1. Make an Emergency Kit

Even with all the planning in the world, it's impossible to plan for everything that could happen on your wedding day, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't prepare for the worst. As you begin your journey of wedding planning, keep a running list of items you may need in an emergency kit and then buy and pack all those items the week before. Here are some items to consider packing:

Deodorant, Tide-to-Go, water bottles, makeup sponges, Advil, umbrellas, snacks, bobby pins, Bandaids, ice packs, etc.

2. Come Prepared for the Weather 

When you choose your wedding date, you have no idea if the weather is going to cooperate on your wedding day, and quite honestly even the couple weeks leading up to your wedding the weather report will probably change.Once you're within a few days of your wedding, take a look at the most recent weather report and try and find ways to prepare for what's coming. 

If it's raining, consider adding an umbrellas to your bag, or decide if you'll be willing to venture outside at all for any photos that day. Rain can definitely make for some cool photo opportunities. I realize that may not be how you pictured your wedding day, but I promise if you embrace it, you'll get really unique and beautiful photos.

Alternatively, what if it's crazy hot out? Do you have cold water available? What about AC at the venue? I have a short story of a scenario that happened at one of my weddings.

During a late Summer wedding, one of my couples had an outdoor ceremony and it was quite easily 85+ degrees out. The guests were all seated in the sun and once the bride made it to the end of the aisle, someone yelled out, "Is there a doctor here?!" A guest had passed out due to the heat. Myself and a couple of guests jumped into action - I headed to my emergency kit and grabbed a couple hand fans, a water and a sugary snack while the medical professionals that got up began to assess the situation with the guest. Everything turned out okay, but beware that bad things can happen even on the most perfect weather days.

3. Tell Your Family Members to Stay for Family Photos Before Your Wedding Day

Sometimes the most stressful part of a wedding day is the family photo portion. Family doesn't always think about if they're going to be in photos and typically family photos take place at the beginning of cocktail hour. If your family members head to the cocktail hour first, they may miss being in a photo or delay the whole family photo session.

I always recommend telling family members before the wedding day that you plan to have them in a photo and would ask that they stay after the ceremony to be in it. This will help save time and energy during family photos and allow you to get through the photo list much quicker. 

4. Prioritize Your Must Haves

What photos are most important to you? Maybe getting ready photos aren't your thing, but your friends on the dance floor is. Maybe you want to make the most out of golden hour and have a romantic couples session as the sun is setting. Every couple's must haves are unique to them, but knowing what's important to you will help you schedule the key events of the day. 

If you do want those sunset photos, you may want to schedule your reception entrance or toasts around the time the sunsets on your wedding day. Or if you aren't planning a first look, you may want to schedule your ceremony earlier in the day so you have time for all the photos you need to take afterwards. 

5. Take Mental Breaks When You Can

Wedding planning is difficult and can feel massively overwhelming when you start. Everyone you know is going to be throwing opinions at you and you'll be focused on making absolutely everything perfect. It's easy to begin to stress out. 

It's easier said than done, but try and find times to give yourself a mental break. I know a lot of couples will spend the first couple months of their engagement selecting all the amazing vendors they want to add to their team, lock them in, and then take a short break to enjoy their engagement. During the break time you can plan your engagement photos, celebrate with family, and maybe even take a romantic weekend getaway together. Try and find times where you can enjoy your engagement without making it feel like a wedding planning chore.

6. Tell Your Vendors About Any Surprises or Unique Traditions

If you plan to have any surprises, special family traditions or cultural traditions at any point on your wedding day, make sure you tell your key vendors what those are. It could affect how your photographer or videographer set up at that specific time. It could affect how your DJ handles an event during the reception, or it could totally throw off your wedding planner! We're all here to help, so keep us in the loop!

7. Start Hair and Makeup Early

Not to throw shade, but delayed hair and makeup can throw off the schedule of an entire day. Since hair and makeup are usually first to the wedding day, if they're behind schedule, the rest of the day will be behind schedule. It's a best practice to have them arrive early enough so if there is a hiccup during their scheduled time slots, there's a buffer zone to play catch up.

8. Hydrate the Day Before

On your wedding day it's hard to remember to hydrate. There's so much going on from the moment you wake up that hydration can easily become an afterthought. So the day before your wedding, make sure to drink lots of water throughout the day to make sure you don't become overly dehydrated on your wedding day.

9. Don't Over Complicate Your Day

There are so many fun and trendy things that couples incorporate into their wedding day, it can be hard to narrow down what you want to do for your own. I absolutely recommend limiting the events and trends to as few as you can. If you try to pack too much into your day, it's hard to take a step back to enjoy the moments of the day. You'll feel as though there's always something that needs to be done and it can start to feel like a chore. Quite honestly, if you can budget time to just be with your new husband or wife privately without all the noise and chaos surrounding you, I think you'll be grateful you did!