It’s your wedding day! The day you’ve dreamed of and planned for is finally here…and you’re a wreck. Your mind is busily running through things that need done, things you could have and maybe should have done differently, things that could go wrong.
Stop! Take a deep breath. At the end of the day, you’ll be Mrs. Man-of-your-Dreams. And today? You’ll have a wonderful time getting there. Here is the advice Jenni Beth Beaumont, the wedding planner in my Magnolia Brides series, gives her brides in The Best Laid Wedding Plans.
1. First and foremost, enjoy! Your wedding is the biggest celebration of your life, the beginning of your wonderful future. It’s a party!
Be a guest at your own wedding. To make sure that happens, be sure you’ve enlisted others to help with the crucial aspects—bridesmaids, mom, dad, your wedding planner. Once the big day arrives, let someone else deal with the details.
2. Okay. Food. This will be at the bottom of your list on your wedding day, but without fuel, your body isn’t going to function at its best. Ask someone beforehand, probably one of your bridesmaids, to provide periodic nibbles (preferably protein) and hydration.
Also, arrange ahead of time for your caterer to pack a go-box for you and your new hubby. Chances are you’ll be too busy dancing and visiting to eat those wonderful foods you spent so long choosing—and ask him to please remember to add a piece of cake.
When you get to the hotel, you and your groom can feed each other.
3. All those wonderful wedding gifts, your guest book, and other mementos need to be taken home. The maid of honor and best man might be in charge of this. Be kind to them, though. Make a list of those keepsakes you want. That way, nothing will be forgotten. But just in case it is, give the venue coordinator a copy of the list, also. That way, he can put the left-behinds away for you till you return from your honeymoon.
If you’re changing out of your wedding gown before leaving, tag someone to help you out of it, then make arrangements for it to be taken home as well.
4. If your feet hurt, the day just might lose its sparkle. To avoid that, buy your shoes early and wear them around the house. Break them in so that when you’re ready to take that all important walk down the aisle, you do it in shoes that feel good. Be sure those sexy, sparkly, all important shoes add to the day rather than detract from it.
And speaking of shoes, you might consider a second pair for all that dancing you’ll be doing at the reception. A pair of flats or even flip-flops in a pretty color or covered with lots of bling will do the trick.
5. Makeup shouldn’t be on your “to-worry-about” list on your wedding day. Purchase everything you’ll need ahead of time, including waterproof mascara! You don’t want raccoon eyes in any of those forever wedding pictures. Do a test run. Put on all your makeup, then watch it through the day. Is it going to last through the ceremony, the dancing, the cake cutting? Is there something in particular that isn’t working, that maybe needs replaced? Splurge on a really fun, really romantic makeup bag and load it with everything you’ll need for touch-ups during your big day.
6. In the mad rush of the day, remember this celebration is about you and your new husband. Be sure to spend time with him during the day. I know. That sounds unnecessary to even say, but it’s amazing how many couples at the end of the day realize they danced, yes, and did the cake cutting and other obligatory duties, but they really didn’t spend time together. Too many other people and “things” kept them busy.
7. Take some time to yourself before the ceremony begins and get centered. The day will be hectic. Consider an extra long bath or shower. Listen to your favorite music. Above all, give yourself time to do all the pampering and prep you want. Once you’re ready for that walk down the aisle in that dream dress, to that special someone, take another moment to relax. Share a glass of champagne with your parents or attendants. Then step into your new life.
Lynnette Austin is the author of the Magnolia Bride Series.
About the Author:
The luxury of staying home when the weather turns nasty, of working in PJs and bare feet, and the fact that daydreaming is not only permissible but encouraged, are a few of the reasons middle school teacher Lynnette Austin gave up the classroom to write full-time.
Lynnette grew up in Pennsylvania’s Alleghany Mountains, moved to Upstate New York, then to the Rockies in Wyoming. Presently she and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida’s beaches and Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
A finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest, PASIC’s Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Contest, she’s published five books as Lynnette Hallberg. She’s currently writing as Lynnette Austin. Having grown up in a small town, that’s where her heart takes her—to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody…and all their business, for better or worse. Visit Lynnette at www.authorlynnetteaustin.com.
