While we guarantee that your wedding will be one of the most important and magical moments of your life, we also think it’s fair to say that this day will likely be stressful. While we’ve definitely all dreamed up our perfect day, it is unlikely that your wedding will go 100% to plan. This being said, there are ways to ensure that your big day goes off without a hitch (pun intended)!
To help keep your day stress free, we’ve compiled a helpful list of tips from some of our Cheers MT wedding vendors. These tips are perfect for helping you manage your wedding day stress, and ensuring that your big day is just as magical as you’ve always imagined it would be!
1. Roll with the Day!
“Bridezilla. Well now, there is an uncomfortable word on a dreamy wedding vendor site. None of us want to recognize that term. None of us want to think of ourselves as having the potential to be one. But the reality is, there wouldn’t be this term if this creature didn’t exist. You can trust me–sassypants–to go there. I’m known to address the elephant in the room for a living so let’s dive in.
This joyous, highly anticipated, and ethereal (hopefully once-in-a-lifetime) day comes loaded with expectation, which means it also comes loaded with opportunities for conflict or a potential“bridal meltdown”. I don’t mean to be a wet blanket here, but how often have you heard of things “not quite going as planned” on the wedding day? I like to call them “crap sandwiches”. For instance, you plan a wedding in August while in Montana you have a 98.76589% chance of warmth, blue sky, and beauty. Instead, it’s 42 degrees and raining; you can actually see your breath. Instead of a dry, dusty, dirt road with a light breeze catching your veil and tossing it playfully as you wander away hand in hand with your new hot husband, you are trying to envision wedding photos that include, well… mud. Your mom who has also been dreaming of this day for her daughter is being a little too intense, a “mumzilla” (my new word) if you will. Whaddya do?
I say plan for it all! Hope for the best, but plan for things to happen, because often, they do. Imagine the thing going wrong and ask yourself, “who would I want to be/how would I want to respond if I get handed a crap sandwich on my wedding day?” Take a long-term view. Remember, these relationships are going to last a lifetime and this day is only a day. Do I want to be playful and unflappable? It’s possible and we get to decide! Nothing says we have to meltdown if we get handed a crap sandwich. We can decide ahead of time to roll with it. Maybe we wind up with some totally unique wedding photos as a result! They say nothing is more attractive to a husband than his wife smiling.”
Christine Couch, Cheers MT Featured Relationship Coach
2. Keep your Schedule Detailed!
“As a wedding photographer, I have seen so many things that work and so many things that don’t work for weddings. Most wedding advice comes from hindsight which means you get to learn from others’ mistakes and their successes. Definitely chat with former brides and your vendors. They can help bring so much foresight to your big day.
If you came to me and said I could only give you one piece of advice, it would hands down be to have a very detailed schedule of the day. Every laid-back bride just groaned out loud, but this will ensure that your day will be laid back. Every client I work with goes through a day of schedule with me to make sure nothing is missed, but more importantly, it keeps people from bothering the couple all day and even the days leading up to the wedding. It also serves as a great visual to help move events around in case something goes wrong.
Start your schedule with what time your wedding party needs to be where and go from there. Have times for vendors to arrive and their contact info on it. So when the flowers are running late or the videographer went to the wrong venue, there’s information on the schedule for someone else to take care of. I promise you won’t regret making a schedule and to be honest, it’s kind of fun to envision all the events weeks or months before they take place.”
Kelly Kirskey – Kelly Kirksey Photographer, Cheers MT Premier Photographer
3. Communicate your Comfort Zone!
Be honest about your comfort zone in regards to being the center of attention. If having all eyes on you for 12+ hours and having everyone asking you questions and wanting to talk to you doesn’t sound appealing, be open about it. I, personally, become very uncomfortable in situations like that and initially didn’t say anything to my fiance who wanted a 150+ person wedding. I kept hinting towards a smaller version and he was not taking the bait at all. Finally, I told him the whole concept of a large-ish wedding sounded horrible to me and that I was starting to dread the whole thing. Thankfully, he agreed to have a super small one. We ended up with a 20 person wedding and it was absolutely beautiful! Our friends and family are still telling us it was the most fun wedding they’ve ever been to!
Sarah Varley – Bitterroot & Blue, Cheers MT Premier Event Coordination & Rentals
4. Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing!
When thinking through the wedding day the biggest piece of advice that I can give is “Keep the main thing the main thing.” There is a lot that will be vying for your attention on your wedding day. Timelines, guests asking questions, and things not going according to plan, just to name a few. These things, if you let them can really put a damper on the day and cause a bunch of stress. So just remember “Keep the main thing the main thing.” You are getting to marry your partner today! So slow down, breathe it in, and live in the moment. This is a once-in-a-lifetime memory that you get to enjoy with those nearest to you.
CJ Moll – Charles Moll Photography, Cheers MT Photographer
6. Be Present, Trust your Vendors, and Eat Snacks!
After months of planning and lots of time spent on Pinterest, your wedding day is here– yay! Here are three important things to remember as you navigate this day:
- Be present and enjoy the day. Spend time with your friends and family here to celebrate with you. Make sure to have mini-dance parties while you’re getting ready. When you see your future spouse for a first look or during the ceremony, pay attention to the little details you might miss once the party starts. Take your time, and take it all in.
- Trust your vendors! Your vendors are there to make sure everything goes according to plan, so you don’t have anything to worry about. Let them handle the work– they’re professionals!
- Eat snacks! There is a lot that happens between breakfast and a late afternoon ceremony– hair and makeup styling, getting dressed, first looks, photos, and even private vows. Make sure that you have someone on deck who will be responsible for getting food to you and your crew, and consider stashing bags of snacks in the bridal suite. No one wants to be hangry on their wedding day!
Killian Flanagan Payne, Events by Killian – Cheers MT Wedding Planner
