The lead up to your big day is both nerve-wracking and exciting and it will be full of all the emotions under the sun. Needless to say, there are a million things which you will need to do, from booking suppliers to food tastings and as your wedding planners, we have plenty of checklists to share with you. However, this guide is more personal to the bride. It is about you as opposed to the actual planning of your wedding. There are many things which you can do in the lead up to your wedding to make it that bit more relaxing. Having worked with so many brides, we believe that these seven preparation steps will definitely help you to get the best experience out of your wedding day.
Step 1: Exercise
Exercise, you either love it or you hate it! Everyone wants to look their best on their big day and eating right as well as exercising can really help to give you a glowing complexion and luscious shiny hair.
If you are planning on adopting a specific clean eating diet and working out in the lead up to your wedding then it is best to get this plan in place approximately eight to ten months before your wedding day. This will avoid any need for stressful crash dieting a month before, which is never a healthy option. Additionally, most wedding dress boutiques will want to make any significant size alterations two months before the wedding, so dieting last minute could make this more difficult. At optimum weddings, we personally love a combination of Hiit classes, Boxing classes and Personal Training, but ultimately just find what works for you!
Planning a wedding can be stressful and exercise really does give you an outlet to work out your stress and worries. This can facilitate a calmer and more balanced approach to addressing the planning of your big day.
Step 2: Hair & Makeup Trials and Care Regime
Having your hair and makeup trials are so important. If you have a good makeup artist or hairdresser signed on then they will give you a wealth of advice far beyond styling itself. In our experience, having your hair and makeup trials eight to twelve months in advance of your big day will allow you to get the most out of the experience.
If you want a particular style for your hair, then you might need to grow it, cut it or it might just be that your hair is a little dry from years of styling. Your bridal hairstylist will talk you through the best way to improve your hair quality so that it looks wonderful on the big day.
One tip is that if you have particularly frizzy or dry hair then the Elastin Protein Keratin Treatment is a great way to sort this issue out! Our hair naturally has keratin in it, but this treatment injects a boost of it, which in turn leaves you with shiny frizz free hair. This is particularly beneficial if you are having a destination wedding in the sunshine with the inevitable humidity. This treatment lasts up to three months depending on how often you wash your hair, so it is probably best to have it done a few weeks before your wedding.
With your makeup, your makeup artist will be able to tell you how best to look after your skin and suggest a care routine so as to optimise your skin quality. A lot of brides love to have a facial before their big day to clear out any impurities and give them a fresh glow. We would advise that you check with your makeup artist, but ideally do not do this less than four weeks before the day itself. Facials can result in your skin getting irritated before it clears up and the last thing you would want is a pesky blemish on the big day!
Step 3: The Dress
The dress is often the first thing that a bride thinks about once she has got engaged. This is naturally a great instinct as often dresses can take six to eight months to order. So, once you have decided to get married, then book a few appointments to find that perfect dress.
You will often have your final fitting a few weeks before the wedding and we recommend that you take a bridesmaid or two along with you. Dresses now come along with some very complex bustling and you want to be confident in knowing that your dress will be correctly pinned up.
We also recommend getting one of the bridesmaids to take a video of the bridal consultant bustling the dress. This way, you can send it to us and we can help out if you need us to when the big day comes around (yes, wedding planners are also very good with wedding dresses!)
Step 4: One on One Time with Your Fiancé
Wedding planning is extremely time consuming and between the logistics to the family politics, it is very easy to get swept up in it. It is so important to take time to remember why you are getting married and who you are marrying. The wedding is a by-product of your love for your partner and so remember to cherish your relationship.
Everyone knows about a honeymoon after the wedding, but we are big believers in the pre-wedding mini-moon. It is the perfect way to take a step back and appreciate your partner and everything which is to come. This is particularly important if you are having a destination wedding. Destination weddings are great because they are a whole weekend or week of celebrations. This means that your guests will be around for the days leading up to the big day and the days following it. Inevitably this will result in a truly wonderful celebration, but very little time for just the two of you directly before and after the wedding. A pre-wedding mini-moon will mean that you are refreshed and ready to enjoy everything.
You want to enjoy your big day and what better way to do this, than to take a romantic weekend or week away with your fiancé before all of the celebrations kick off.
Step 5: Keep Hydrated and Sleep
This one sounds so obvious, but it so important and so often forgotten! Staying hydrated and getting enough sleep is important all the time, but especially during your final countdown.
Hydration is key to you having plump and healthy skin on your big day. Making sure that you drink enough water in the months and weeks leading up to your wedding really will make a visible difference on your big day.
Additionally, you will inevitably be incredibly busy in the week leading up to your big day and running around more than usual. Make sure you carry a bottle of water with you to avoid getting fatigued and run down.
Sleep is so vital. You will have a lot of late nights, entertaining and celebrating during your wedding weekend or week and inevitably this will mean less sleep. Therefore, try to pre-empt this and ensure that you schedule lots of early nights in the weeks before the celebrations start.
A bride’s wedding day often starts at 8 am with hair and makeup, followed by photographs and then the wedding ceremony, reception and after party. Essentially it often doesn’t end until 3 am the following morning, and so you will really need all the rest you can get to give you the energy needed for a 20 hour day!
Step 6: You Time
Yes, it really is as simple as taking some time for yourself. You should be proud that you have successfully navigated the world of planning your wedding and now you are in the home stretch (so to speak!).
Everyone has different ways to relax and unwind, but do try to take a day or even just a few hours to relax in the days leading up to your wedding day. You could take a yoga class, have a mani/pedi, watch your favourite film, book a spa day or massage or just go for a long relaxing walk in the park, on the beach or in the countryside (depending on where you are).
It is so important not to neglect yourself because ultimately this day is about you and your fiancé and so you want to be the best, most relaxed and happiest version of yourself.
Step 7: Make a Moment Last a Lifetime
This step is less about preparation for your wedding day and more about enjoying the day itself. As wedding planners, we get to see so many beautiful couples start their married lives together. One of the best things about being a planner is being able to step back and see the event as a whole, from the crazy dancing on the dancefloor, the speeches, the love between the bride and groom and the inevitably beautiful setting and décor.
Your wedding day will go by quickly and before you know it you will be married and bathing in the afterglow known as wedded bliss. However, if we can give you one final piece of advice, it is to savour every moment of your wedding day. Take ten minutes during the festivities to step back with your new husband and look at the room around you, soak up the atmosphere, watch your guests, look at the decorations and venue and look at each other. This will be the moment that you will remember forever.
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