3 Things NOT to do on your Wedding Day

If you’re reading this is probably because you (or someone you know) is planning a wedding and needs advice. Well, while planning your wedding, you're going to hear a lot of things you should do on your wedding day. But rarely do you get any guidance on the things you really shouldn’t do on your wedding day. I’m here to help!! In this blog I share about 3 things NOT to do on your wedding day!

As a wedding photographer, I’ve worked with lots of couples and experienced countless wedding days over the years. So using my wedding knowledge, I wanted to share what I believe to be the top 3 things not to do on your wedding day to help my couples enjoy their wedding as much as possible!

Keep reading to see what I mean!

#1. YOU DO NOT WANT TO RUSH on your wedding day

There’s nothing worse than feeling like you can’t enjoy your wedding day because you’re being rushed. While it may seem like “but we have allllll day”, I promise you, like all of the best days, it will go by too fast! And when you look back, you don’t want to feel like it was all a blur. You want to look back with clarity and know that you soaked in every moment you could with intention and enjoyment. You don’t want to be rushing from one thing to the next because you’re trying to squeeze everything you can into a limited amount of time.

One of the keys to not feeling rushed is to have PLENTY of time on your day (or days)!

This will take intentional planning to ensure you have enough time in your schedule to actually *enjoy* your wedding day. to have space to relax into the moment, to look around on your hike, to feel the breeze on your arms, to actually see your guests and spend time with them, to feel your emotions.

This is why I help couples map out a custom timeline for their day. While it’s not a rigid plan we have to stick to, having a general plan for the day actually allows you to relax more and ensure you have enough time for each part of your day, and possibly some spontaneity too! And most importantly in order to capture those candid moments we all want, there has to be enough time for them to unfold naturally.

More practical steps on how to achieve this in tip #2, keep reading!

#2. you do not want to stress on your wedding day

There are already so many different emotions to process on your wedding day, stress shouldn’t be one of them!

Back to the “you don’t want to rush” portion for a minute, this goes hand in hand with causing you to stress on your wedding day. Being intentional about your plans in advance will help make the wedding day go smoother.

The biggest way to help relieve stress on your wedding day is hiring expert vendors, including a wedding planner or day of coordinator! I cannot begin to express how much better my couples feel who have hired a planner. They’re always more stress free since they know they have a talented wedding expert taking care of all the logistics and details!

In addition to hiring a planner (which I HIGHLY recommend), here are a few other things NOT to do to avoid being stressed on your wedding day:

Lots of DIY wedding details (not only does this tend to cause lots of stress leading up to the wedding day, on the actual day it can cause more chaos too). If you love to DIY, pick 1-2 things you can reasonably do in advance and outsource the rest. Past clients have told me specifically that they wished they DIYed less because it caused them so much stress.
Using your family for tasks that should be done by a professional (ie. cooking - hire a caterer; decorating/setting up - hire a planner; music - hire a musician/band). While your family would probably love to help and would do anything for you, this is a big emotional day for them too and they deserve to be present and enjoy the day with you.
Hire vendors you trust. I cannot urge you enough to do your research, have consultation calls, ask the hard questions and go with your gut when hiring vendors. They can make your day infinitely easier (or….harder).
As for photography specifically, I highly recommend an engagement session - this helps eliminate a lot of nerves and stress around taking photos (that I know, I know, most people are nervous about!)

All that being said, keep in mind that even the best laid plans could go wrong, and expert vendors should have a back up plan in place for reasonable accommodations, ie. rain!. But ultimately, just be willing to let go and be present in whatever the day brings! Because no matter what goes wrong (or perfectly), you will still be marrying the love of your life and that’s pretty special.

#3. you do not want to be hangry

Hangry = hungry + angry. We’ve all been there.

I know it may sound silly…but it’s important! Too often couples don’t eat at all on their wedding day. Maybe while getting ready you say “I don’t want to mess up my make-up” and then it’s “well, I’ll just wait until after we take photos”. But before you know it, the ceremony’s over, you’re middle of the reception and you’ve been too busy to slow down and actually eat. And now, all you want to do is party with your friends and family! It’s not until the end of the night you realize, “wow, I didn’t eat anything at all.”

Just like any other day, eating is important!! Food = fuel. You want to be properly fueled during such an important and special day in your life! Your wedding day is a big day, full of emotions, adrenaline, drinking, and sometimes even hiking. It’s best to have food in your body to keep you going so you don’t pass out, feel lethargic or feel *hangry*. This is not only to help you enjoy or day more, but keep you safe.

All that being said, you want to have a plan in place to ensure you both are eating. You absolutely need to schedule this into your timeline.

Trust me, no one wants to be hangry on their wedding day! (You can thank me later lol).