The wedding morning prep was probably the part of my wedding I was most looking forward to.
Obviously I was looking forward to marrying my now-husband (I’d be worried if I wasn’t), but for me the wedding morning prep was the exciting part.
Having all your bridesmaids over, having your hair and makeup done, cracking the champagne at 10am, getting into your dream dress. It’s like a teenager’s idea of the perfect slumber party, only better!
But if you’re not careful, this part of the morning can run away with you. You need to plan everything in advance. Your hair and makeup team will know how many people they’ve got to prepare, so they’ll arrive accordingly. But you need to keep an eye on the time. It’s so easy to have a glass of champagne and be sat chatting away. Before you know it, the cars have arrived and you’re not even in your dress yet (this happened to me).
There are also lots of little extras and accessories you might want to consider for the wedding morning prep. What is it you’d really like to have in your photos, or to keep forever afterwards? I’ve written a post outlining extras you might want to consider to make your morning that little bit special.
New PJs/Bridal Robe
This is one thing I didn’t think about, and I regretted it. In my pictures, I’m in my standard, everyday, comfy PJs. They’re Calvin Klein so at least they’re a little more upmarket, but I wish I’d bought a gorgeous new white satin set.
I also didn’t want to wear a bra that morning. My dress was strapless and had a low back, and I didn’t want bra indentations that made it look like I was still wearing one.
So most of my wedding morning prep photos includes me with my arms folded or covering my chest!
Hunkemoller do this bridal kimono (a snippet pictured above) which is perfect for the wedding morning, and for any photos. The problem with my Calvin Klein jumper was that I had to lift it over my head after I’d spent two hours in hair and makeup. I DEFINITELY advise wearing a button down or a robe so you don’t mess your hair up or accidentally pull your falsies off.
Pre-Wedding Skin Care
You want your skin to look its absolute best. This is why having a good skincare routine before the wedding is so important. No one wants to wake up with a huge spot at the end of their face!
You should cleanse, tone and moisturise every day to ensure your skin is in super good condition. Cleansing your skin will rid the same from excess oil, dirt and grime thereby leaving the pores in your skin open. Toning will tighten up the open pores thereby reducing any form of visible lines. Follow-up with moisturising so that your skin remains smooth, soft and glowing due to the moisture restoring effects of this step.
As an added extra, you could try laser hair removal from somewhere like Therapie Clinic. If you have upper lip hair that you’re always bleaching, this could be one to try.
Personalised Hangers
I bought some gorgeous personalised hangers from Etsy for me and my bridesmaids.
They had each persons’ name on, as well as their ‘role’, i.e. maid of honour, bridesmaid, etc. and the date of the wedding. I assume my bridesmaids will be keeping their dresses, so these hangers are the perfect thing to store them on.
My dress is still hanging up in my spare room on its hanger (I can’t bring myself to put it in the loft yet).
Food and Drink
My mum prepared most of the food and drink for the wedding morning prep. She bought enough for suppliers as well as bridesmaids. Don’t forget about your suppliers! Your hair and make up artists might want breakfast, and your photographer and videographer will be there too.
She did lots of nibbles: salmon and cream cheese bites, granola bites, and mini cheese and onion muffins. You don’t need much, but as the bride, you’ll need to eat something and take the edge off the hunger. You don’t want to faint at the alter.
Bridesmaids Gifts
I loved giving my bridesmaids their gifts in the morning. I was really appreciative of all the time and effort they all put in. They came to choose their dresses, they all went for dress fittings. They bought their shoes in the colour I asked for. And no one moaned once!
I got them bracelets to wear on the day, each engraved with their initial.
The wedding morning prep is such a lovely part of the day. It’s a time to try and chill, and be pampered. These are only a few accessories you might want to include. There are tonnes of others: personalised champagne glasses, robes for all your bridesmaids, balloons that spell out your wedding date or your initials. They don’t have to cost the world – you’ve spent enough as it is – but they look lovely in your photos.
Sarah Macklin
Sarah is the creator and founder of Dream of Home, a website that began during Sarah’s first home renovation project. Since then, the site has grown and Sarah produces content around all things home, including home decor, DIY projects, renovation tips, inspiration and more. In her spare time, she loves to read and garden.
If you feel that your home is darker than it should be, here are some ways to create more natural light at home.
How many times do you look at a house picture on Instagram or Pinterest and think, My house doesn’t look that bright? So, Photoshop probably had something to do with it. But there are also ways you can get more natural light in your home without clever editing work.
Glass Everywhere
Think of the natural light as if it’s water. A wall or a doorway will block it off. Your house could be dark for a whole number of reasons, but allowing the light to flow better will make all the difference.
If you have a separate kitchen and dining room, you’d benefit from knocking a wall down and creating one large kitchen diner space. Both rooms would have double the number of windows they started with, and it would allow the light to come in from both sides of the house.
If you have lots of walls downstairs with doorways blocking the light, the best way to fix this is with glass doors. It’ll make your hallway feel bigger and brighter. Install a glass front door as well, and there’ll be plenty of natural light coming through each internal glass door.
Light Colours
This is basically common sense, so I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you. Dark colours will suck the light out of any room, as will dark furniture. You’ll need to brighten as much as you can through light colours, light wood, and light furniture.
It’s also best to think about ‘light’ furniture (and not the colour kind). Avoid heavy fabrics like velvet, and instead choose lighter fabrics in light colours.
It would also be best to choose high gloss furniture over anything wood. The gloss will act in the same way as glass, reflecting the light.
Light From Above
The best way to get more natural light into your home is from the ceiling. Homes are being built closer and closer together, which means many of your windows might look out onto your neighbours’ wall (lovely view).
Fixed Glass Rooflights are a great option if you have a large, open plan space. They’re ideal if for some reason you can’t add more windows, or if adding windows won’t actually make much difference.
Rooflights are good for a north-facing room which might not get as much natural light. They also look stunning.
Do you struggle with a dark house? There are plenty more tips and tricks that I haven’t written about here: adding more lamps into the corners of the room, adding mirrors where possible, changing your flooring, or getting a light coloured rug. The list goes on.
*Collaborative post
Sarah Macklin
Sarah is the creator and founder of Dream of Home, a website that began during Sarah’s first home renovation project. Since then, the site has grown and Sarah produces content around all things home, including home decor, DIY projects, renovation tips, inspiration and more. In her spare time, she loves to read and garden.
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