On wedding day, it is impossible to avoid the energy that surrounds you as you and everyone else, gets ready for your wedding. And you don’t want to avoid it. The ‘morning of’ can be one of the best parts of the day and something you look back on as a happy time for years to come. But there are times when that energy shifts from being nervous excitement, to stress, tension and even tears. But it doesn’t have to. Keeping things happy, light, peaceful and even fun on the morning of your wedding is easily achieved, if you plan ahead and follow at least a few of these 5 ways to avoid stress on wedding day.

1. Get a good night’s sleep the night before

I am not going to lie, this could be one of the hardest things to do, but it will make a huge difference to you if you get a good night’s sleep the night before your wedding. Trust me, I have seen the difference a good night’s sleep can make for a couple on wedding day! To help with this, aim to have finished everything wedding related on at least the afternoon before your wedding and don’t plan a big night for yourself the night before. Yes you may have friends and close family around you, but ideally you will follow a usual bed-time routine on the night before your wedding in order to stay calm on your wedding day. And when your head hits the pillow, focus on letting go of all the planning; at this stage there is nothing more important than you being fresh & calm the next day. If you think you may have trouble falling asleep try one of these Apps to help you fall asleep.

2. Make time for an indulgent start to the day

Unless your wedding starts later in the day/early evening, you are probably not going to get a sleep in on wedding day, which means you will need to get up early to fit in some ‘indulgence’ on the morning of your wedding. But if you went to bed early the night before, you will be awake and ready to go on wedding day. And when you get up, take the time to do something that energises but also relaxes you; yoga, meditation, light exercise. Eat a good breakfast and if you can, do something indulgent, like taking a bath; this really helps you to stay calm on your wedding day. It really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do something that gives you pleasure. I promise, it will completely change how you feel as things start to get ‘busy’ around you on the morning of your wedding.

3. Consider your environment

There is nothing wrong with getting your hair and make-up done in Mum’s kitchen with the family pets and neighbours wandering about and preparing everyone food and drinks. That can be really fun, but I have also seen the hustle and bustle of a busy home stress couple’s out. And the same goes for a messy house or hotel room. So before your wedding day, consider what environment is going to help you stay calm on wedding day. This differs for everyone, but some of the things I have seen our couples do thay may also work for you include;

• Having your favourite scent as a room diffuser, natural oil or candle.
• Putting on a pretty robe when it’s time to get your hair and make-up done.
• Having the house clean and tidy with your wedding day attire neatly organised in a room that is dedicated to you.
• Getting ready at a hotel and in a room with enough space for everyone to spread out and do their thing without getting on top of each other.
• Music playing in the background, or turned up loud if that is the way you like it.
• Having the fridge stocked with healthy snacks and a prepared lunch for everyone. And a bottle of bubbles too if that is your fancy.
• Asking your On the Day Coordinator or someone close to you but not involved in the Ceremony, to run last minute errands on your behalf and to be in charge of keeping everything under control and organised around you on the day.
• Asking your On the Day Coordinator to help you limit the number of people ‘just dropping in’ to say hi – especially important if your guests are staying at your wedding venue, destination or private property.

3. Keep your circle tight

This one goes hand in hand with considering your environment, but it takes it a step further. Before your wedding day, think about who you want in your inner circle on the morning of your wedding. Is it just the wedding party, or do you want your Mum or Dad there too? Do you, or anyone getting ready with you have children and do you want them there, or to be looked after by someone else? What about pets? When considering this things, remember that you will probably have your hair stylist, make-up artist, photographer, videographer and On the Day Coordinator around too as you get ready. It can get really hectic and overwhelming with all of those people paying attention to you. If you think that energy could make you anxious, or you prefer to keep things calm and quiet on the morning of your wedding, keep your inner circle very tight.

Stop planning your wedding

I mentioned this right at the beginning of this post and it is possibly the best thing you can do in order to stay calm on your wedding day. I recommend couples switch off from planning their wedding the day before and if possible, sooner than that. And that can be hard. Whilst the majority of planning can be finalised days, if not weeks in advance, there are things that must be done on the day. This means you will need some on the day support if you are going to switch off from planning and setting up your wedding on the day. Of course, we recommend an On the Day Coordinator like us, or a family member/close friend who is willing to commit to the role on the day. Our DIY On the Day Coordination package is ideal if you have a friend or family coordinating for you on the day. You can also set yourself up for ‘no planning’ on the day by ensuring that you don’t schedule yourself any jobs for the day. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you will have time for anything other than getting ready for your wedding on the day of.

5. Allow extra time

When I design a timeline for my couples, there is always padding within it to allow extra time throughout the day. This is super helpful if there are hiccups or delays during the day, but it also allows time for extra special moments that you may want to step into. Perhaps your Dad wants 5 minutes alone with you, or you would like to spend half an hour by yourself after breakfast on the day, or to share a glass of bubbles with your bridesmaids whilst giving them their gifts. Maybe its to have more time with your guests after your Ceremony. Whatever it is, you will feel so much calmer if you know that you have some extra time up your sleeve for the little moments that just pop up during the day.

You might also like:

• How to create a wedding day timeline
• Do I need an On the Day Coordinator
• Wedding Traditions we encourage you to break if you want to

Do you need help to stay calm on wedding day? Talk to the I Do Crew today about how we can help you have a stress free wedding day.