I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of hundreds of wedding day mornings over the course of my career and trust me, I’ve witnessed it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The good ones that stick out though, they all share one common theme. They were all planned out intentionally and in great detail. From the robes to the mimosas to the perfect playlist, your wedding day morning should be nothing short of perfect. Here’s how to make that happen.

Choose The Right Space

On the wedding day, there’s nothing more special than being surrounded by your closest friends and family. But too close, aka a tiny hotel room may not be the best idea. Not only will your hair and makeup team be taking over with all of their hot tools, makeup, chairs, and lighting, your photographer, videographer and possibly your wedding planner will all join the party in the hours leading up to walking down the aisle. Not to mention, you want to have plenty of room for snacks, mimosas, bridesmaid gifts, etc. Staying at a hotel? Check to see if a conference room space is available. Getting ready at your venue? Ask about their bridal suite and if it’s big enough to accommodate your party and vendors. Airbnb? Look for spaces with an open-concept floor plan. Major bonus points if you select a space with LOTS of natural lighting.

Stick To A Schedule

Your wedding morning is meant to be relaxing, stress free, and organized. Ensure you have a schedule ready to go for you and your bridal party so everyone knows exactly what time they need to arrive to the getting ready space. When you work with my team, we always provide a hair and makeup schedule. It’s crucial you share this with anyone who is receiving hair and makeup services in advance. Whoever you choose to hire as your glam team, ensure they have a hair and makeup schedule for you and if not, ask if that’s something they’d be willing to work with you on. Print out multiple copies to have in the getting ready room so everyone has no excuse to be nothing but prompt and on-time.

Organize Your Accessories

When your photographer/videographer arrives, you are more than likely going to be sitting in the hair or makeup chair relaxing and taking everything in. Win them and your MUA over by having all your photographable accessories set out and organized before they arrive (at my own wedding, I had everything laid out the night before). Think your shoes, rings, invitations, jewelry, dress, etc. Having to get up to find all those items or delegating to your bridesmaids to find them will take away from your glam time and can throw you off schedule.

Bring Your Lipsticks

I can’t stress this one enough. It’s so important for not only you, but your whole wedding party to bring a lipstick with them when they sit in the makeup chair. Inevitably, you are going to be kissing, chit-chatting, eating, and drinking all day long (as you should), and no matter how “long-lasting” lipsticks claim to be, you’re going to need to touch it up. Even a simple neutral gloss to have in your clutch will allow you to keep your lips looking fresh and great for photos all night long.

Choose Your Crew Wisely

The biggest non-makeup piece of advice I could give a bride when it comes to the morning of her wedding is to make sure whoever will be part of that special time is going to be nothing but good energy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the excited, happy, bubbly bride go from giddy to gloomy because someone enters the room who changes the whole vibe. Whether It be a relative, your groom’s relative, a potential bridesmaid, or even a vendor, be very cautious about who you choose to be part of that morning. The last thing you want is to be stressing over someone’s bad energy. This is your day. You get to call the shots on who gets to be around you. Positive vibes ONLY!