The Day-Of Wedding Necessities You Probably Never Thought Of
While shooting weddings I've come across a few tips that can help your wedding day (specifically the getting-ready and cleaning up portions) function much better. There are a few simple items that can alleviate stress - and they're not tips that you'll find on most wedding blogs. These are definitely more practical and less cutesy but they will make a big difference! Today I'm sharing my top seven favorite must haves for making your wedding day easier!
Wooden Hanger
This tip you probably have actually heard of but people always forget it! I'm not sure why! You've invested a pretty penny into your incredible wedding dress. Let's make sure it is displayed and photographed on a wood or decorative bridal hanger instead of the 2 cent plastic one that it came on. Nothing cheapens the look of a beautiful gown like a photo of a crappy plastic hanger. You don't have to have a custom wire one with your name or wedding date either - a plain wooden hanger will do in a pinch!
Button-up Shirt or Robe
Your hair and makeup artists will thank you profusely for this one. The purpose of a robe goes beyond the cute getting ready outfits. You do not want to ruin your professional hair and makeup by pulling a tee or tank top up over your head and across your face. You should be wearing a button up shirt, zipper sweatshirt, robe or something that can be taken off without pulling it over your head.
Dry Spray Deodorant
Whether you're having a mid-summer wedding or you just tend to get sweaty when you're nervous - you should be using dry spray deodorant on your wedding day. A lot of posing with couples involves the bride throwing her arms around the grooms neck so yes, sometimes we see your armpits! Dry spray deodorant will not clump like traditional stick deodorant and it won't take time to dry like gel. You can spray it everywhere... and I mean everywhere. Dove and Degree both sell excellent dry spray antiperspirant deodorants. If you feel like you want or need extra coverage, I recommend applying a traditional clinical strength stick antiperspirant the night before your wedding.
Power Strip
Regardless if all of your girls are having their hair and makeup done in one room or not - you can always benefit from more outlets. This will fill up with phone chargers, hair dryers and curling irons.
Basket or Box
Yes, a storage basket or box like the ones you find in the "home storage" section of Target! Place all of your details in this basket before you ever leave your house. Jewelry, invitations, shoes, perfume, both wedding bands and anything else that will be photographed as a part of your wedding-day details. Keeping it all in one place is helpful for everyone. When your photographer arrives, all you have to do is hand over that one box (avoiding many scavenger hunts for details).
Trash Bags
Before the photographer starts shooting the getting ready process, the room must be tidied up completely. Pizza boxes, lunch trays, tissues and empty champagne bottles must all be tossed. The tiny hotel/venue provided trashcans are absolutely not going to cut it. Bring along a few trash bags of your own to make this process smoother.
Empty Suitcase
If you are getting ready at your reception venue and will need to vacate the bridal suite at the end of the night, bring a large empty suitcase with you. This is by far my favorite tip because I love the idea of just tossing all the junk in, zipping it up and rolling it away. The suite will be filled with random things like snacks, touchup makeup, the clothes you got ready and so much more. No one will have time to pack up everything nicely and honestly, it's not all going to fit in the bags you arrived with. Believe me. Save yourself some drunken panicky headaches at 11 PM and just throw it in the rolling suitcase before your ceremony begins, toss it in the car and deal with it later.
