As a bride, your wedding day is one of the most special moments of your life. And should be full of joy, celebration, beautiful bridal accessories, amazing food and beautiful wedding decor. Amidst all the excitement of the day, something that can be very easy to overlook is planning. A well planned wedding runs smoothly and effortlessly. This effortlessness really makes the whole wedding experience an absolute pleasure. So here are some of our favourite bridal planning tips for making sure your day is absolutely perfect.

Tip no 1: Schedule your day

We can’t stress the importance of this one enough for any bride! Using a wedding timeline is critical to a smooth day especially if you have a wedding coordinator (we always recommend having one) whether they’re a professional or not. Feel free to read our guide to choosing the best wedding coordinator. 

Another important consideration for a bride to have when planning a timeline is to add ‘padding’ time (extra time in between to minimise the chance of running behind schedule). When padding your timeline think about adding at least 10 minutes to things like travel times, makeup, getting dressed etc. Extra time not only minimises the chances of something running late, but it also reduces stress and confusion, the last two things you want as a bride to be.

Tip no 2: Using a wedding planner.

Our clients often ask if they should have a wedding planner or not and our answer is always yes. The next question is normally can’t I just use a family member? Using a family member has a few downsides, the one of which being that they usually have ideas in mind that might not be the same as yours. This can cause drama and tension when you don’t see eye to eye on something. A good wedding planner will do everything they can to bring your vision to life, it is your day after all.

 Another potential problem with family members is unless it's their job chances are they don’t know as many suppliers and probably won’t get vendor discounts. A wedding planner on the other hand should know of suppliers for all budgets and be able to source items for even the most difficult themes. They might even be able to get you a discount from the vendors (sometimes saving you more than you paid to hire them effectively making them ‘free’). A wedding planner also offers an extra peace of mind. They do this all the time and usually are able to foresee and solve problems before they’ve even happened.

Tip no 3: Getting professional makeup artist

Many people underestimate how incredible professional makeup can look. Makeup artists are basically wizards at bringing out a person's best features.

Making non models vogue ready. This makes your photographs look like they belong in a magazine (totally worth it). Great makeup can also boost your confidence, bringing out your best on the big day. 

Not having to worry about your makeup being perfect also means one less thing to worry about. And the less stress you have, the better your day will be. 

Tip no 4: Have a maid of honour

People often don't think it's necessary to have one, but let me tell you they are amazing to have around. A maid of honour is basically like a dedicated assistant to the bride. They help with planning, details, organisation, problem solving and other important duties.

This all helps with taking more pressure off you. They deal with small details without you even knowing. Basically they can be super amazing, just make sure you pick someone who is well equipped to deal with the responsibility.

The two biggest considerations to have when choosing a maid of honour is how much do you trust the person with supercritical pressured decicitions? And how reliable are they? The last thing you want is her falling apart under pressure or not being able to make it at the last minute. Nightmare scenarios aside. Having a maid of honour can be an amazing addition in your wedding tool box.

Tip no 5: Picking the right photographer

Picking the right photographer is crucial to the atmosphere of your day. Not only are photographers with you for most of your day they’re also with you during special private moments. So making sure you like the personality of your photographer is very important in having an amazing experience.

Another important thing to lookout for is how comfortable you are with them. This is especially important during prep when you're at your most vulnerable. The last thing you want is to start getting ready and constantly feel uncomfortable (not fun at all).

And finally a good photographer should help you with your timeline. How would they do that you ask? Well depending on how important the photography is to you they’ll be able to give you good estimates of how much time you should have allocated to get all the photographs you desire. Want 10 different family portraits? 10 mins isn’t going to cut it if you want amazing editorial photographs.

Conclusion

So as a bride a well planned day is simply one of the most satisfying things you can imagine. As you’ve seen there are many things to think about, some are more obvious than others. But I'm sure you’d agree that a well planned wedding is absolutely with it. Not only will it be less stressful, but it will give you fond memories to look back on for years to come. You’ll always remember it as the special day your new life started. We’d love to be there to capture it for you so feel free to contact us.