Tips, Things to Think About, and Things to Bring on Your Wedding Day – Karen D Photography

Wedding days can be stressful. And not just for the bride and groom, but for everyone involved. Mom and Dad’s Little Girl is getting married, the Maid of Honor and Best Man are freaking out about the toasts they have to make later on at the reception, and the Flower Girl’s parents are nervous because she’s been moody all day (and getting her to walk by herself while elegantly tossing flower petals is looking less and less likely by the minute–especially in front of a crowd!)

It’s natural to assume that everyone else will be calm and collected during the wedding day and will have their stuff together, but the truth is, they, too, have lots to worry about! Take the time to plan ahead with these basics in order to reduce your stress on the day of so you can have a blast and the most fantastic celebration ever!

Here are some tips, things to think about, and things to bring:

~EAT BREAKFAST!!! And make sure everyone else eats, too! Well, don’t YOU, per say, make sure everyone else eats, you have enough to worry about! Designate someone else (coordinator, mom, uncle, whomever!) to be in charge of making sure everyone eats. Why is this number one, you ask? Because in one of the most recent weddings I photographed, one of the groomsmen hadn’t eaten breakfast before the 1:00pm ceremony and ended up fainting during the ceremony (right before the first kiss!). He landed, head first, on the concrete floor. It was a very scary experience–especially considering he’s the 17 year old son of the bride. 911 was dialed, and he was taken to the hospital and required stitches. Thankfully, he was ok and joined the festivities a few hours later, but as you can see, this is a lesson on the importance of breakfast. Also, make sure to stay hydrated!

~Closely related, make sure you don’t lock your knees during the ceremony. According to Children’s Hospital Colorado, doing so causes pooling of blood in the legs=less blood for the brain=possibility of fainting. Since you can’t take a break to sit during the ceremony, shifting your weight from foot to foot is an easy solution 😉

~Ok, so I had stay hydrated in the first section, but then realized it’s so important it has to be it’s own section. Two primary reasons: 1) If you or anyone else in the wedding party has been/is drinking alcohol, we want to make sure to balance it out with some good ‘ol H2O. Now, in case you and your well-behaved bridesmaids and groomsmen totally don’t fall into the first category, here’s

the second– 2) Suites and ties. Heavy, multi-layered wedding dress. Summer heat. Running around. Enough said. Please drink lots of water! If you have to go use the bathroom multiple times, I promise, everyone will wait for you! They kind of have to…….

~Bring snacks!! Energy bars are always a good idea…We’ll have a timeline laid out and you will know exactly how the day will go and how much time is required for everything, but it’s easy to forget that between the pre-ceremony photos and the reception dinner, it could be in the whereabouts of 5 hours before you get anything to munch on…and grumpy brides and grooms don’t usually make for good photos 😉

~Brides, make sure you bring a comfy pair of shoes with you. We may be walking quite a bit before/after the ceremony, particularly if we’re at a large venue or walking from one venue to another, so it’s always a good idea to have flip flops or flats that are easy to slip in and out of. Trust me, it’s going to be a loooong (and fun!) day, so protect your feet as much as possible so you can dance the night away at the reception.

~“Emergency” bag: Hairspray, bobby pins, band-aids, deodorant, perfume/cologne, toothbrush+toothpaste, mints, bottled water, snacks, bleach pens…hey, better safe than sorry!

~Manage Expectations…Although I and everyone else will do our best to make your day the best it possibly can be, Murphy’s Law seems to work double as hard on wedding days! Keep in mind that your day may not be ‘perfect’–and that’s ok! The point is to celebrate your love with family and friends, so keeping things in perspective when things don’t go exactly as planned (mom is running 15 minutes behind with THE dress, the maid of honor forgot the garter at the hotel, the chocolate in your wedding favors melted in the sun [yes, all of these have happened at weddings I’ve been a part of]…..), will help ensure that you have a great time, no matter what small issues come up. And yes, I know this is wayyyyy easier said than done…which is why it’s best to realize long before the wedding day that it most likely won’t be perfect…but that moment when you commit to being there for each other and loving each other for the rest of your lives will be!

~Put someone else in charge! Whether it’s a coordinator (highly recommended!) or a really organized friend who knows the inns and outs of how you want your day to look, let someone else take the reigns. This is pretty self-explanatory…there’s no reason you should be the to-go-to person on your wedding day. You don’t have time to deal with silly questions, you don’t need the added stress, and someone else should be there to make executive decisions in case things need to be modified.

~Trust your vendors. You’ve (hopefully!) done your homework, spent good money, met with your vendors, done trial runs (food tastings, engagement photo-session, hair and make-up trial)–now it’s time to trust the professionals you hired!

~Now we get into the fun stuff! If you plan on sending Thank You cards to your friends and family after the wedding, feel free to bring a Thank You sign with you on the day of for us to take photos with. Bonus points if you match the sign to the theme and/or colors of your wedding!

Follow these tips, add some of your own, and let’s get happily married!

P.S.-If your ceremony sound will be amplified, please ask the person providing the system to use a lapel mic on the officiant. Mic stands are so 1990’s, and they don’t serve as very good decor. And yes, I added this because I am currently working on a wedding that has a big ‘ol mic stand throughout the duration of the ceremony. Womp, womp.