How to Keep Calm on Your Wedding Day

While getting married is certainly one of the most exciting times in your life, there is a lot to do to plan for the big day. Trying to remain calm can be difficult as the days draw near. Keep in mind that you’re not in this alone. By staying organized, being prepared, and asking for help it will all come together. If a few glitches happen along the way remember to take a deep breath and rely on your instincts for what to do next.

Stay Organized

The best way to stay calm on your wedding day is to have everything together and ready to go ahead of time. Utilize a folder to keep all of your receipts, vendor contracts, seating chart and notes inside of. Just ahead of the wedding, assign someone to keep this with them so that if there are any issues with a vendor they can be your liaison and refer back to the contracts. If you have a wedding planner or day-of-coordinator, they will truly appreciate these organizational skills. Work with them to create a timeline for the day that will guide you through the day’s activities.

Coordinate with each vendor by staying in regular contact. Make sure to follow up with them, if they don’t do so themselves, the week of the wedding. You’ll want to confirm with them that they have the correct location, date, time and that all payments are made in full. Bring your tips for each vendor in a separate envelope clearly addressed so you can have your coordinator or a relative take this responsibility on for you.

Be Prepared

While we certainly hope that everything is perfect on your wedding day, we know that hiccups often happen along the way. Don’t stress. Most couples have something go wrong on that day. Whether its a vendor getting stuck in traffic, a clumsy guest spilled something on your dress, or the flower girl refusing to walk down the aisle. Trust me your wedding planner/vendors will have seen it all. Roll with the punches but also be prepared for possible scenarios.

One way to be prepared is to pack an emergency kit. This can be filled with whatever you’d like to have with you on that day. Things like clear nail polish, blotting wipes, pain medicine, snacks or stain remover all make for great things to have. To make things easier, you can also purchase the ultimate bridal survival kit that’s ready to go with everything you could possibly need during that day.

Make sure that you and your groom are prepared with all of the components of your wedding day attire ahead of time. For the bride, you’ll want to make sure that you have your dress, the shoes, a reliable strapless bra that matches your neckline, body-fitting undergarments, and all jewelry. For the groom, you’ll want to make sure that you pack all the parts of your suit or tux, any matching accessories such as ties or cufflinks, and your shoes.

Ask for Help

Trust us when we say, you can’t do this alone. Your bridesmaids, groomsmen, vendors, and parents are all here to help you. They are your team for the day. Make sure that you rely on them for extra assistance during the final countdown and on the day itself. There are many tasks that you can assign to them that they will be happy to do for you.

Important Tasks for the Ceremony

• Hand your wedding bands to your best man and maid of honor for the ceremony.
• Give your marriage license to the officiant.
• Have your maid-of-honor and best man coordinate the rest of the bridal party.

Important Tasks for the Reception

• Give your photographer a list of groupings and poses you’d like photographed.
• Give your DJ a list of songs you’d like played.
• Assign someone to handle all questions from guests, vendors or site coordinators.
• Ask your bridal party/planner to help bring items over and decorate the venue.
• Have someone print out all table cards, programs, and signage.

Make sure to label your boxes of decor and similar items with a label maker or sharpie to clearly identify where they will be going to the ceremony or venue. This way your helpers will know exactly where everything should be going.

Have Fun

Overall, make sure that you’re having fun and enjoying the whole day! Get plenty of sleep the night before and make sure to eat a big meal ahead of time as it may be a while before you’ll have time to eat again. Write a cute note to give to your fiance to read while they are getting ready. Not only will this calm their nerves, but it will surely remind them how much you love them and what excitement is to come for your new married life together.