As much as we’d like to think the beginning of the wedding day is not nearly as important as the other parts (the ceremony, the portraits, the reception, etc.) it does serve a crucial part in your day and there are ways to make this part seamless for you and your bridesmaids as well as your photographer and other vendors! Here are just a few tips for rocking the prep portion of your wedding day, as this will filter into smooth sailing for the rest of the day!

1. Lighting is everything. The worst thing you could imagine for a photographer or hair and make-up artist is a windowless room or a room with very small windows. Look for a bridal suite that has an abundance of natural light streaming in! This will greatly affect the quality and beauty of your pictures and your hair and make-up artists (and videographer/cinematographers) will love you for it too. That’s the biggest complaint I hear from hair and MUA is that they never have enough light in the prep space (or enough outlets!)
2. Give yourself like two more hours than you think you’ll need. I can recall countless times where the prep ran late and cut into our portrait time, or worse, the ceremony had to start late. This can happen for a million different reasons but it’s usually because hair and make-up time was underestimated. (And not because your wonderful vendors didn’t time things right!) It’s usually because that one piece of hair just isn’t cooperating that morning, the lipstick isn’t quite as your remember, someone is missing from the prep location because they were on a champagne hunt and started their hair late. The list goes on, but more time then not I find prep is running late. Give yourself an extra two hours and then we have an abundance of time for your fun robe shots with your girls, sipping champagne and having a dance party. I don’t know about you, but that sounds way better than being stressed about time. I also find a lot of the time is just because of miscommunication, so for that reason, I share the wedding timeline with all your vendors so they know when their job needs to be complete!
   
3. For the bride, DON’T GO LAST for hair and make-up. It’s essential that you’re at your first look, so if things are taking longer than expected, we want to make sure it’s a bridesmaids that is still getting ready while you go to your first look, and not you. But follow tip number 2 and then you’ll be safe.
   
4. Have a bridal emergency kit. I always bring one, but incase I’m not there yet, your bridesmaids should come prepared with the essentials: deodorant, toothpaste, bobby pins, mouthwash, double sided tape, a hot glue gun-(yes for real, need to remake your bouquet for some reason? Hot glue has got your back), pampers baby wipes-(they get stains out of anything and I’ve seen people use them to get mud off of dresses!) And the list goes on. I have an entire bag of “emergency items” and it always seems to come in handy! 
5. Know how long it takes to get your dress on. Some dresses have a corset back and take forever to get on. Know how long this takes and let your photographer know so they are prepared with the timeline!
6. Eat. This should go without saying but more times than not I see the bridal party without any food in the morning. Or more importantly, the bride without food. This is the last time you’re going to get to eat before cocktail hour, and if you don’t do a first look there’s a good chance you’re missing that too which means the reception dinner is your chance! That could be upwards of a 12 hour difference between eating, so to ensure you don’t faint walking down the aisle please eat something! 
7. Pick a location that is close to your ceremony and reception venue (or better yet, they’re all at the same place!) A lot can happen when a lot of travel is involved, so to ensure things stay on time make sure you’re close! This also gives you more time to hang out with friends and family and less time driving around stressing out about things!
8. Check out the local Airbnb listings in your area! Most Airbnb’s are super cute with minimal things on the walls, making prep pictures look much more clean and inviting. The times I’ve had the pleasure of shooting prep in an Airbnb are my favorite prep photos to date. The light was pouring in, the walls were clean and clutter free and there was room for everyone to put their things without crowding the main room. You can also typically find an Airbnb that fits the style of your wedding so all your pictures are cohesive rather than in a modern, outdated hotel room.
9. Keep all your bags in one room (preferably the room with the worst light!) When I get to the prep location, I take all the details (shoes, dress, flowers, etc.) and photograph them. It makes things a lot harder when there are purses and duffle bags cluttering every corner of the suite or house so make sure to confine the clutter to one area and keep one area clean. They we don’t need to do a massive clean-up before you put your dress on because we will already have one clean room for that!
10. Bring cute hangers for your bridesmaids dresses! When the timeline allows (and we can find a place to hang them), bridesmaids dress pictures are super cute. Nothing makes it stick out more than a plastic hanger though, so get some cute wooden hangers for your bridesmaids! If you don’t know where to look, check out BHLDN. 
11. Have all your details in a bag or box with handles that I’m going to photograph. That way, when I arrive, I can whisk your details off and start shooting right away and don’t have to chase down your shoes or your rings. (That means the Maid of Honor should have the rings in the morning instead of the best man— then I’ll have the Best Man come get them before the ceremony! I’ll give you a list of things I need before the wedding so don’t fret about that! 
12.  Remember not to drink too much the morning of. We just want to calm your nerves and celebrate a little! Leave the rest for the reception! 
13. Use the restroom before putting your dress on! It’ll be a while before you get another chance!

So there you have it! My tips for a seamless wedding morning. This can truly make or break your wedding day timeline and your stress levels so be sure to follow these simple steps for a great morning with your girls! This is truly a special time for you, your friends and your family. It’s the time you get to put on that veil and become a bride, the time your mother gets to zip up your dress and help you with your jewelry one last time and the time your father gets to see his little girl all dolled up for the best day of her life. Cherish this time and have fun the morning of. These tips will ensure you do just that.