Getting Ready – How the Bride Can Start Her Wedding Day Feeling Relaxed

The morning before the wedding is like the moment before the first kiss. A tingling excitement spreads from your heart to your stomach, and the tension seems to rise to immeasurable heights before being washed away by a flood of happiness the moment your lips touch. In other words: It’s a wonderful time. And so you can enjoy it to the fullest, here are some tips to help you make getting ready a relaxed experience and start what might be the most beautiful day of your life in a festive mood and with perfect makeup.

Support, Champagne, and Sweets

If possible, don't spend the morning of your wedding alone. Get some help from your maid of honor, bridesmaids, siblings, friends, and/or your mom. Getting ready is the perfect time to have a good time together. Stock up on some little treats, and it goes without saying that a well-chilled bottle of sparkling wine will help keep the nerves at bay and get everyone in a party mood, right?

Of course, it doesn’t have to be champagne—we’re just mentioning the most common “getting ready” drink here. If you’re in the mood, feel free to treat yourselves to Aperol, a spritzer, or a whiskey that’s at least as old as your dad. And cigars aren’t just for the groom and his groomsmen either. – You do you, girl!

A trial styling session is a must

You take the first step toward a stress-free getting-ready experience months before the wedding. As virtually every bridal stylist in our service provider directory will tell you, a trial styling session is extremely important. During this session, you’ll discuss your desired look in detail so that your bridal makeup and hairstyle can be coordinated with your dress, accessories, and even the floral arrangements. The trial styling session also gives you a sense of how much time you should set aside for your bridal look.

Find the Right Space

It’s definitely recommended that your hairstylist or stylist come to you on your wedding morning. However, you’ll need to have a suitable space available for this. Depending on where you’ll be starting your wedding morning, this could be at your home or in a spacious hotel room. Some wedding venues also offer separate rooms for getting ready. In any case, it’s important that the room has enough space, light, and—ideally—a full-length mirror.

The Outfit Before the Wedding Dress

If you're wondering what to wear while getting ready, the answer is quite simple: a robe, a kimono, or a light summer dress. The important thing is to make sure that neither your hairstyle nor your makeup is ruined when you change into your wedding dress.

Pon de Replay

Okay, so far we’ve got your favorite people, delicious candy, and chilled champagne. It almost goes without saying that an awesome “getting ready” playlist is the perfect finishing touch to the party vibe. Have your maid of honor put it together, or add your own feel-good songs yourself—but keep in mind the wise words of Barney Stinson: “People think a mix like this should have highs and lows, but that’s wrong. A mix like this should only have highs, baby!”

Let me take some photos of you getting ready

When booking a wedding photographer, many couples focus on the big moments: saying “I do,” the kiss, the first dance, cutting the wedding cake, and so on. But time and again, it turns out that, in hindsight, it’s often the small, unassuming details that stir up the strongest emotions. This includes the getting-ready process.

Create a realistic schedule

Just like with your daily morning routine, the start of your wedding day will only be stressful if you schedule your time too tightly. Be generous with your time on the morning of the wedding. Getting up, showering, and having breakfast can easily take 90 minutes or longer.

If your stylist is coming to your home, she can probably handle your bridesmaids’ styling as well. Be sure to discuss this with her beforehand, and then plan on 45 to 60 minutes per person for makeup and 60 to 90 minutes for yourself—depending on how quickly things went during the trial styling session. Add the same amount of time for the hairstyles. You should also plan on about 30 to 45 minutes for getting dressed. It may take a little while to get every last detail just right.