The wedding day for brides is a tricky thing. You’re excited, you’re nervous. You just want it to go smoothly. You want to get it over with. You want it to never end. It’s a mixed bag of emotions just like we all have! The key for brides is figuring out what they need, and if you’re someone close to the bride how you can help her with it.
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Personally, I found it extremely helpful on my wedding day to just take time for myself. I am an introvert/extrovert, and I definitely need my “me” time. So both the day before I took a walk by myself to get a manicure and pedicure (which were terrible, lol, but that’s besides the point) and on the day of I spent the whole morning taking the longest shower ever (while keeping my hair dry in a shower cap, because second day hair is the best for wedding updos FYI) and moisturizing and just a mini relaxation moment. It worked wonders and I highly recommend it!
Some brides might want company. And food. In fact they all need food. And it’s high on this list. Below, here are what brides say they REALLY need on their wedding day!
“Honestly all I wanted morning of was a glass of champagne and someone to tell me ‘no no, I’ve got it, you just sit down and relax'”
— via Reddit.com
Someone Whose Only Job Is You
The biggest thing a bride needs is to not be the person everyone runs to. When the vendors, the venue, and your aunt all funnel their questions to you, you spend your own wedding as a project manager instead of a bride.
“Not having someone who knew all the details/plan the day of. Everyone was asking me questions and I’m just like ???? It’s my wedding day! I have no brain cells that aren’t dedicated to freaking out!”
— via Reddit.com
Assign a point person early, a coordinator, your maid of honor, anyone organized, and give their name to every vendor. A bride on Reddit summed up exactly what that person is for:
Assign it: Hand off your phone too. One person fields the texts and the “where do we park” questions so you can get your makeup done in peace. We have more of these in things to do the week before the wedding.
Food You’ll Actually Eat
Nearly every bride forgets to eat, and then nearly faints at the altar. Nerves kill your appetite right when your body needs fuel most, so the fix is food that’s easy to get into you and won’t wreck your lipstick.
“Applesauce pouches are an amazing makeup friendly snack with nothing to get caught in teeth, and easy on nervous bellies. Once now I’ve caught the bride about to sugar crash right before walking down the aisle, and once it was the MoH, and both times an applesauce pouch has saved the day.” — via Reddit.com
Stock the getting-ready room with pouches, protein bars, and something sugary for a blood-sugar emergency. And if you know you won’t eat on your own, say so out loud and put someone in charge of it.
“All I want on the morning of my wedding is someone to force feed me and some champagne. I’ll be too anxious to eat unless someone brings me food and puts it in front of me! I am already dropping hints to my mom of ordering chick fil a chicken minis lmao” — via Reddit.com
Don’t forget: Plan to eat at the reception too. Have your maid of honor or best man fix you a plate before the line forms, because the couple is usually the last to sit and the first to get pulled away.
A Calm, Well-Lit Place to Get Ready
Where you get ready sets the tone for the whole day. Your glam team needs a clear table and good light, and you need a little protected calm.
“[It was] just me and my sister for the first couple of hours. Weirdly I didn’t want music, just calm quiet little bubble of my bridal suite. Countryside birds singing etc, it was lovely and I didn’t have any real hustle or bustle until thirty mins before the ceremony.”
— via Reddit.com
Keep the crowd small and the energy low, and wear a robe or button-down so you’re not pulling a top over a finished face. Our guide to getting-ready outfits has options.
Satin Getting-Ready Robe
The one that shows up in every morning photo. A simple satin robe keeps your hair and makeup safe while you wait, and it photographs beautifully with a coffee in hand. Grab matching ones for your bridesmaids and you’ve got an easy getting-ready picture without trying.
Glam tip: The Knot recommends being ready four to six hours before the ceremony, hair first and makeup last. Build in buffer time, because glam always runs long. Our tips from a wedding makeup artist cover the rest.
Your Details, Gathered in One Place
Your photographer shows up to shoot the details first, while hair and makeup finishes, so the shoes, rings, jewelry, veil, perfume, and invitation suite should be gathered in one box and ready to hand over. Hunting for a missing earring during your photo window is a classic morning-of scramble.
The dress is the big one. Steam it the night before, not in shifts between your hair and makeup appointments.
“If needed, steam your dress the night before. I had a very poofy full a line gown and it was so creased from being in a garment bag. The day of we were all taking shifts between hair and make up to take turns steaming. I would have been more calm if the dress had been at the very least partially steamed the night before. ALSO: make sure that your veil is pinned to your head with extra Bobby pins. Mine blew away half way through our ceremony.” — via Reddit.com
Handheld Travel Garment Steamer
The thing that saves the gown. A compact steamer knocks the garment-bag creases out of your dress (and your partner’s suit, and the bridesmaids’ dresses) the night before. It’s small enough to bring to a hotel or destination wedding, and you’ll reach for it long after the wedding too.
Trust this: Put the small things in one labeled box: rings, vows, any heirlooms, your wedding day perfume, and the marriage license. When the photographer asks for the details, you hand over a box instead of sending five people searching.
A Real Emergency Kit (Packed Early)
Something small always goes sideways, and the bride who has a little kit on hand is the one who stays calm. Pack it a couple of weeks out so you’re not scrambling, then hand it to whoever’s carrying your stuff between locations.
“two hairbrushes (I only had one and misplaced it!) powder puffs, hair iron and/or curling wand, portable fan (and don’t forget the charger) this was my life saver taking photos in the Florida heat, electrolyte mix, bottle of water, protein bar, floss, gum, mints, or mouthwash. Also really important, make sure someone knows that you have an emergency kit.”
— via Reddit.com
A pre-made bridal kit covers the basics, so you’re only adding your own extras like medications and a backup lipstick. And don’t skip the ones nobody pictures until they need them:
Bridal Wedding Day Emergency Kit
The bag everyone’s grateful for by 4 p.m. A ready-made kit of the day-savers: safety pins, sewing kit, stain wipes, blotting papers, band-aids, mini essentials. Hand it to your maid of honor so it’s her job to carry it, and toss in the things kits forget, like spray deodorant and a backup phone charger.
“I will never shut up about spray deodorant in your emergency kit! It was the MVP at my friend’s wedding!!” — via Reddit.com
Pack it: Band-aids and a water bottle are the two most-forgotten items. For the full rundown, see what to put in your wedding day emergency kit.
Permission to Actually Be There
This is the one nobody can pack for you. The day moves so fast that it’s easy to spend it heads-down on logistics and miss the part you’ll want to remember.
“Make sure you take the time to soak in seeing your loved ones during the ceremony. I was so in the moment and laser focused on my fiancé, that I never really looked out to my loved ones to see their faces and reactions to everything. It’s something so simple, but I wish I’d had the thought to do that.” — via Reddit.com
Handing off the logistics is what buys you the room to do this. One bride had a simple rule for it:
“Do try to find 15 mins every 1.5 hours to pull back, do nothing, and watch your party with your spouse to soak it all in.” — via Reddit.com
Another bride boiled the whole day down to a single sentence:
“Just make sure to take time to eat, be present with your loved ones, and soak it all in!” — via Reddit.com
None of this is complicated or expensive. It’s about deciding early that someone else carries the day so you don’t have to. Sort the little things with our Smart Wedding Planner, hand off the rest, and let the morning be the easy part. You’ve earned the glass of champagne and the chair.
Your Morning-Of Checklist
Save this part and hand it to whoever is helping you get ready:
- Finger food that won’t wreck your lipstick, nothing messy or heavy
- A real job for both moms, since they almost always want one
- The dress (and the suits) steamed the night before
- The getting-ready schedule shared with everyone ahead of time
- Tasks delegated early, so you’re not doing it all yourself
- One point person fielding the questions instead of you
- Your details boxed and laid out before the photographer arrives
- Shoes, jewelry, veil, and perfume gathered in one spot
- A morning playlist set, or quiet if that’s more your speed
- A clear table and good light for hair and makeup
- An emergency kit packed, down to band-aids, lip balm, and spray deodorant
- Water and makeup-friendly snacks within arm’s reach
