How to Enjoy and be More Present on Your Wedding Day
How do you want to remember your wedding day? Do you want to remember the decor, the portraits, the ceremony? I think every wedding plan should start with that question - how do we want to remember our special day? If you know the answer to that, then it gives you a great foundation to build your day on.
There are some universal truths, though, when it comes to putting together the “perfect” wedding.
1. Be true to yourselves, not to a wedding blog. (Yup.. I realise the irony here)
In the Instagram, Pinterest, wedding blog world we live in, it’s so easy to get caught up thinking of the things you feel you “should” do for your wedding.
“Do we need to do a first dance? What’s the trendy cake of the year? What colour palette is in season now? Is a sparkler send off still cool, or was that last year?!”
The first thing we tell a couple when helping them plan a wedding is this - Your wedding is not an instagram post. Your wedding is not a blog feature. You shouldn’t feel obliged to do, or not do, anything. Your wedding should be exactly the way you want it, not stuffed into the confines of what is trendy, or what other couples are doing. You are unique, you love what you love, so don’t get caught up with what other people are doing. Be true to yourselves, and you will have a wedding that you feel at home with.
2. Make sure your schedule is realistic
When couples come in for a consultation with us, the main goal of that consult is to get a clear idea of how you envision your wedding and to help you hash out a rough schedule for the day. I’m not over stating this when I say that a schedule can make or break your day. It can be the difference between not worrying about time AT ALL, or feeling rushed through every aspect of your day. Your schedule has a trickle down effect on your entire wedding day. If you have portraits scheduled to start 5-minutes after your ceremony finishes, you’ll feel pulled away from friends and family during the point of the day that you most want to be hugging and kissing them. If you schedule an unrealistic portrait location/time schedule, you won’t feel relaxed during your shoot because all you’ll be thinking about is getting to your reception on time. Take it from me, NO ONE looks their best when they have worry in their mind.
When you come in for a free wedding day consultation with us, we will guide you through putting together a good schedule, not only from the photography and videography point of view, but universally from our years of experience. It’s free, there’s no obligation at all, and it will give you a clear direction towards the most enjoyable day possible. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about!
3. Take at least three days off before your wedding
One thing couples tell me time and time again is how hectic the week leading up to their wedding is. Whether you have family coming into town for the celebration, you’re putting final touches on wedding gifts or decor, or you’re simply making sure your house is clean for tea ceremonies or guests. Your wedding week will be MUCH more hectic than you can plan for, and the absolute last thing you want to feel going into your wedding day is rundown. If you have the capacity, I STRONGLY recommend taking more time off than you feel you need.
4. Hire vendors who feel like family
This is such an under-the-radar thing that you won’t really feel till you’re well into your wedding planning. A group of vendors who feel more like family and friends than vendors will bring down this weird invisible wall at a wedding. A celebrant who not only knows you and your story, but talks to Mum in her native language? That’s something you can’t put a price on. A DJ who not only knows your favourite bands and artists, but also your love for video games and Mario Brothers? I promise you, that will make for some hilarious moments during your reception. Can you imagine an MC that not only keeps your reception running smoothly and on time, but pulls your Dad onto the dance floor for a boogie? These vendors exist, they are incredible, and they are worth their weight in gold.
5. Accept that things might not go as planned
Rain happens. Traffic happens. Forgetting things, happens. As much as we’d like to believe we can control everything, there are just some elements at a wedding that are out of people’s control. These things don’t have to be the ruination of your wedding, though. We can mitigate some things, like traffic, with a great schedule. We can have back-up wet weather locations for portraits in the event of unexpected rain. We actually send our couples out a “survival kit” stuffed full of things you might need on your wedding day so you don’t have to worry about forgetting Hollywood tape or Panadol.
No matter how much planning we do though, there will sometimes be things that happen during a wedding that can’t be controlled. When this happens, how you decide to let it affect your day will be the most powerful tool you have. Going into your day in zen mode, with the big picture in mind, is such a positive state to be in, and will really let you overcome almost anything. It's so, so important to be present and enjoy your day while you’re in the moment, and enjoy those moments for what they are. You want to look back on your wedding day and be content with the fact that you enjoyed and relished every moment you could, instead of worrying about little things that you couldn’t control and got caught up or distracted by those things. And trust me when I say this, your day is going to fly past so pleeeeease please please enjoy it and live one of your best days ever fully present in the moment!