05 Feb Top Tips for a Smooth Flowing & Enjoyable Wedding Morning
Wedding mornings are a lovely time to be a part of. It is the preparation, excitement and build up to your wedding celebrations. You are surrounded by your chosen bridal party members.
While it is a fun time to be together, there are tasks and elements that can affect your day, the timing, and the energy. Take a moment to read these tips to allow for a smooth flowing and enjoyable wedding morning. Share with your bridal party too.
Start Time & Running Order
When your bridal makeup artist or hairstylist recommends a start time, please have someone ready to be in the chair. It sets the relaxed tone of the day when things start on time. It allows for small delays throughout, which are inevitable (the arrival of the wedding coordinator, wedding florist, wedding photographer/videographer and their introductions), and we have allowed for that.
There is no need for a hard time order. Makeup and hair are creative jobs, so timing can vary for each face and head of hair. A loose order can be helpful, and if any bridal party members have any jobs, on the morning, that take them out of the getting ready space, please communicate this so we can work around it too. Personally, I prefer to look after my brides in the middle of the morning/running order.
In addition, if you have a preferred bridal party member, to help you get into your dress, ensure their hair and makeup are not last. You want them dressed and ready to help you.
Work Space & Location
Try to plan this in advance of the morning to save time and make the most of the space you have. As your makeup artist, I request an area near a window/natural light and with a hip height table/space to set up my kit on, to work from. If we are getting ready at a venue, I do ask them to provide a high stool too. I travel with one in my car if needed in a brides home.
Hairstylists will require plug sockets.
Outfit Choice – Robes, PJ’s and Cami
Comfort is key, aesthetic and colour is a choice. My preference and request, when I am doing my bride or bridal parties makeup, is for the neckline to be low or similar to your dress/outfit style, with shoulders accessible too, if they will be visible. This allows me to connect the colours and tone of the face, to the chest and body, for a fully cohesive look and not have to do as much perfecting and connecting to do, once the dresses/outfits are on. If your dress/outfit is strapless, avoid wearing bra straps during the morning and if the dress is not full length, avoid wearing socks that create marks too.
Music to Set the Tone
Music is such an uplifting element to your wedding morning. It sets the tone, gets everyone on a similar feeling and allows for conversations to flow more freely. With background music, it is not just conversation being heard. Ensure you have a speaker available and choose your playlist in advance. Yes you can search a generic spotify playlist on your wedding morning, but if the songs are more personal to you and your bridal party, it makes it so much better. There is less “skip this song, who chose this song etc” and more “awww I love this song, remember when” etc. Delegate the task of making a playlist to one of your bridal party members in advance, or build it yourself over time. Some great playlists I have heard, have been the ones played at the brides hen party. Or if you like listening to the radio, or prefer a more chill and mellow vibe, choose this too, just have it ready to go.
If you are really stuck…have a listen to my wedding morning playlist. I still love it and listen to it. Find it here.
Gift Giving
If you have a desired aesthetic for your wedding morning, give gifts like matching pyjamas and slippers the evening before, or first thing on the wedding morning, before makeup and hair arrive. This allows your bridal party to get ready, and dress into them, instead of having to go back and change. You can keep any other gifting elements for later, if you did want photos of these moments captured by your photographer.
Dress & Veil Steaming
This needs to be done in advance of makeup application and hair styling. Ideally the evening before. If it is the morning of, please do this in a separate room, away from where makeup and hair are set up. Steam is a killer for both makeup and hair. Steam is moisture, and this will melt your makeup and flatten and frizz your hair. In addition, steam is hot, and no one wants to be a hot mess on a wedding morning!
Stickers on Shoes & Clothes Tags
Most of your outfits on a wedding day are new. Tags and stickers, on every item, can take a while to remove. They do not photograph well either, so get the scissors out in advance. Removing stickers from the soles of shoes before you have your nails done is also ideal.
Food is Fuel
Food is fuel and your wedding morning needs are no different. It balances you. Your wedding day is one of the longest days of celebration. Sometimes the nerves can try to get the better of you, and tell you that you are not hungry – do not let the nerves fool you. Your body needs energy. A full breakfast to some is a piece of heaven, but if it feels too much, try having a few smaller bites on hand to nibble throughout the morning (porridge, fruit, granola, toast, crackers). Caffeine and bubbles will only get you so far. Food will settle the nerves, keep you energised, keep your head in the game and you will be present. No one needs to hear a tummy rumble at the top of the aisle either…imagine that being captured on your wedding video!
Hydration in the lead up to the day and on the day itself is so beneficial. It helps your skin, your body and your mood. Brides have laughed at me before when I say this, but it keeps you buoyant. If you are hydrated you will be in better form and the bubbles will not hit as quick either.
Have food and water available to you, and the bridal party too.
*Please avoid eating, and drinking hot drinks, while in the makeup chair. Put your phone away for this time too. These can all delay the time process and also make it less relaxing and enjoyable. There will be time for all of these between your time in the makeup (and hair) chair.
The speed of the morning tends to start slow and relaxed and then it picks up pace when the dressing starts. If you have everything prepared and where you all know it needs to be, it will be an excited buzz.
And remember, I stay with you until you are all dressed. The “adrenalin glow” will happen. This is normal and if needed, I will powder and reinforce makeup where necessary.
You and your bridal party will all head off feeling your best selves.
Bring on your wedding day 🙂