Your wedding morning is finally here, but you are feeling more than just excited. Your wedding day can feel overwhelming and stressful between the mix of nerves, emotions and excitement. 

Here are 5 tips to help you have a stress free wedding morning.

Photo: Jenni Chapman Photography

1. Get plenty of rest

So this really starts the night before, but it’s an important step to feeling less stressed. There is a lot going on leading up to your wedding, so be realistic on how much sleep you will actually get. Between rehearsal, spending time with loved ones and just nerves in general, it may be hard to get a lot of rest, but it’s important to try.

2. Set a realistic timeline

Let’s be honest, the reality of being completely on time is hard, especially when you don’t have a planner to guide you and keep people on track. This is the number one place we see the day go off rails – the getting ready. 

 There are so many moving parts on a wedding day that it’s easy for things to get delayed a little, so it’s important to be realistic on how long things will take. If you have a hair and makeup artist coming to do your makeup and hair, along with the bridal party, make sure you are realistic on how long it will all take. 

If you also plan on doing a first look, then that will also need to be calculated into your timeline. We always recommend the first look take place at least 2 hours prior to the ceremony. Also always calculate travel time and an extra 5-10 minutes if you have to get from place to place, moving people, places, and things always takes longer than you expect so build in that extra buffer time!

3. Hire professionals!

I can not stress this enough! While it’s nice to hire an old friend to do your hair and makeup for free, it’s important to have someone who really knows what they’re doing and someone who has experience doing weddings. Cutting corners to save some money is certainly tempting, but it can end up being stressful and potentially ruin friendships. A profession beauty team will help you create a timeline if you don’t have a planner and give you realistic information on what to expect. 

Photo: St. Chelle

4. Delegate

There is so much to think about on your big day that it is easy to get overwhelmed. Between making sure the caterers arrive, the decor is set up or guests calling for directions, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed. Having someone to delegate everything to, especially a wedding planner, will help take the stress off of you to ensure a stressless morning. If you don’t have a planner or coordinator, this job should go to someone that isn’t in the wedding party. It is too hard for your MOH or sister to be everywhere all at once and is an express ticket to stressville and irritation!

5. Hydrate and eat!

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I see it all the time. The bride gets caught up in everything going on that she forgets something as simple as eating and staying hydrated. It’s so important to eat something and drink plenty of water so you don’t get hangry, or have something more serious happen. Plan a morning of meal for you and your wedding party a few weeks in advance to ensure you have food there to eat. Even something as simple as bagels and fruit will go a long way during the day to help you look and feel your best.

Photo: Jenni Chapman Photography

If you want to help take the stress away from your big day and leave the details to someone else, contact Pocketful of Plans for all of your planning needs.