My Top Wedding Day Tips to Make Your Day Go Smoothly…

Here are my top 15 wedding day tips to relieve that unnecessary stress!

So its finally here, your special wedding day. Whether you’ve been planning and dreaming about this day from childhood or since you met your significant other… it’s a big day, with so much hard work and effort put into it. Below I have compiled my top wedding day tips to help make your day run smoothly based on photographing many peoples weddings. I hope you find these helpful. Make sure you keep these in mind so that your wedding day goes smoothly, as we all know that emotions are running high as it is, and you want your day to be memorable for all the right reasons!

1. Get enough sleep

Go to bed at a decent hour so you can be your best, even if you and your girls are having so much fun!

2. Eat breakfast.

Make sure you eat something that’s high in protein and complex carbs. These foods digest slowly, so if you don’t have time in your schedule to eat, you won’t get too hungry. Also you need something to absorb the bubbly!

3. Wear a loose fitting top or shirt when getting your hair styled

A T-shirt has to be pulled over freshly coiffed hair. Shirts can be unbuttoned without doing any damage to your hair.

4. Be organised getting ready!

This day can be stressful enough, don’t add to it.  Aim to be ready an hour before you need to leave, for some lovely portraits. So please let your hair and makeup artist know when you need to be ready by (depending on how long it takes to put on your dress). Also please ask your bridesmaids to be completely ready for when you need to put your dress on, so they can be in the photos and help if needed. Before the ceremony is the best time for portraits because you’ll be looking your best, and you don’t want to be running around worrying about being late, so it’s better to be ready early and chilling out! 🙂

It really helps if your dress / shoes / jewellery / anything else of importance is all in one place for me to photograph when I arrive – I don’t want to have to keep asking where things are 🙂

5. Plan for the British Weather

Plan for the British weather. This is an important one. I love the UK with it varied weather, one day clear blue skies and baking sun, the next storm clouds and hail, sometimes all of the above in one day! Make sure your photographer can work both inside and outside, do they have a plan for rain/snow/sleet? I always ask my couples if it rains are they prepared to go outside? It can create some stunning shots if they are willing, and I always have a pretty umbrella ready for the couple. If you’re not sure if your photographer is prepared you just need to ask them. It never hurts to bring an umbrella or two with you and even have your wellies in someone’s car. Wellies can be a must-have, especially for the bride if we take a little walk to a scenic spot for photos.

6. Break in new shoes

Aching feet & blisters are no fun.

7. Pack a wedding day survival kit

Most of the weddings I have worked at someone has trodden on the bride’s dress, especially when there is a train to avoid, people forget to avoid it, step on it and the bride is stopped very suddenly. Normally all is fine and no damage is done. Sometimes though a little repair work is required, having a needle and thread available can be a life saver. A typical one includes a first aid kit, a stain remover pen, needle & thread or safety pins, tampons, and anything else that might fix a minor emergency. Take a look at my blog HERE all about my survival kit and what it has in it!

8. Turn off your phone

Nuff said.

9. Loosen up before you walk down the aisle

Do some light stretching to release tension and get your blood flowing.  Make sure that the rest of the wedding party does also, as you don’t want to end up on youtube with those other wedding fails…

10. Pack some nice flat shoes for the reception

Aching feet don’t make for a fun time.

11. Be careful with alcohol!

This is a day you’ll want to remember clearly for the rest of your life, so make sure you don’t drink too much.  One tip is to drink a full glass of water between each alcoholic drink.

12. Appoint someone to save you from chatty guests / nagging kids

Inevitably someone will talk your ear off seemingly unaware it’s your wedding day. Also, if you’ve got kids who need attention / feeding / nappy changing then it’s handy to have someone to deal with them for the day! You don’t want anything to add to the stress or take up your time. You want to make the most of the fun!

13. Be organised for group photos at the reception

Nobody likes waiting around for group photos! Group photos work best when there’s someone on hand to get the next group ready while I’m taking photos of the first group. I can help organise, but that means I’m less likely to be getting the natural in-between shots. So it would be a great help if the best man or family members could help with this. This way people aren’t waiting around for too long (best to give them a copy of the schedule with the list of groups).

14. Get your food to go

Arrange with the caterers to send a couple of to-go boxes of food with you when you leave the venue. They’ll be glad to do it, and you won’t have to worry if you find that getting in a forkful is difficult. I hear couples say all the time that they missed eating their own wedding cake before it all got eaten!

15. An extra tip.   HAVE FUN!!!

Enjoy every moment. It really is true that the day flies by and before you know it you’re waving goodbye to your guests. Take it all in! I always tell my clients to take some time out during the day for just you and your new partner. You need to take the time to have a private few moments to say hi and relax. A perfect time could be when you are having your couple shots. Even just before you go in for your meal, while you’re waiting for the last of your guests to sit down, is usually a private moment you can grab together.

Many thanks for checking out my wedding photography tips! Are you planning on getting married at a venue in Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire, or West Sussex? Please Contact Me for a quote and to check my availability before it’s too late!

Alternatively, you can see some more of my lovely weddings HERE

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this Blog.

Ginny x