategy, the process of getting ready for your wedding can be made that much more enjoyable. There is nothing worse then unnecessary drama in the few hours leading up to the wedding. Drama in the form of an impossible to find accessory or simply people asking you where things are at every moment. The secondary element to it all is that you want the most out of your morning, you want a calm joyous environment & you want photographs that communicate that! A bit of foresight can go a long way, reduce potential drama & more so position the photographer to photograph all your wonderful details without missing a thing or constantly asking where something is. Lastly, by laying everything out, your details become your checklist. You can easily see if you’ve missed a step if an element is yet still remaining. Between having everything ready & choosing the right clothing and location, you’re ensuring that your time will be calm & the memories from that morning are as lovely as they should be!
Vendor Love
Venue: Green Mountain Inn | Photographer: Sarah DiCicco Photography