You made it! It’s your wedding week! The one weekend you have spent a year (or maybe years) planning for is finally here! If you are a bride close to her wedding day, you have probably been advised numerous times from your predecessors “enjoy the day, it goes by so fast”. Well as your resident wedding coordinators, we want to make sure the speed of the day does not overshadow the feelings of love and happiness. To do that you need to give yourself more than just “the day” to enjoy. The entire week leading up to your wedding will be filled with details, questions, final meetings, and your favorite people traveling from all over to celebrate YOU!
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your wedding week!
Deadlines + Details
Give yourself a firm deadline for the week-of the wedding. Schedule all of your final meetings to be finished Wednesday or earlier. Then hand off all of the detail items to your wedding coordinator. Trust us, this will be a huge weight lifted for you! This gives you a stopping point and keeps you from making any unnecessary additions or changes. When you are thinking about the details, think and plan for even the smallest details so you are not scrambling at the last minute. One of our favorite tips – make sure you have a details bag ready for your photographer. This could include your entire invitation suite, special jewelry, shoes, rings, ring box, note/gift for your future hubby, etc. Prior to that deadline-day you can label, make lists, check and recheck the seating chart but once the day hits find solace in the end of the preparation and the beginning of the celebration!
Take care of YOU
You have exhausted hundreds of hours making sure this day is perfect and now you deserve to be pampered to perfection! If possible, take a few days off of work leading up to the wedding and add in appointments that will leave you feeling extra beautiful. First stop, often overlooked, the dentist. Ask if they will do a complimentary cleaning to keep you sparkling for your day. Don’t forget to make sure your new bling is shiny as well. And of course, the essentials: stay hydrated, get lots of sleep, manicure, pedicure, massage.
One caution… don’t try something new during wedding week. Stay true to what you know, like, and makes you feel like your best self. We are talking about experimenting with different spray tans, bold lip colors, acrylic nails, hair extensions, and so on. Avoid doing something that is not a tried and true for you. The wedding may only last one day but the pictures will be heirlooms handed down for generations in your families. Keep it your vision of timeless.
Be present
It is not often in your life that you will have so many special people, at one time, celebrating you. Seems obvious but we see it too frequently that brides get caught up in the rush of the wedding week and lose sight of being mindful of the moment. One tip we love is to go to dinner with your fiancé that week and talk about anything other than the wedding! You have made it to this week because you fell in love – let that be what sets the tone for the week, not to-do lists. Spend time with family and friends who have made time to be with you. Thank them and show appreciation as much as you can.
There is just nothing better than the warmth and love you feel the week of your wedding, and we hope you soak up every second of it!
Xo,
The JDWC Team
Image by Jenny Haas Photography