10 tips for getting ready on the morning of your wedding
For any bride, the morning of the wedding can be a nerve-wracking, emotional and laughter-filled few hours.
At Easton Grange, brides get ready in our Bridal Dressing Room, a light-filled space with a rainfall shower, salon-style chairs and mirrors, and plenty of room for the bridal party to be pampered and prepped.
Beth Beresford is an experienced wedding photographer who has photographed a number of weddings at Easton Grange over the years.
Having been a regular fly on the wall in our Bridal Dressing Room, here she shares her top tips for getting ready in a relaxed, panic-free fashion…
1. What to wear
Planning what to wear doesn’t just apply to your beautiful dress. Have a think about what you want everyone to be in during bridal prep.
I can think of quite a few wedding parties that have only brought their favourite Mickey Mouse pyjamas to get ready in, only to realise that these beloved PJs are about to be captured for posterity in the wedding gallery.
I always tell my brides to make sure they and their bridesmaids wear something they are happy to be photographed in.
The more comfortable you all are, the more relaxed you will be and the more fun you will have.
It doesn’t have to be a silk gown, although they do look amazing. It could be that you treat yourself to a set of beautiful but simple white pyjamas.
2. Let there be light!
You probably have a fair few in your girl gang, and you will all want to get ready together.
When planning where to get ready, it’s really important to make sure that you book somewhere that has plenty of space near windows/natural light or has make-up stations.
It’s most likely that the biggest window will be taken by the make-up artist, so you don’t want your lovely crew to have to battle for the remaining natural light, if they are doing their own make-up.
3. Keep things tidy
A big bridal prep room can get full fast.
When it’s just you it seems really empty, but add your bridesmaids, family and suppliers, and it gets cramped quickly. It’s very easy for things to go missing and for the room to get chaotic.
Try to keep as much as you can in labelled bags in a designated area. Hobbycraft sells white paper bags, or you can splash out and get bags with names printed on them.
You could also buy personalised hangers from Etsy for the bridesmaid dresses or use cute brown paper labels, so your bridesmaids can see their dress immediately.
4. Avoid wet flowers
Your flowers will have been dropped off and will look stunning when sat in a vase in the corner of the room, but try to take them out of the water at least half an hour before you plan on holding them.
The ends of the stems can hold an awful lot of water, and if they are waterlogged you could end up with water stains on your dress.
5. Practice putting on the dress…
Think about who you want to help you into your dress.
It’s often something that isn’t thought about until the last minute, but make sure that person stays with you right up until you’re about to walk down the aisle.
Let that person practice doing up your dress, even if it’s just on the hanger.
Some dresses come with complex bodices, fiddly buttons and loopholes where you wouldn’t expect.
You could bring that person to collect the dress with you, as the bridal shop or dress-maker will often talk you through how it goes on and how to pin the skirt up.
Possibly the hardest dresses to do up are the ones with small buttons on the back, especially if your chosen person has long nails.
6. … And get it on early!
Aim to have your dress on at least an hour before you leave for the ceremony.
It may seem like being overly cautious getting into your dress so early, but often planning to get into it earlier means that you won’t end up in a total panic, and you will have plenty of time for last minute pictures and a glass of bubbly or two.
7. Earrings made easy
This may seem like a strange one, but if you plan on wearing earrings on the day, but don’t often wear them, make sure you do a practice run to ensure you can get them in.
They can be fiddly little things and the last thing you want is the stress of trying to get them in and dropping one.
If they are relatively simple studs, you could always put them in the night before.
8. Make-up mistake
If you are doing your own make-up, take care with the SPF.
A lot of foundations come with a SPF in them for daily wear, reflecting and blocking light in order to protect your skin from sun damage.
This can work against you on your wedding day.
When using flash photography, the SPF reflects an abnormal amount of light compared to the rest of your body, in particular your neck and shoulders, if you have these on show.
This will lead to pictures where your face looks white, and a completely different colour to the rest of your body.
9. Remember your essentials
When you are travelling you will often pack yourself a bag full of mini toiletries. Do the same for your bridal prep.
You can do this well in advance, so on the day you won’t need to worry about forgetting your toothbrush or rushing to get your shampoo from the bathroom.
Don’t forget baby wipes! They are amazing for all emergencies.
10. Stay hydrated
With lots of people in one room, hair dryers going and the heating on, the room will get hot quickly.
You’ll be wearing a dress that you’ll be warm in, too.
Therefore, make sure you don’t get dehydrated, especially if your wedding is on a hot summer’s day.
Take large bottles of water with you or arrange in advance to have some brought to your bridal prep room in.
Contact Us!
Easton Park Estate is an exclusive use barn wedding venue in Suffolk, near to Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk. To find out more about showrounds and availability, contact us!
Enquire or Visit