Getting Ready on your Wedding Morning: Tips & Advice
Your wedding morning will soon be here, a big congrats!
No doubt, every detail has been meticulously planned: where to stay the night before, what time hair and makeup are due, and what time to be out the door to walk down the aisle.
Did you think about all that goes into getting ready on the morning of your wedding day??
I thought not.
A lot of brides and their bridesmaids overlook planning for the morning of the wedding day. Yet think about it – the getting ready portion of your morning could be quite lengthy if the wedding ceremony starts later in the afternoon. Many wedding ceremonies are planned to start around the 2:00 to 4:00 pm time-frame. The morning is the only real downtime you have on the big day to reflect before the curtains are draw back and the show begins.
Don’t get me wrong, this part of the day will have a lot of emotion and fun. With a little pre-planning (and following the tips in this getting ready article), you will be well on your way to a bridal morning to remember!
The Importance of a Getting Ready Space
One thing I vividly remember on the morning of my wedding day was how chaotic it felt. Many brides stay overnight at their parents’ house the night before. Chances are any spare bedrooms are filled with out of town guests.
Needless to say, on the morning of your wedding you may find yourself feeling like Kevin McAllister from Home Alone, wishing everyone would disappear!
Okay you don’t mean that, but the reality is with so much commotion (not to mention emotion), it can be quite overwhelming.
Home vs Salon vs. Hotel
Getting your hair and makeup done can take a few hours. Therefore, it is important to have an area that offers a calm and relaxing zone where you can take a breath. So between home, hotel room, or salon, where is the best getting ready space to achieve maximum tranquility?
It’s obvious to say that overall you will be more relaxed having your hair and makeup done on-site. That means your glam squad comes to you.
The worry of rushing around diminishes, as there’s no complicated transportation schedules needed and you can create a “home base” of sorts. This allows the bride, bridesmaids, moms, and whomever else joins in the fun the ability to relax all in one place.
Getting Ready at Home
Below are a few key things to consider for your getting ready space.
PROS
- A good idea is to set up a quiet area in the house. That way if things get too noisy you can politely ask for a moment alone. TIP: Everyone usually congregates in the kitchen so I suggest you don’t use that room!
- The comfort of your own home is more relaxing than sitting in a salon.
- No need to transport dresses, shoes, accessories, etcetera. Once hair and makeup are complete, everyone gets dressed in that same area.
- Your photographer will make the most of their time with the bridal party in the morning, since they can shoot hair, makeup, and bridal details simultaneously!
CONS
- Extra travel fees attached to the overall cost for the crew to come to you.
- You will likely only hire one hairstylist (and makeup artist) to come to your house. If you have 5 or more bridesmaids, take into account that each will be beautified one at a time, which could take a while.
Getting Ready at a Hotel/Bridal Suite
Similar to above, here are a few extra perks that a bridal suite may offer:
PROS
- Hotel or bridal suites are usually decorated beautifully — hello gorgeous silk robe photo-ops!
- Room service. Enough said. Nobody having to cook is always a bonus!
CONS
- No scalp massages or hair washes. You and your bridesmaids will likely be told to arrive with clean, dry hair.
Getting Ready at the Salon
Going to the salon may be in your best interest, especially if you have a larger bridal party. There will be more stylists on hand and you will get finished sooner
PROS
- Additional options for choice of hair stylist to work with, as opposed to one hairstylist coming to your house.
CONS
- Unless they have a separate getting ready bridal suite, hair salons are not typically the ideal place to shoot bridal details like the wedding gown, shoes, jewelry, or other detail photos.
- As a salon is a business, you will most likely have to adhere to business hours. Unless you are able to arrange for an earlier open time.
What to Wear While Getting Ready
Have you stumbled across a few fantastic photos on Pinterest of brides surrounded by their bridesmaids, mimosas in hand, each wearing a cute matching robe?
No, a lot of those photos aren’t from a styled shoot. They are from a well organized bride who clearly planned ahead (and read this post!) to achieve a similar look.
Besides looking fabulous and well-coordinated for getting ready shots, there’s a good reason for all the robes and button down shirts seen on Pinterest. Can you guess why?
It may seem obvious, but wearing a shirt that you have to pull over your head after having your hair done is a disaster waiting to happen!
As a rule of thumb, whenever professionally getting hair and makeup done, wear a robe like this one below from BHLDN or a button-down shirt as a getting ready outfit. That way you won’t need to worry about pulling a piece of clothing over your face and potentially ruining all the wonderful work.
What about getting ready outfits for Bridesmaids?
Hands down, robes make great gifts for the bridal party. They actually make a useful gift that can be worn over and over again long after the wedding day.
Present robe gifts to your gals either at the rehearsal dinner the night before or the morning of the wedding, while getting ready together.
Alternative to Getting Ready Robes
Alternatively, you can always buy matching pajama sets or rompers for you and your bride tribe!
Tips for a Calm Wedding Morning
Lay Out Accessories the Night Before
I did this months in advance of my wedding day. If you haven’t already, definitely lay out your dress, shoes, and bridal accessories the week before the big day. This is an especially good idea if you are getting up early to go to the salon in the morning. You don’t want to get there and find that the veil has been left at home.
Get a Good Night’s Rest
I highly suggest finding any way possible to get a good sleep before your wedding day.
- Warm milk
- Lavender sachet
- Essential Oils
- Counting sheep
You get the picture.
If you know your brain is constantly switched “on”, you might want to find a sleeping solution long before the eve of your wedding. Don’t toss and turn, thinking about what you have to get done in the morning. Or worse, trying to remind yourself not to forget to tell your Aunt to do something in the morning. Sleep with a note pad beside your bed if you have to.
As an aside, the idea of a giant sleepover with all your girls (in matching PJs) the night before the wedding, sounds life a fun idea. And it is, but an even better idea is to sleep alone in your room to make sure that you get a good night’s rest.
You don’t want to be up all night because your long time pal became a snorer after all these years!
Don’t Forget to Eat
With nerves, emotions, and butterflies working themselves into a frenzy in your stomach, you may find that your appetite is gone. It is very important to make sure you drink water and eat something before the wedding.
Een better, why not have mimosas and breakfast bites on hand for you and your bridal party when you wake up.
Calming Fragrance
Whilst getting ready, burn your favorite candle or room diffuser scent to fill the air with a sweet aroma. Not only will it smell lovely, in the future your olfactory nerves will take you back to that special morning every time.
Tips for Amazing Getting Ready Photos
- Pinterest and wedding blogs – These tools make it easy to find loads of getting ready photos for inspiration. A great idea is to look through some images and either make note or send the link to your wedding photographer. This way there might be a certain pose you love or a certain detail that you would like to get a shot of. Don’t be afraid to let them know.
- Find a room with lots of natural light – If you are getting ready at home this tip is something you are going to want to do ahead of time. Make sure you have the perfect well lit room that organized, dusted and ready to go for the morning of shoot (and candids).
- Have all your accessories ready – One of the most helpful things a bride can do for their photographer is to have invitations, bouquet, dress, jewelry, shoes, rings (both bride’s and groom’s) ready and waiting in the room. This makes getting the detail shots quick and easy for the photographer, and leaves the rest of the day to focus on you!
- Turn up the music – The getting ready portion of the day easily has to be the most emotional with feelings of nervousness, anticipation, excitement, joy, tears, and laughter! To cool your nerves and keep any tension at ease, create a playlist with some of your favorite tunes.
A Few Getting Ready Accessories
Don’t forget the smaller details, they are sometimes what make a photo really pop! Consider the following decor items to enhance your personal morning of photo shoot:
1. Wooden Bride Hanger
Custom wooden bride and bridesmaid hangers keep everything neat and tidy. And, you can reuse them after the wedding around the house.
2. Personalized Ring Box
by klsdbride
This handmade wedding ring box with velvet lining could do the trick. Otherwise, check out our more extensive list of wedding ring boxes here.
3. Glass Trinket Box
by Etsy: MUUJEE
We just love the geometric look in many of the real weddings we feature. Makes for a great getting ready photo op, and a nice keepsake for after the wedding day. Check out our article here for more ring box idea options!
That’s all for today. We hope you have an amazing time getting ready on your wedding day — enjoy every moment!
TIP: Save THIS PIN to your Wedding Morning board on Pinterest and get back to this post later.
Meredith
Despite her dreamy wedding blogger lifestyle, Meredith's day job is running ClassicVeils.com and a full-time mom to an active toddler. If she could, Meredith would spend her days taking cruises, helping animals in need, and watching Big Brother!
