In my last blog post I shared some basic bridal room etiquette guidelines for the bridal party. Today I would like put the focus on the bride and offer her some tips for her bridal room to help her wedding morning go as smoothly as possible. Here are five tips for the bride to help keep stress levels to a minimum.
- Don't stress about the little things. It's worse to have the photographer be a no show as opposed to having an exact count as to how many flower petals are in each flower girl basket. Little details like how many flower petals are in the flower girl baskets are going to go completely unnoticed by your wedding guests. Save your energy for walking the aisle and the day ahead. Take a deep breath and let the little things go.
- Don't expect too much of your bridal party. Your bridesmaids and your maid of honor are there to assist you and should be of great help to you on your wedding day and especially while getting ready in the bride's room. However, they are not your maid or your personal assistants. Don't set unrealistic expectations that no bridesmaid can live up to. If it's an expectation that even you couldn't live up to, don't expect your bridal party to live up to that expectation either. Things you can expect are for your bridal party to assist you in the bride's room and throughout your wedding day. These things can include things like helping with hair and makeup, steaming your gown, helping with flower girls and preparing flower girl baskets. Don't expect your bridesmaids to professionally decorate your venue. Be realistic about your expectations.
- Have lots of snacks and water on hand in your bride's room. Nobody likes to feel hangry. This feeling can be eliminated by having a snack table with healthy snacks and water on hand for those who need it. You don't want to go hungry until your luncheon or cocktail hour, and neither does your bridal party. Make sure there is food available in your bride's room prior to the wedding.
- Allow plenty of time for your bridal party to get ready for your wedding. Some ways to allow more time is to arrive early to your bride's room, have a separate vanity station for each bridesmaid and have an agenda as to what needs to happen and when. Doing these simple things will help everyone to be ready on time, creating a more relaxed environment and helping to reduce stress.
- Remember to enjoy your day. Remember to take a minute to laugh with the ones you love. Relax and have fun. Hopefully you'll only get this day once, so enjoy it!