Happy Thursday Lovely People!

The sun is shining so I am feeling very happy today - its so warm! This weather is making me even more excited about this little baby arriving. I have this picture perfect image of Bob and I playing happy families with picnics in the park and trips to the beach with our gorgeous new born. The reality will probably be smelly nappies and no sleep but a girl can dream can't she!? Only 2 weeks to go peeps!

As wedding season is now in full swing and many of you will be in the very final stages of your wedding planning, Clare and I thought we would put together a little list of 10 things that we think are important to remember for and on your wedding day.

We both got married last year and had an absolute blast but we would be lying if we said that the day went without a hitch or regret. These 10 points have been taken from our own experience and are only here to advise you. Don't panic if there are things we have suggested that are too late in the day for you to put in place. The point of this blog is that you and your partner take a step back from all the wedding planning madness and really have a think about what elements of your day are going to be the most important so you can plan ahead to make sure they happen.

So, here we go..................our advice on 10 Things To Remember On Your Wedding Day:

Your wedding photos will eventually become your memories so it is so important to make sure you are very clear on the style of photos you desire, where in your venue you would like them to take place and all the elements you would like to be captured. The worst thing for any couple is to be disappointed in your wedding photos so I can't stress planning your photos enough. Any photographer worth their salt will offer you a venue visit before W-Day so together, you can suss out the best areas for all your photos. If they do not offer this, then don't worry too much as a good photographer should instantly be able to tell the best areas for photos so have faith and trust in their experience. I would also strongly advise you write down all the things you would like your photographer to capture before your wedding. In the lead up to our wedding day we went to a lot of effort in making the decor ourselves and setting up little inspiration areas and unfortunately, some of these elements were not captured on the day. Don't get me wrong, I love our wedding photos but there were just a few things that were missed that I wish I'd mentioned before the big day. If you inform your photographer that you would like certain areas or moments to be captured then they can make sure these are done for you. It's unfair to expect them to capture every single moment so have a good think about the most important aspects (including photos with certain people.......Mum, best friend, bridesmaids etc) write them down and give them a list on the morning of your wedding.

Your wedding day will fly by in a blink of an eye so it's important to make time for special moments such as a glass of champagne with all your bridesmaids just before you walk down the aisle, time to reflect with your new husband on what an amazing day you are having and party like your 16 to I'm a Dreamer! I would also try to plan your morning so you are ready at least 30-45 minutes before you walk down the aisle so your photographer has plenty of time to get lots of pictures of you looking stunning in your dress and you can catch your breath and enjoy some final moments with your Mum, Dad and Bridesmaids.

One of the best things we ever did for our wedding was book the amazing Shutterbox Films. I can't express enough how much I LOVE our wedding video. Lee and Dawn did an amazing job at capturing the festival atmosphere and every time I watch it the memories come flooding back - especially of the ceremony and speeches! We spent a lot of time antagonising over the additional cost of booking a videographer. Was it really necessary? Weren't we already spending too much? In the end we decided to go for it and I am so glad we did. A good videographer doesn't come cheap but trust me, they will be well worth the expense because you will be left with a wedding film that you will cherish (and laugh at) forever.

No matter how hard you try, your wedding will probably run late. Whether it be down too the speeches over running or you're simply just having too much fun to care about the time, before you know it your wedding photographer will be saying good bye and you'll be panicking because you haven't had your first dance yet!

Our first dance, which was meant to be at 8.30pm, ended up being at 9.30pm by which time our photographers had understandably said their goodbyes. Annoyingly, when we first sent them our running order they did suggest we book an extra hour as our schedule was pretty tight but at the time we just thought it wouldn't be worth the additional cost. As a result, we have no photos of our first dance nor any of our reception when the dance floor was packed. Looking back now I just wish we had taken their advice and paid for the extra hour because in the grand cost of the wedding it was a small price to pay for those memories. My advice is to look at your timings and way up whether it would be worth booking your photographer to come for an extra hour in the morning or in the evening.

This is such a solid starting point, and I cannot emphasise it enough: sleep is essential! Preempt the fact that you're gonna be too excited to sleep, believe me whether your nervous or not, your wedding day is a huge deal and no matter how exhausted you might be from planning, the likelihood is you're gonna struggle to sleep. We had a little bit of a get together the night before our wedding, it was lovely to spend that time with close friends and family that had arrived the night before, but we were the last to leave and I left so hyped that I did not sleep great! Know yourself, take time out for a little pre bedtime yoga sesh (that's what I resorted to at 2am the night before my wedding. Yes, 2am!) and look into some natural remedies to aid your sleep.

Like most, the morning of our wedding was busy and rushed, it was lovely don't get me wrong, but make sure you take time to sit with your bridal party and pop a bottle of bubbles, eat your favourite breakfast treats (I'm thinking eggs Benedict!) and give them their pre-wedding gifts. It'll relax everyone involved and allow the beautiful anticipation of the morning to truly sink in.

I'm a HUGE advocate of the 'first look' concept (i.e. seeing your groom before you walk down the aisle) not only does it make for beautiful shots full of unrestrained emotion between you and your groom, but it is just SUCH a lovely, intimate moment and it definitely curbs some of the pre-ceremony jitters - allowing you both to enjoy it all the more! For us, it also meant that we had a load of our shots taken before the ceremony, giving us all a chance to relax and have a giggle in front of the camera, and meant that we spent less time doing photos post-ceremony and got to join the party as soon as possible!

As you might have previous read, we hired Poppy the VW camper from Kent Campervan hire for our wedding. At first I was a little unsure about having our entire bridal party in the car with us, don't get me wrong I love them, but I thought J and I might want a little time to ourselves... But let me tell you it was HILARIOUS! We had such fun recapping what had just happened and they'd noticed so many little thingsJ and I hadn't in the whirlwind of saying 'I do' it was great fun, I'd highly recommend it!

This one's pretty crucial; it's your day and your guests will come to you! I think on our wedding day, J and I were so conscious of thanking our guests for coming and making sure that we saw everyone that, in hindsight, we probably didn't spend as much time together as we'd have liked. My advice on this one? Take a seat together, let someone else get your drink and your guests will come to you - after all it's you they're there for and your focus should be your other half!

So I saw this quote the other day and it really resonated with me. First and foremost your wedding is about you and your partner, but next up, remember your parents, it's a huge deal for them too. If you're fortunate enough to have your parents around, allow time to show them some serious love and whether they've contributed to the wedding or not, take a moment to appreciate everything that this momentous occasion means for you and them.

Image Credits: Laura's photos - Cotton Candy Weddings; Clare's photos - Amy Shore Photography

The above are just 10 things that Clare and I think are important things to remember, but what about you? Is there anything we've missed? Are you married and have regrets from your wedding day?

Please do let us know - we would love to know what think.

I think the most important thing to remember is to have fun fun FUN! You will (hopefully!!) only have 1 wedding day so lap it up!

Big Love

Festival Brides xx

Related posts: