When you have been meticulously planning your wedding for over a year, your entire world
revolves around this event. It is all you want to talk about to your friends and family, you get hung up over little things that most guests don’t even notice, and your life is surrounded by multiple spreadsheets! Despite months of planning, when it comes to your big day, certain things are out of your control. So it’s important to leave the Bridezilla (if you are one) at home, and enjoy every little bit of it.
Leading up to your wedding, you’ll hear many people (often married people) who will say, ‘enjoy your day, it goes so quickly’. It does. So I have put together a list of things that you should know before your wedding – things no one really tells you – to make sure you are prepared! In no particular order, here we go:
1. You Won’t Get a Chance to Eat
You would have spent a lot of time carefully choosing your menu for the wedding. Food tastings, discussing presentation, perfecting the spices… but the sad truth is, you just don’t always have time to eat. Between greeting and thanking guests for coming and listening to speeches, you will struggle to have more than 2 bites. Although your friends, family and even wedding coordinator on the day will be trying to ensure you eat, sometimes the excitement of the day does tend to make you lose your appetite. Pack some of your favourite snacks for yourself for when you get ready and try and get canapes sent to your room before the reception!
2. First Dance Chats
I’m sure you have all wondered… what do couples talk about during their first dance? Your first dance can be a little nerve-wracking. You are centre-stage, all your guests are watching, and instead of thinking about that… you end up distracting yourself with chats with your new-found spouse. As you will see in point 8, you won’t get much time alone with your Husband or Wife. This dance will allow you to have a quick chat with your other half to make sure they are ok.
3. Things Will Go Wrong… but only you will notice
Not everything will be in your control, so it is important to be prepared for something that will go wrong. Now I can’t tell you if it will be something big or small, but what I will say is ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you having fun?
- Are your guests having fun?
- Will anyone notice?
- Will this make a big difference in the long run?
If you can answer these questions can be answered easily… then don’t worry about
it! Enjoy the day, enjoy your celebration and make the most of it! It is helpful to have a wedding coordinator on the day, to ensure they can handle any hiccups on the day. If you don’t have a coordinator, then relatives can definitely help too.
4. That One Dance Move
Everyone always wants to dance with the Bride and Groom! When you are in the middle of that circle – have that one dance move ready! It can be as simple as side steps… but do it confidently!
5. You Need That One Random Friend
You will have a lot of close family and friends, Bridesmaids and Groomsmen who will help you out with a lot of the planning pre-wedding. However, on the day, after helping all throughout the day, they will all be letting their hair down. Some don’t even realise there are things for them to help with at the end of the night and leave early. For that reason, you need that one random friend who will help you. At the end of the night, there are quite a few things you will need to sort out before you and your Husband/Wife can finally relax. For example:
- Packing up the bridal suite
- Taking back any favours that weren’t used
- Pack up any decorations, guestbook, gifts that are at the venue
- Box left over cake, the cake knife and cake stand
Even the help of untying your dress is something you’ll need help with. So it is important to have that one random friend to help you at the end of the night.
6. You Can’t Please Everyone
It is an unfortunate truth that, not everyone will have something positive to say about your event. You need to remind yourself that this is your day, and you have planned it in a way that makes you happy.
7. Your Favourite Moments Will Be The Ones You Didn’t Plan
As we said before, things do not always go to plan. Whether it is an impromptu speech, something going wrong (that may not seem funny at the time) or even just your soon-to-be spouse stealing you for a couple minutes for a hug! Those could mean the world to you.
8. You Will Barely See or Speak To Your Husband/Wife
With people constantly around you, and stealing one of you away for pictures or to congratulate, it is no surprise that you barely get to speak to one another. Most of the time you’re ‘alone’ is when you are having pictures taken or when making your entrance. On the bright side, you both are more than likely to enjoy some room service at the hotel that night while you catch up on the day since you wouldn’t have eaten properly.
9. Toilet Visits Are A Struggle
Ok, so this is more of a bridal issue, but in your dress or lehenga, going to the toilet is DEFINITELY not easy. As well as that, it is important to keep in mind, that even when you need to go during the night. You will get stopped several times on your way to the loo. Plan your toilet breaks, i.e. make sure you go before your entrance, and tell your bridesmaids in advance so they can help you.
10. Allow Your Budget To Extent To Post-Wedding
With wedding dress dry cleaning, potential damages and thank you cards, the expenses don’t end on the wedding day. So make sure you keep aside some of your budget for post-wedding.
11. You Will Have Wedding Blues
As you near the end of the planning process, although you will be stressed, be ripping your hair out and so excited for it to be over. The truth is, when it is all over, you will find yourself with a lot of free-time on your hands missing the spreadsheets and mood boards! Prepare yourself for the wedding blues!! But that is what the honeymoon for right?
Lots of love, Saheli x
