Wedding mornings can be stressful for all involved, but they needn’t be so. While some pre-wedding nerves are inevitable, we’ve put together a list of top tips to help you have a more relaxing wedding morning and avoid wedding stress
Get a good night’s sleep.
With nerves and excitement, this might be more difficult than usual, but try to get to bed early the night before your wedding. Even if you don’t get a great night’s sleep, you’ll find that your body will produce enough adrenaline to get you through.
Surround yourself with calming people.
When you’re nervous, it helps to be surrounded by calm, relaxing people. As well as not having too many people in the house or room you’re getting ready in, it’s good to have the right people there. Banish those who panic, bring in those who make you feel at ease.
Put on some Music
While you don’t want a panicked, chaotic nightmare as you get ready, you also don’t want it to be so quiet that you can hear the clock tick. Music is essential on a wedding morning – it can help take your mind off nerves and add a little craic. Put together a Spotify playlist of some of your favourite music and hit play as soon as you get up.
Have a timeline to work to.
Have a loose timeline for the morning and give it to your friends and family. That way, everyone knows what should be happening and when. It also should mean less questions for you.
Give yourself some extra time (just in case).
The ceremony is 20 mins away so you should plan to leave 20 mins before the ceremony, right? Nope. We’d advise that you plan to be ready to leave for your ceremony 1 hour before you need to. This allows time for any mishaps or wardrobe malfunctions – we’ve seen it happen more often than you think.
Aim to arrive 5 minutes before your ceremony so you have time to compose yourself and grab a photo or two before going in. You also get to watch any latecomer guests squirm as they sprint into the venue.
Get your hair and makeup done in good time.
We’ve heard some people say that a bride should leave makeup until the latest possible time so that it stays fresh. However, this is more likely to leave you late for your wedding.
Your makeup will last all day so there’s really no need to leave it until the last minute. Rather than give your makeup artist the ceremony time, tell them the time that you want to be getting in your dress for.
A good idea is to have most of your make-up done early in the morning before having a final touch up once you’re in your dress. Your photographer will likely be there for at least two hours to take informal photographs of you getting ready, and you’ll be much happier having at least some makeup on during this stage.
It’s best to discuss this with your makeup artist as they are the professional, but we’d advise having makeup and hair done an hour before you plan to leave for your ceremony.
Have a makeup/hair trial before the wedding.
Having a makeup/hair trial before the wedding allows you to give any feedback to your hairdresser/makeup artist before your wedding day. It will give your makeup artist a better idea of your tastes and expectations so that it all runs more smoothly on the day.
Delegate tasks to your family/friends.
It’s funny watching family members (it’s always dads and brothers) standing around like lost sheep on a wedding morning. If there are any tasks to be done, they’ll be more than happy to do them while taking the stress off you. You shouldn’t be wondering if the flowers are at the ceremony, that’s someone else’s job!
Have a nice breakfast.
Make sure you factor in time to sit down and have a substantial breakfast. This could be anything from a continental breakfast filled with fruit and pastries, or a big dirty fry up! Chances are, it may be hours before you get a chance to eat again.
Have a Drink
It’s maybe not for everyone, but sometimes a wee glass (or bottle) of something can help you relax a bit and chase away some of those wedding nerves!
A word of caution, though - remember not to overdo it. Staggering up the aisle is probably not the best look, and I’m not sure anyone can fully get over the mortification of having to pause their vows for a pee break.
Book an Airbnb
Sometimes getting away from home is the ideal de-stresser. Finding a nice Airbnb close to your ceremony can give you a mini-break before your wedding. If you can find one with a hot tub, even better!
Get ready close to each other and the venue.
Travelling can add a lot of stress to weddings. We’d go as far as saying it’s the biggest stressor for both the wedding party and the guests.
Choose your locations carefully to reduce the amount of travelling you have to do on your wedding day. Many venues can host both your ceremony and reception. Walking from a plush hotel room to your ceremony room is much less stressful than having to drive for an hour.
Go for a run/swim
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than expending a bit of energy to get rid of nerves. We’ve seen quite a few couples emerge from the sea with a newfound calm on their wedding morning. Northern Ireland beaches are excellent for a morning swim.
Pack your bags beforehand.
If you’re staying at your wedding venue, make sure to pack an overnight bag in the days before your wedding. It’s scientific fact that packing is the most stressful thing known to humanity, so whatever you do, don’t leave it until the wedding morning.
If you’re getting ready in a hotel room that has to be vacated, make sure your bags are packed early in the morning and delegate a family member or friend to get them out for you.
Remove all your labels.
This is a fun game for all of your family and friends. Get them to go through everything they’ll be wearing on the wedding day and have them remove all labels and tags in the days leading up to the wedding.
Relatively easy tasks like peeling a sticker off the bottom of a shoe can become infuriating nightmares if done 30 minutes before you walk down the aisle. You don’t want to ruin nails, chip a tooth or rip anything in the haste of the wedding morning.
Try on suits and dresses well before the wedding morning.
At least once a year we’ll see a situation where a shirt, jacket or waistcoat is delivered in the wrong size (or missing altogether) and is only discovered during morning prep. On one occasion, one of our grooms found some cake in the pocket of his hired suit. As hilarious as these anecdotes can be, you don’t want this happening to you.
Make sure all your bridal party and family try on their outfits the day before the wedding just to check everything is as it should be. If you’re not used to doing a tie, look up a half-windsor on youtube and practice in the days leading up to the wedding.
Pack an essentials bag.
Honestly, we call this an emergencies bag, but it’s really nothing as dramatic. Pack a bag that has things like wet-wipes, needle and thread, plasters, lipstick, mints, hairspray etc. While most wedding venues will have these things, there’s nothing like the peace of mind of knowing you have them handy.
