Starting Your Wedding Day Right: 6 Tips for Smooth Morning Preparations

Welcoming Beth Beresford

Bruisyard recommended wedding supplier Beth Beresford joins us to share her top tips for stress-free wedding mornings.

Your wedding day is a whirlwind of excitement, emotions, and memories waiting to be made. One of the most important parts of this special day is the morning leading up to the ceremony. To ensure a smooth and stress-free start, I've compiled six essential tips to help you make the most of your wedding morning. From getting ready with your bridal party to staying relaxed, I've got you covered.

Start Early, But Not Too Early

Yes, you want to maximise your wedding day, but there's no need to start the morning at the crack of dawn. Plan your timeline wisely, allowing enough time for hair and makeup, but also ensuring you get some rest. Remember, it's a long day, and you'll need your energy. And don't forget to stay hydrated!

An Hour Before

Aim to get into your dress an hour before the ceremony. The morning will fly by and usually everything takes a little longer than planned. You are the star of the show, everyone wants to stop and talk, whether that's general chatter about what's going on or to make decisions. It can slow down things like hair and makeup. So leaving a full hour gives you breathing space, if everything runs on schedule you have time to put your feet up, relax and enjoy a glass of fizz with your crew.

Create a Heat & Moisture Free Zone

Steam any garments the night before the big day. Remove tags and threads at the same time. Guess what all that heat and moisture does to your beautiful hair and makeup. If you are thinking it will damage it, then you are correct, it can ruin it. Potentially with not enough time to fix it.

Best Location for Hair and Makeup

Consider where is best for your hair and make up to go, especially in older buildings. I am sure your make up artist will tell you natural light is always best for applying makeup and same goes for your pre ceremony portraits. Make sure there is plenty of natural light. The same goes for plug sockets if you are going to have multiple beauty appliances plugged in at once. Bruisyard has the most incredible window light, but remember to keep the room as tidy as possible.

Practice Practice Practice

Do get your bridal boutique to talk you through how your dress is best done up, that includes the train later in the day. Choose the person you want to do the dress up on your wedding day and bring them with you to the appointment. Take a video, or pictures, if it's complex so you can refer back to it later. A vital piece of equipment for doing up those fiddly endless buttons on the back of your dress is a crochet hook or bobby pin. In terms of doing up the train, you can get the boutique to stitch a small red thread where the train loop is, loosely enough that is easily pulled off. It's super difficult in the dark to find a tiny white loop to attach the train.

Call in the Crew

Think about what you want to wear in the morning. Do you want to match the people you are getting ready with? Do you want to colour co-ordinate? I have known people to think about this last minute and then be really disappointed when they don’t arrive in time. There are some incredible gowns, such as the ones made by HA Designs, but you don’t have to spend a fortune. Simple plain white cotton pajamas can look just as beautiful.

Stay Organised

Preparation is key to a smooth wedding morning. Have all your essentials, from your dress or suit to your accessories, laid out and ready to go. Consider creating a checklist to ensure you haven't forgotten anything. Put all your details in a shoe box or bag for your photographer to capture when they arrive. It will allow them to capture the details quickly and discreetly without interrupting you. Ask you florist if you can have any of the discarded or broken stems, these are a great add to your detail images.

Your wedding morning sets the tone for the entire day. By following these tips, you can ensure that it's a smooth and enjoyable morning, you'll be ready to walk down the aisle with a radiant smile, surrounded by love and excitement.

Styled shoot suppliers:

Concept & Photographer: @bethberesfordphotography
Dress Boutique: @theweddingshopcolchester
Dress Designer: @millanova
Florist: @ellysflowerstudio
Make Up Artist: @amberharlowmakeup
Hair Stylist: @hair_by_duboux
Event Stylist: @copperandbloomweddings
Venue: @bruisyardhall
Jewellery & Veil: @botiasaccessories
Signage: @bewilderly
Second Photographer: @helenkirkmanphotography
Ribbons: @laikstyle
Cake: @amelieskitchen
Assistant: @bethanysmith_photo
Models: @laylayoung @chrisdjacobs @thejacobscouple

Katie Packer