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5. Don't drink too much on the day before the wedding. If there is an event which will take place on the day before the wedding, you may want to control your drinking. Try scheduling a bachelor/bachelorette party a week or few days before the wedding. Have a few glasses of wine at the rehearsal dinner and end the event at 9:00pm. Although having a good party is fun, recovering from it on the day of the wedding isn't! Also make sure to get at least eight hours of sober sleep.
6. Give yourself an hour of meditation time. Give yourself at least an hour to be alone on the day of the wedding. Maybe take a morning drive, walk, jog, meditate, or best of all, write a letter to yourself describing how you are feeling. You can take out this letter for years to come and relive the feelings you experienced. Don't do your make-up or start getting dressed during this personal time; just enjoy this hour or even half an hour to yourself. This meditation time will allow you to become conscious of yourself and how you are reacting to the day, instead of going into auto-pilot. Keep conscious of your feelings and happenings during the day, visually pan the room during the ceremony and reception, and concentrate on your surrounding. Look at your guests' faces, listen to the music, cry, laugh, and don't repress any of your feelings. Your emotions will overtake you, so release them whenever possible with a lot of laughs and tears of joy.
7. EAT! No doubt you want to look fabulous in your dress, but eating can help you stay energized and happy. If you can't fathom eating a large breakfast, arrange for light finger foods to be available while you and your bridal party are getting ready.
8. Prepare your Emergency Pack. If you are getting ready at a location other than your home, prepare a bag with all the necessities. Hair spray, extra pair of stockings, crazy glue, clear nail polish, TUMS, any prescribed medication, and even breath mints. It is reassuring to know that these things are by your side if you need them.
9. Make sure everyone knows the drill. Give your bridal party, coordinator, and vendors a time line of events as well as the location and phone number where you will be getting ready. If there are any emergencies, people need to be able to contact you. Also, consider reminding the bridal party of their roles during the wedding, maybe even write them down. No doubt, they will be a bit nervous and may forget a thing or two. Does your maid of honor know to help you with your veil after the big kiss, or to adjust your train whenever necessary?
10. Remember, things can and do go wrong. Life isn't perfect and knowing that something can go wrong is actually calming. Don't set yourself up with high expectations and realize that nothing is perfect. A great example happened at my own wedding. The preacher got nervous during the ceremony and did not get my name right several times while he was speaking. Since it was an intimate ceremony, everyone heard the mistake each time the preacher made it. At first, it really upset me, but after a few times it was actually kind of funny. After the ceremony, guests made a joke out of it and our groomsman pulled us aside and said "It was like the mole on Cindy Crawford's face -- it didn't belong there but it still made her beautiful!"
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This article was contributed by Arina Lanis, Editor-In-Chief and founder of Wedding-Club.com. If you have questions or comments about this article, please feel free to e-mail her at arina@wedding-club.com |
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