It's the strangest thing; I love blogging and writing but I rarely do so, either from lack of time or feeling like everything that I want to write about has already been written about to death. But I love writing so I reckon, why not do it just for me, and see if some readers enjoy what I put out there?
Next month, I get married myself. It's terrifying how quickly it has come around - time does just seem to speed up the closer it gets! Having worked with so many fabulous brides, suppliers and bridal parties, I thought it might be nice to share some ideas and tips that I've picked up, and some that I'm personally planning to implement!
1) Eat the morning of the wedding - but don't cook. For starters, this is a day of relaxation - don't be pestering your folks to cook a huge big fry up! Stick with finger food that can be picked up and gulped down whether hot or cold, like sandwiches, croissants, crudités and chicken drumsticks - and avoid the possibility of the smell of cooked food seeping into your bridal couture! For my wedding day, I'm having a lovely wee deli close to our house drop in some sandwiches and treats - and I'm using plastic plates - ain't nobody got time for dirty dishes on a wedding day!
2) Don't drink too much the night before - it sounds obvious but, you're likely to be a bit emotional and starting to feel like letting loose, temptation can easily start to slip in the face of a lovely bottle of prosecco! Stick to one or two glasses the day before and take it easy - you've spent so long planning the following day, to wake up with a self-induced headache will seriously irk you!
3) Plan your bags way ahead of time. Ok so depending on where you're getting married, where you're getting ready and if you're going on honeymoon straight away, this might be more or less tricky for you. But say you're getting ready at your mums, your partner is getting ready at their folks and you're staying over in a hotel the night of the wedding before leaving for your honeymoon the day after. It can quickly get complicated! Plan out carefully what you'll need and when so that nothing is overlooked - I will probably have three different makeup bags with different items decanted for short-term use, and different pyjamas for our honeymoon abroad after our Glasgow hotel stay. Oh, it's such a hard life.
4) Be in the moment. If you listen to only one piece of advice, please let this be it. It is completely natural to wake up a bit worried on the morning of your wedding (or not get much sleep at all!) - it is, as everyone will keep reminding you, the biggest day of your life! But biggest can sound panic-inducing, and even 'best' day of your life puts a fair amount of pressure on! Try to let go of what it should be and focus on every moment that day as it happens. I think a lot of brides think the wedding only really starts when the dress is on or when you're walking down the aisle - lies! The getting ready can sometimes be a massive highlight - how often do we have the chance now to sit around with our best friends, get our hair and makeup done, chat and have a cheeky glass of champagne? Really force yourself to stay in the moment and stop looking forward - you might miss some of the best bits.
5) Make a getting ready playlist! Ok so anyone that knows me knows that playlists are kind of my thing (beyond makeup of course) - and when is there a better time for a playlist than the morning of your wedding? Don't get stuck with the radio, make up a playlist with some happy, even cheesy, tunes - the stuff you know you won't hear later but will make you and your bridal party get in the swing of things!
6) If you have a shower in the morning, leave plenty of time between getting hair and makeup, especially if your skin goes a bit red. It can take a good 30 mins to an hour for your skin to calm down, I'm avoiding a shower in the morning altogether as my skin is sensitive - plus a bath with some Lush goodies the night before sounds much more pampering!
7) Send your husband or wife to be a box for the morning. I'm sending over a box to my fiancé with socks (for cold feet), whiskey (for Dutch courage), and some other sentimental items and presents.
8) Time flies by the morning of the wedding. Even as a supplier who often doesn't know anyone else besides the bride, I find the mornings zoom by. Make sure you factor in plenty of 'just in case' time, as sometimes it happens that the bride in particular is being pulled in ten different directions at once! There will be lots of lovely unexpected texts, calls and visitors, so factor that time in or you could find you're getting a bit stressed if you happen to be running late!
9) Have these items to hand just in case: safety pins, a sewing kit, scissors (for those pesky accessories!), tweezers, chargers (I would recommend a Powerbank for your phone - it will be going off non stop!), plasters/first aid kit, a bottle opener, tissues, painkillers, mirrors (for those wee touch ups), cold sore patches, shoe horn, party pads for feet
10) Have a wee touch up kit - and give it to one of your maids. With my services I include a touch up kit of blotting papers and lipstick, and I also recommend throwing in some concealer and perhaps a different lipstick for later if you want to change your look up a little. Mints or breath spray are a good addition, as well as your wedding perfume to ensure you smell fabulous all day long!