I thought I would talk you through the morning of our wedding, the getting ready process and how I managed to stay calm – I definitely surprised myself with that last one. I never thought I would treasure the morning as much as I do, which is one of the reasons why I’ve said to every bride to be I’ve spoken to, make it as stress free as possible!
We stayed in a hotel about a mile away from the venue called The Golden Pheasant. It was lovely and a nice place to get a good nights sleep before the day. Surprisingly I slept well, it’s quite funny because one of my bridesmaids that I was staying with woke up at 4 and she was too excited and couldn’t get back to sleep, after a 30 minute, half asleep prep talk I went back to sleep and woke up at 6am. Jodie who did our hair and makeup arrived at the hotel for 7 to make a start on curling hair.
One let down with the wedding venue is that we couldn’t get into the bridal prep room until 8am, and with us getting married at 12 that didn’t leave enough time for Jodie and her assistant to get everyone ready, which is why they had to start at the hotel. At 7.45am we quickly grabbed some breakfast, headed outside in our little dressing gowns, flip flops and pin curled hair and went to the venue to start getting ready properly.
I was so lucky to have some amazing family members help out with bringing all the decor (we did this the morning of the wedding! It really wasn’t too stressful as we only had a few bits to set up, and my uncle was just amazing and brought everything with him) I was really keen to help out because I had some spare time, so I set up the fire place in the bar area while some of the girls were getting their makeup done.
We drank cups of tea, ate croissants while listening to Beyonce and just got excited together for what was about to happen. At 9am my flowers arrived, luckily my makeup hadn’t been done yet because I couldn’t help but cry (and hug the lady that did them, lots). We didn’t have a huge budget for flowers so I went for a florist that doesn’t usually do weddings, and they were so affordable and I just didn’t know what to expect. When they arrived I was over the moon. Seeing everything come together and how much our wedding day meant to other people was heart warming.
Around 10am when I sat down to have my makeup done, suddenly I had time to think about what was actually happening – thoughts of “omg, I’m actually getting married”. I thought about my then fiancee and wondered how he would be feeling. Everyone couldn’t believe how calm I was, and even while getting my makeup done I was calm but I just couldn’t stop smiling. I couldn’t control it, I have honestly never felt happiness and excitement like I did in that moment of realisation. Like so many brides I worried that things wouldn’t go to plan, but really it came together better than I imagined.
In the bridal prep room there’s a little window so you can see who’s coming and going from the venue, all of the bridesmaids started to see our guests arriving (of-course I wasn’t allowed to peak). I could hear the string quartet and downstairs getting louder. I kept telling myself that I’m excited rather than scared, or focusing on the fact I could cry. There were so many emotional moments but I think the calm atmosphere in the bridal prep room helped massively. We didn’t have too many people in there which also helped.
As I was getting my hair finished 10.45am (I think) it was about time I swapped the tea for champagne. I’m not the best when it comes to alcohol so I had two, but honestly this really did calm my nerves and just managed to take the edge off everything. I would recommend having anything more in the morning, with the excitement of the day it’s hard to remember what’s going on as it is!
Just before I got into my dress I gave the girls a card and gift, I chose the heart ChloBo bracelet. I have a couple myself and thought they would be a nice token to remember the day. Plus something for all the girls to wear on the day. My brother came and gave me my wedding present and card from Jay, another really special moment. After this everything else is a bit of a blur, we were running late slightly (I kept him waiting 15 minutes haha!). I’m sure my mum still had her hair in rollers at 12, I got into my dress, the girls have me a hand with the last minute prep and I got ready for my brother to walk me down the isle and to get married.
I think choosing who you have with you the morning of your wedding is one way to ensure it’s a calm and relaxing atmosphere. The reason I was so excited and happy is because everyone around me was too. Think about this when you book your photographer and makeup/ hair artist, their presence and personalities will impact the wedding morning so if you don’t get a good vibe – don’t book.
Writing this post has made me realise just how lovely the morning really was. I wasn’t prepared for just how wonderful it would all feel. So if you are feeling nervous or wondering how it will plan out, there will probably be lost of nice surprises, some nerves and emotional moments. Just don’t stress and enjoy it, it’s part of the wedding day.
Catch up on the other wedding week posts here: “5 Things I Learned Getting Married”“The Wedding Venue & Decor” “The Wedding Day Outfits” “
All photos are by our amazing wedding photographer Tom Calton.
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