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Three Absolute Musts
for Your Wedding Day
© Anna Maria Rivera 2007
Artistic Mind’s Eye Photography
www.artisticmindseye.com
anna@artisticmindseye.com
407-243-8866
Here are some ideas for how
to make your wedding day go smoothly, and for helping you to enjoy your
day as much as possible.
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Avoiding Stress.
It amazes me how many things brides and grooms try to do themselves
on, or right before the day of their wedding. Of course, there will
always be last minute things to do, but the way to make things
easier for yourself is to delegate these last minute tasks to other
people. A professional wedding planner / coordinator is a wonderful
thing for helping to plan and organize the wedding day, and for
taking care of last minute issues that may arise. If you do not have
a wedding planner, select two or three people, in advance, who will
work together to help coordinate the final preparations that will
take place during the days leading up to the wedding day, as well as
on the wedding day itself. Ideally, these people should not be
immediate family members, as the work of coordinating can be quite
tiring, and often keeps those persons from enjoying the wedding
celebration to the fullest (exactly the reason why the bride and
groom should not be the ones coordinating everything!)
Your coordinators should be provided with a detailed timeline of
everything that will take place leading up to, and on the wedding
day. They should be provided with the order of ceremony, and the
order of reception. They should be provided with all of the names
and phone numbers of family members who will be included in group
photos, as well as the names and phone numbers for everyone in the
bridal party. Another important thing they should be provided with
is a vendor list containing the names, phone numbers, times of
arrival and departure, and final payments for each of the vendors
who will be serving you on your wedding day. Give your coordinators
a list of all last minute things that need to be done, and put them
in charge of making sure those things are accomplished. You should
also put your coordinators in charge of making sure everyone knows
where they are supposed to be, and when.
I recently photographed a wedding where we were on a tight timetable
to take romantic photos of the bride and groom in a beautiful
outdoor garden near sunset. Before the day of the wedding, we had
planned to begin photos one hour before the ceremony was to start,
in order to catch the light before it began to disappear. Instead of
beginning our photos at the appointed time, the bride was just
arriving to the location, and with no makeup or wedding dress on,
she was about an hour and a half from being ready, and quite
stressed and frustrated. Her reason for being so behind schedule?
She had spent a good portion of her wedding day finishing making
party favors for the guests to take home with them. I was dismayed.
We ended up having to do the romantic session after the ceremony in
the pitch black of night. I did the best I could, and we were able
to get some very nice photographs, but the fact remains, the
photographs would have been significantly better if the bride had
focused on getting ready for her wedding, rather than making party
favors for her guests.
This is a perfect example of a last minute task that should be
assigned to other people. On the day of the wedding, the bride and
groom should never have to worry about little details like party
favors, table centerpieces, cake arrival, having enough champagne
for the toast, where Aunt Ethel is, and the list goes on-and-on.
-
Time to
Rejuvenate. A wonderful way to combat against wedding day
stress is to set aside the day or two before the wedding as spa
days. Start the day off with a nutritious breakfast, and plenty of
water. Once your food has settled, do a 20 to 30 minute, low-key
cardio workout on your favorite machine, or enjoy a brisk walk
outdoors. Be sure to stretch when you are finished. This little bit
of exercise will help to relieve stress, and it will warm up your
muscles perfectly for my next suggestion: a full body, 90 minute
Swedish massage.
If you have experienced a professional, full body massage before,
then you know what I’m talking about. If not, it is time to treat
yourself. I cannot imagine a more relaxing activity. (On a side
note, out of politeness to your masseuse, and to further relax and
refresh yourself, I would encourage a hot shower between the
exercise and massage.) Once the massage is finished, spend a bit of
time in the steam room, or hot tub, then take another shower using
your favorite aroma therapy scented soaps and shampoos. I promise
you, once you put your clothes back on, stress will be the last
thing on your mind.
It is really important to drink lots of water on a spa day to avoid
dehydration, and by now you should be feeling hungry again, so make
sure to eat another good meal.
My next suggestion is to go and get your nails done! The ring shots
always turn out so much nicer when the bride has polished nails, and
its just another fun and relaxing way to pamper yourself. Go for the
full manicure and pedicure combo.
Some other ideas for relaxing and rejuvenating things to do on your
spa days are facial skin treatments, body skin treatments, aroma
therapy treatments, wraps, scrubs, muds, etc. Soaking in the bathtub
at home with your favorite bath salts and candles is always a great
way to unwind as well.
Once you have been massaged, and steamed, and manicured, and
whatever else you choose to do, you should make sure to set time
aside to get some good rest. You will probably take the best naps of
your life immediately after a massage and hot shower.
If you are on a tight budget, and lean towards not doing any
professional spa treatments, I would strongly encourage you to
reconsider, and save for it well in advance. You will not regret it.
Grooms, if you pony up the doe and treat your girls to a spa day
right before your wedding, you will enjoy your wedding day much
more, as she will be enjoying it more—I promise. Show her that she
is your queen by treating her like one!
Once again, I emphasize the importance of rest on the days and
nights before your wedding. Take an afternoon nap if needed, and try
to go to sleep a little earlier than normal at night. Well-rested
brides and grooms are always happier brides and grooms, and it shows
in your photographs.
-
Eat
good food and keep hydrated.
This seems like a funny thing to include here, but you would be
surprised how many brides and grooms forget to eat or drink water on
or before their wedding day. If you do not eat enough food or drink
enough water, your blood sugar level will probably be out of
balance, and you will likely feel tired, anxious, irritable, or
edgy. It’s super easy to avoid this. Just eat, and keep that water
bottle handy!
Tips specific to
Orlando Weddings in summer:
- Remember that Florida is HOT and HUMID in the summer time!
- If you intend to have a summer wedding in Florida, it is
strongly recommended to have your wedding ceremony and reception
indoors.
- Be sure to select a light and airy wedding dress. If you opt
for a style with heavy fabric, you will likely become drenched
with sweat soon after you set foot outside, and you will be very
uncomfortable all day.
- When it comes to hair, in humid weather most styles go wacky
unless your hair is glued to your head. You should opt for that
stiff up do you’ve been contemplating.
- Mosquitoes and bugs are another reason summer Orlando
weddings are best indoors!
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