Morning of the wedding: 9 dos and don’ts for the bridal party

The morning of the wedding, as far as I can see, has the potential to go two ways: either it can be filled with the sound of popping prosecco, or popping patience. Shrieks of excitement, or shrieks of hysteria. Calm vibes, or a crying bride…

You get the idea.

This is a situation in which a group of women are brought together in a confined space and all are setting out to look their best in anticipation of the nerve-wracking walk down the aisle. The pressure is on, and it won’t take much for freak-outs to occur.

But before you go fretting over the potential carnage that can take place, rest assured that only a few details need to be arranged to guarantee a happy morning of the wedding experience for all involved.

1 Playlist

Have a special morning of the wedding playlist prepared. You really need to strike the perfect balance here. Seriously, this balance is critical; too upbeat and you give the bride the jitters, too mellow and you slow down the general pace of the morning. All break-up music should also be censored – this is not the time to hear about broken relationships, unrequited love and “Becky with the good hair”. My advice is to keep it to inoffensive, mid-tempo, blast-from-the-past chart-toppers.

A few universal crowd-pleasers:

“Going To The Chapel” – The Dixie Cups

“Beautiful” – Mariah Carey

“Sexual Healing” – Kygo remix

“MmmBop” – Hanson

“Best of My Love” – Emotions

“You Make My Dreams Come True” – Hall & Oats

“L-O-V-E” – Nat King Cole

“Younger” – Seinabo Sey

“For Once In My Life” – Stevie Wonder

2 Outfits

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE needs have their entire outfit hanging up and ready to go the night before. For the day that’s in it, something as small as a groomsman’s missing sock can incur stress of monumental proportions. So you can only imagine the hysteria that a damaged veil could generate… I cannot stress enough how, on this morning of all mornings, if everyone just had their ensemble prepared then their sanity would be preserved.

3 Even if you think it’s too early, it isn’t

You really can’t start the “getting ready process” early enough, no matter what you might think. I remember being horrified by the red-eye arrival of hair and make-up at 8am, considering how the wedding wasn’t taking place until 2pm… Despite my scoffing at the early start, it was only by the skin of our teeth that we arrived to the church still within the “fashionably late” mark. Trust me, it’s better to be hanging around with lots of time to spare, than to find yourself screaming down the hall for your mum to pack your clutch because you were all supposed to have left 30 minutes ago but you were last in line for makeup and the woman has only just started on your brows…

4 Instant Tan

Don’t be fooled by that subheading, this is me vehemently warning you against instant fake tan. The stuff should never even be considered as an option on the day of the wedding. A series of unfortunate experiences has left me with the belief that fake tan brings nothing but streaks, stains and the stench of a teenage disco wherever it goes. If you remember only one thing from this article, please let it be that.

5 Sewing Kit

Fabric, by its very nature, tears. it’s just a fashion fact, and you can bet that a wedding is not a situation that is likely to debunk a fact. Between the excitement, and squeezing into dresses that were bought weeks/ months in advance, someone may very well need a sewing kit. No need for anything extreme, a few needles and some white thread will do the job. You could even leave extra in the girls’ bathroom, the boys’ bathroom, and wherever the bridal party’s “touch-up” room is, if you have one.

6 Plugs

It’s the 21st century, and that means that everyone needs to have a fully charged phone for the photo-fest that will be taking place that morning, and indeed throughout the rest of the day. If you’re worried about pluggage-availability that morning, be sure to source an extension lead with lots of sockets for chargers, hair dryers, hair straighteners and a fan (phwoar, does getting ready for a wedding work up a fierce heat).

7 Portable Pharmacy

As you may have noticed, there is a running theme for the morning of the wedding: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Someone might start freaking out with nerves, another person could develop a nasty cough, and the odds that at least one individual is suffering from a hangover that morning aren’t low either… Basically what you need to do is imagine every ailment and situation that could arise the morning of, and do a suitably vigorous pharmacy shop in advance. Plasters, pain killers, antihistamines, valerian root – fill an SOS bag with anything that you might need, and keep them at arm’s reach.

8 Breakfast

Attending a wedding should be approached as a marathon, not a sprint, and when you’re a member of the bridal party this advice rule applies all the more. Bridesmaids need to be mentally, emotionally and physically ready for the day ahead, so ensuring that you are well-fuelled is crucial.

With that in mind, the importance of a solid #breakfastofchampions on the morning of the wedding should not be underestimated. Source your supplies the day before and either arrange for someone who isn’t involved in the early morning beauty extravaganza to cook up something hearty, or get nosh that’s easy to munch on in between lip-liner applications. Also – coffee. A sufficient sleep the night before can be hard to attain, and because snoozing through the ceremony is a real no-no, I’d recommend that you have coffee at the ready, and lots of it.

9 Keep calm and carry on

So what if the dog has just vomited all over the bottom of your dress? And who gives a monkey’s if that super-sleeked low bun makes you look like an actual monkey?? This is a day to be cherished and enjoyed, and the best way to do that is to take everything with a pinch of salt (or maybe a sneaky shot of tequila) and try to put the happiness of the bride at the forefront of your mind for the next 10-24 hours. It’ll be over before you know it!