As a wedding photographer, I've seen my share of problem weddings that only add to
the ever-present wedding stress. Planned improperly from the get-go, no one
person is to blame, but the outcome is upsetting for everyone involved. Often,
the bride's face looks utterly uncomfortable in all the pictures thanks to
mile-high heels, guests are kept waiting for an inordinate amount of time, and
the DJ is running around trying to get everyone name straight for the announcement at the reception. (I've seen this take up to 30 mins.)
Planning a wedding is
serious business, especially if you have out of town guest to worry about and little children to keep
an eye on. Here are ten wedding day tips to keep you upbeat - and stress-free -
on your special day!
Avoid Wedding Stress
with These Ten Wedding Day Tips
#1 - Have an
emergency kit on hand: A bride without her trusty emergency kit is
a meltdown waiting to happen. Before the wedding day, put together a little kit
of must-haves in case something should go wrong. Ideally, you should have extra
make-up, safety pins, breath spray, nail polish for snags, hairspray, a comb,
and anything else you deem appropriate to combat wedding stress. If a situation
does arise, you'll be thankful you had these things with
you.
#2 - Bring
comfortable shoes to change in to: Please don't
maintain the illusion that you can wear those fabulous designer heels all night
long. They will begin to hurt your feet and impede your ability to hob-knob with
your friends. Pack some cute flats (that you've previously broken in) or some
simple white sandals so you can keep dancing all night
long!
#3 - Put
someone in charge of the vendors: Entrust a
friend or family member to keep track of vendors, such as the DJ/band, caterers,
florists, facility manager, wait staff, and photography team. Let him or her be
the point person if the vendor has a question, if something has changed, or
there is an issue. Trust me - this will reduce much of the wedding stress that
will occur throughout the day.
#4 - Don't
forget to eat before and during the wedding: Number four on
this list of wedding day tips is incredibly important. Sounds impossible, but
brides do forget to eat with all that's going on. One of the best wedding day
tips I can offer is to start the day out with a healthy breakfast that will keep
you going until your afternoon or evening meal is served. The last thing that
you want to do is add to your wedding stress and pass out in front of your
guests or experience hunger pangs all day. Rely on one of your bridesmaids to fix a plate for you or do it yourself while you converse with guests waiting in line and then actually sit down and
eat it. You picked the menu. Don't you deserve to enjoy
it?
#5 - Provide
your guests with an accurate map and directions: Everyone will
tell you this is one of the best wedding tips you could get! The last thing you want to
deal with is guests calling you or your friends asking for directions because
yours aren't quite clear. Talk about wedding stress! Make sure you provide
turn-by-turn navigation (especially helpful for those out-of-towners) as well as
a detailed map of your venues with each surrounding street clearly listed and
identifiable.
#6 - Make sure
your bridal party knows to come
early: Every
photographer's nightmare - and a major wedding stress inducer - is a scattered,
mismanaged bridal party. Make sure to coordinate with your bridesmaids and
fiancé's groomsmen beforehand. If pictures are to be taken
before the ceremony, everyone needs to show up with ample time to allow for
this. If you are dressing at the church or venue and require the assistance of
your bridesmaids, set the time back appropriately.
#7 - Set up
something special for your guests in the facilities'
bathrooms: A basket of toiletries is a clever way to
show your creativity at your wedding. Usually, the bathrooms get overwhelmed and
guests may need something to get them through the rest of the night.
#8 - Keep
the kids in mind: Everyone is having a good time, but what are
the kids up to? If you choose to have children at your wedding, so be it.
They'll need a little entertainment though if you want to keep wedding stress at
bay. One of my favorite wedding day tips is to serve fun finger foods like
chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, French fries, and carrot sticks to get them to
eat and keep them happy. A great idea is to have all the children at a centrally
located children's table - adorn the table with activity and coloring books,
crayons, puzzles, and lots of drawing paper to keep them occupied. If you and
your fiancé decide not to have children at your wedding, however, make sure that
all parents know this well in advance so that they can find a
babysitter.
#9 - Hand
the rings off to someone responsible: Have one of the
attendants in your bridal party hang on to the rings before the ceremony.
Instruct her to wait until right before the party is sent down the aisle to give
the ring bearer and flower girl the rings so that they don't
get lost in the day's hustle and bustle.
#10 - Create
a menu for guests to peruse: Number 10 on this list of wedding day tips
isn't hard to do, but gives your guests an idea of what kind of food will be
served. For a sit-down dinner, this is imperative, of course, as there will be
multiple options to choose from. Even if you're having a large buffet meal where
guests help themselves, place a menu on each table so that anticipation can
build. Sometimes, without a menu, your guests might have even overlooked a food
station with their favorite dish!
Preparation Fights
Wedding Stress
It's easy to
overlook the little things. Planning ahead of time is the only way to keep
wedding stress at bay. Don't let months of planning come undone by not being
prepared. Combat potential disasters - and that annoying wedding stress.
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