Advice for the morning of your wedding

1. Use an ice roller the morning of your wedding to reduce eye/face puffiness.

Some major factors that increase face puffiness are lack of sleep, stress, alcohol intake, and insufficient hydration. Even if you are on your a-game pre-wedding, the chances are you'll be affected by at least ONE of these factors the morning of your wedding. 

There are several benefits to ice rolling, so this may be something to consider building into your skincare routine. First and foremost, the title of this piece of advice, ice rolling almost immediately visually reduces face puffiness. A few other benefits includes reducing skin redness, reducing inflammation and shrinking pores, boosting circulation (long term use), and can help with lymphatic drainage (which is especially helpful if you suffer from allergies). 

If you're in a pinch, put spoons in the fridge the night before your wedding, or if you forget, pop some spoons in the freezer for 10 minutes in the morning (but try not to use spoons that have been in the freezer directly on your face - use a paper towel or some other thin barrier). You also could use actual ice, but the freezer spoons' rules apply - please don't put ice directly on your face as that could actually cause harm to your skin.

Before and after, credit Charmed by Camille

Check out these two blog posts that further describe the benefits of ice rolling, and recommendations for using them; Charmed by Camille and Cinderella Bridez.

2. Drink peppermint tea the morning of your wedding to calm nerves.

This one is pretty straightforward. I know there are coffee and caffeine lovers, I am certainly one of them, and while you absolutely can indulge on the morning of your wedding on a good cup of Starbucks - caffeine will absolutely increase the wedding morning jitters. To combat that, drink a cup of peppermint tea. This is a great drink hot or iced, which makes it good for all seasons.

Other benefits may include easing digestive issues (the pre-wedding poop struggle is real), helping to stave off headaches, help with clogged sinuses, and help improve your immune system. 

3. If you are wearing heavy earrings - use numbing cream!

This one is also pretty straightforward. If you're wearing heavier earrings, or even if you just have sensitive ears, consider using some numbing cream to save you from pain! I know personally I wish I would have known this before my own wedding, as between the ceremony and taking pictures, I just couldn't stand my earrings anymore and ended up taking them off for the rest of the day. Don't make the same mistake I did!

Earrings on the left side, and no earrings in the pictures taken immediately after the ceremony on the right... 

4. Put clear eyelash glue under any jewelry you want to keep in place.

This is a tip that has become SUPER popular, and for good reason! It is so annoying wearing necklaces in general and having the clasp shift, and it is EXTRA annoying on your wedding day when you have to worry about photos! Use some clear eyelash glue (the clear is important, unless you want to look like you have a new beauty mark) to tack down your jewelry where you want it.

This tip works great for necklaces, but I've seen it used for hand chains (those stunning bracelets attached to a ring via a chain)

5. Give your phone to a trusted person to hold onto for the day. 

Whether this be your maid of honor, mom, a sibling, or any other person - give your phone to this person to hold onto for the day. This person will be in charge of screening calls and texts to make sure you focus on YOU on your big day.

If you book day of coordination or any of the other packages, I will ask for contact information of someone you know will be with you the entire day (usually your maid of honor). This is so if anything major happens that I feel is beyond the scope of decisions I can make on your behalf, I can contact them for their input; or if it is something that major, they can pass it along to you and we can make a quick game plan for whatever happens. 

6. Have a "go bag" of anything you might need easy access to.

The "go bag" can include anything and everything from makeup for touchups, to safety pins, nail glue, or heel covers for walking in the grass. This bag would be different from the "day of emergency kit", but can be put inside of the emergency kit. This bag would be easy access so that you do not have to dig through a bunch of items to find what you actually need.

Something I'm working on this year (2024) for my couples are day of emergency kits (one for the bride's side, one for the groom's side, and one for me to have on hand) that my couples will have access to. I already have a basic one made; but at weddings this past year, I found between the wedding party getting ready at different locations, me needing to be on scene at the venue to decorate and coordinate vendors, and the fact it was a pain in the butt to dig through for the stuff we needed easier access to (plus, at the end of the wedding, the kit was always in absolute disarray). By the end of this year, I'm hoping to have at least the bride's (and bridal party's) day of emergency kit completed. Check out the planned contents here.

7. Make sure you have food available!

Be sure there's plenty of food available for you and your wedding party while you are getting ready. No one wants a hangry bride (or for someone to pass out). Along those lines, make sure you don't overdo it on the drinks - both alcohol and coffee. Both may give you a headache later on in the day, or make you sick. Stay hydrated and well fed is sound advice for getting through your wedding day.

Boardgasm (South Bend, IN)

8. Give yourself plenty of time.

In building your timeline, give yourself plenty of buffer time and do not overbook your morning. I know there are a hundred and one things on your mind to do, but it is so important to take a little time in the morning to relax. Whether that be taking some time to yourself to meditate, writing a letter to your future spouse capturing the wedding morning feelings, whatever you need to do to take a moment to breathe - do it. 

Also, plan for plenty of time to get into your dress. You may think you only need 15 minutes to put on your dress, but picture the worst case scenario - a wardrobe malfunction. You'll want to give yourself time to handle anything that may go wrong, and if nothing happens, even better! You'll be able to relax and spend time with loved ones before the wedding. 

9. Don't be afraid to delegate tasks

Unfortunately, you can't be more than one place at one time (as much as you may want to be), and planning to run errands yourself will only add to your stress. While this is where a wedding coordinator or decorator can come in, you can also delegate tasks to wedding party members, family, or other close friends.

10. Don't forget the music!

And finally, don't forget music and a speaker! Creating a playlist is another task you can delegate, perhaps to your MOH or another bridesmaid. Add your favorite getting ready and nostalgic music to relax and jam to while getting ready in the morning!