Friday, October 13, 2017
9 Little Touches That Will Make Your Wedding Day Even More Perfect
1.) Have a bridesmaid’s (and father’s) first look
None of my bridesmaids saw my wedding dress before I put it on on my wedding day, but even if yours do, including a bridesmaid’s first look when you’re all done up in your gown, jewelry, makeup and hair is such a special moment and makes for such amazing pictures capturing all of your girls reactions to your bridal look. I also had this moment with my dad, and these ended up being some of my favorite pictures from the whole day. So special!
2.) Skip the receiving line to have some private time with your new husband right after the ceremony.
One of my favorite, and most memorable, moments of my whole day was the 15 or so minutes of private time I had with my husband after the ceremony. We spent the time in the bridal suite noshing on some hors d’oeuvres provided by our caterer, just buzzing, trying to let our married status sink in, and revving ourselves up for the party to come. I can’t recommend having this private time enough! Even though we had time together before the ceremony taking our bridal portraits, nothing compared to the feeling of complete elation after the ceremony we got to just share with each other.
3.) Wear Comfortable Shoes
This doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on your bridal shoe style, or go with flats. I chose to go with BADGELEY MISCHKA heeled sandals, but boy was I glad that I didn’t have to think about my feet hurting on my wedding day. Dancing, celebrating, socializing, my feet were the last thing I wanted to think about and I’m glad I didn’t have to think about them at all. If you must wear stilettos for your ceremony, bring more comfortable shoes to change into during the reception just in case!
4.) Don’t discount the popular traditions
I know some brides avoid those super-popular or cheesy traditions like the plague for fear of seeming unoriginal or cookie cutter; the bouquet toss, the garter toss, a unity sand ceremony, or a sparkler send off. We’ve all seen them a million times, and I know I had doubts that kept me from doing some of these even though I thought most of them sounded like fun. The thing is, though, those “cheesy” traditions that I chose to do (namely a bouquet toss and a sparker send off) are some of the most memorable moments of my night. The image I got when turning around at the end of the night and watching all of my friends and family standing and holding beautiful sparkling fireworks is the single moment most burned into my brain from my wedding day. Seriously! Don’t discount wedding traditions just because they’re done so often. Chances are, they’re done so often because they’re awfully fun!
5.) Practice (or choreograph) your first dance
I’m not a dancer, my husband is not a dancer, and my dad is not a dancer. None of that changes the fact that taking lessons for my first dance and my father/daughter dance was one of the most fun parts of wedding planning, and performing those dances were one of the most fun moments of the day! Wether you want something entirely choreographed (we did this, and even complete choreography can be made to look natural and graceful) or just some dancing tips, taking the time to practice or take lessons for your first or parent dances will be an incredibly fun, and once in a lifetime, bonding experience! Plus, adding in some twirls and sweeps will snag you some incredible action shots from your photographer!
6.) Take the time to add personal touches to your wedding ceremony
During the cocktail hour, the number one thing all my wedding guests said to me was how much they loved the ceremony. My husband and I spent a lot of time thinking it through, thinking of how to make it unique and personal, and I think it paid off big time by setting the stage for the intimate, romantic and celebratory night we had to come! We included a hand fasting ceremony using the poem “Blessing of the Hands” (look it up, it’s so great. Makes me cry every time!), a communal blessing (where our wedding guests joined in a reading printed in their program, and we did joint vows (where we wrote them together, and took turns reading our lines) to make our ceremony personal, unique, and meaningful to us.
7.) Include sentimental items
There’s so much to see, do and think about on your big day that when your consciousness lands on one of your small sentimental touches it’s such a beautiful, comforting moment. I included lace from my grandmother’s veil to wrap my bouquet, and my grandparent’s wedding china on my sweetheart table. While so many details escape your notice on the big day, I didn’t find myself missing these sweet, sentimental touches that made my wedding day that much more special.
8.) Choose Items and Activities That Create Mementos
Lots of people repeat the sentiment that all you have left after the wedding day are the photos. That doesn’t have to be true! On my wedding day I made a conscious effort to choose activities and items that would leave me with lasting mementos to place around my house or in shadowboxes to remember my wedding for years to come. Instead of a photo booth, I chose to have a silhouette artist hand cut silhouettes for me and my guests that can be framed as artwork. I chose a gorgeous embroidered vintage handkerchief from my grandmother’s collection to use as my something blue and to mop my tears during my ceremony that I’m having custom framed so I can admire it every day. Gorgeous vow books are another idea we used. Whatever you choose, planning your beautiful day to include beautiful items you can treasure forever is a great way to add something even more special to your wedding day and all your days after the wedding.
9.) Don’t shy away from DIY
Even if crafting isn’t your thing, making some aspects of your wedding day handmade will make you feel even more connected to the day, it’s events, and give you an incredible sense of pride when you see your vision come to life. While I did get crafty and made two custom wedding corn hole boards, one of the most fun “DIY’s” for my day was creating my own signature cocktail! In the months leading up to the wedding I mixed a ton of different drinks, trying to find one with the perfect taste, color, and garnish to match my day. I landed on a Lavender Bee’s Knees, a 1920’s drink that I garnished with a fresh sprig of lavender, perfect for my modern-vintage theme! I made the mixer myself to give to my bartenders on the wedding day. Another non-craft DIY that I still totally consider a DIY was collecting all of the antique milk glass for my wedding centerpieces. Smaller, accomplishable DIY’s like this make the preparation for the wedding day so enjoyable and gives your day a really personal feel! (Not to mention, trying fancy cocktails every weekend for months is just. plain. fun.)
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