How to have a Stress Free Wedding Morning
April 1, 2026
—
- Planning & Guides
Tips from a Wedding Photographer for a Stress Free Morning
As a wedding photographer I've experienced a fair amount of wedding mornings, the excitement, the nerves, the mistakes, the questions that are asked in a panic almost every time. In my experience the morning of the wedding is the most potentially stressful part of the day for most people getting married. However, I do think that stress is avoidable if you just know a few things in advance. So many big things are planned for in advance of a wedding, so much so, that it's sometimes the obvious little things that are missed and that cause the most stress. So, how do you have a stress free wedding morning?
Limit the Number of People in the Room & Think Carefully About Who They Are
The peace, excitement and positive vibes of a wedding morning can be absolutely made or lost based on the people who are there with you.The number of people is especially important if you're an introvert but applies for anyone. If there's too many people, the chance of drama, chaos, or other peoples emotions becoming overwhelming increases dramatically. There is undoubtably a lot of emotion during the wedding morning and that emotion can become stressful, tiring and overwhelming. I've seen it many times that brides and grooms start to feel overwhelmed by the people around them (even if they're their absolute favourite people who are well meaning) and that's just not the best way to start your day. Remember you do not have to have anyone there and if you do they should be people who bring positivity to the environment in a way that works for you. Whether that's people who are calm under pressure, someone to hype you up, people who match your energy and know how to support you. The most important thing is that these people have you as their focus not themselves. Things can go wrong and you need people around you who will help and stay calm and positive not people who will exacerbate any stresses.
Let your people know what you need on the morning in advance
Now that you've chosen your A team that are going to support you through the morning. Let them know what atmosphere you want on the morning so they know how best to support you. Do you want a party and fun atmosphere to hype you up, do you want complete calm and relaxation. It doesn't matter what atmosphere you choose, thats personal to you, but it does matter that your people know so that they can keep that in mind and help to create the right atmosphere.
A key part of this that is simple but that I see stressing people out is the getting ready space being allowed to become a mess. If you're the type of person to become overwhelmed or stressed by the mess let people know in advance that you'd like help keeping on top of the mess and that you want a nice environment while getting ready. Not only this, as a photographer, I'll photograph in whatever atmosphere or environment you present to me, however, if you want a nice tidy beautiful environment in your photographs then that needs to be what is actually the case on the day.
Create the right Atmosphere
Another way to create the right atmosphere that will keep you positive and stress free is putting on a playlist that YOU love. Put together a playlist of songs that help you to feel what you want to feel on that morning. That's different for everyone and if you let the people around you choose it might not be what is right for you.
No necessary but a extra tip that I love is that if you love to have candles or incense sticks to make your environment smell good then bring a specific scent of candle or incense with you. Smells can effect your mood and not only that they can also be linked to memories. So choose a lovely scent and have it burning while you get ready. Then, in the future if you want to remember your wedding morning burn the same candle or incense and you'll be instantly taken back to that time. Such a simple but lovely way to have a memory of your wedding day.
Prepare your Outfits the Night Before
Now this is a big one and you'd be surprised how many people forget this and are stressed and rushing to sort it on the morning of the wedding.
The day before your wedding steam all of your outfits, suits, dresses everything. Get your shoes ready, jewellery, absolutely everything and have it all together all nicely hung up and organised ready to slip into in the morning.
Now here's a huge one, DO NOT IRON YOUR OUTFITS, please steam them. I have now witnessed a hole being ironed into a bridesmaid dress 2 hours before the ceremony. So please steam them, be gentle with them, have clean hands and make sure they're prepared the night before so that there's no last minute accidents.
Prepare for Getting into your Outfits
That beautiful dress that you dreamed of and found and are so excited to wear. Don't let it cause you stress. Does it have buttons, a corset, a huge underskirt. You need to know how to get into it, who is going to help you into it and if there's any handy tools that might help so that when the time comes its all excitement and no stress because you know exactly how to do it and you're prepared.
Wedding Outfit Tips & Things you Need to Know
- Buttons: If the back of your dress is lined with beautiful delicate buttons. Have a crochet hook handy and give yourself time who someone who is good with their hands. Even if this person has long nails the crochet hook can be used to hook onto the elastic and then pulled over each button. Trust me, doing this with just shaky nervous hands before the ceremony is not easy.
- Corset: If the back of your dress has a corset theres not necessarily any tools needed but decide who will be doing this for you and make sure they've had the chance to practice. The key with corsets is to keep the cord laying flat and not letting it get twisted. It's easy when you know how but it does take time to get it looking perfect. (If I'm you're photographer I can help or do this for you, I used to work in a wedding dress shop)
- Corsages: Make sure you have pins & safety pins available. Your corsages usually come with pins from the florist but I have seen there be a few missed many times which is usually followed by a mad rush to find some so definitely bring some with you (there's also lots of other ways a safety pin will save the day too). Traditionally, for men, the corsage is placed on the left side and for women its placed on the right side. I'm a huge fan of ignoring tradition if you want to but it's a question that gets asked a lot.
Engagement Rings: Before you head down the aisle where you'll get your new wedding ring, traditionally, you take off your engagement ring and either put it onto the right hand or you can give it to a trusted person. Following the ceremony you can then pop it back onto the left hand locking in your wedding ring. Again, that's just tradition but it's something thats always asked at the last moment.
Jewellery: A handy little tip that I saw at one wedding which I though was amazing was using eyelash glue to stick your necklace or bracelet in place. Necklaces like to move around and end up backwards or with that little clasp hanging around the front. But if you put a bit of eyelash glue underneath the front charm and the back clasp the necklace stays perfectly in place all day. Honestly, I witnessed this bride from the start to the end, dancing, everything and that necklace didn't budge!
Wedding Morning Hair & Makeup Tips
If you're having a Professional Hair & Makeup Artist
Honestly, I do highly recommend this. Its a common area that people cut costs and I get it those wedding costs really do add up. However, a good, experienced hair & makeup artist that you really get on with will absolutely make the morning.
A few tips:
- Have a trial with them: This way you know exactly how its going to look, you can tell them if you want anything different and you just know when you get up that your hair and makeup artist is going to turn up and make you look and feel incredible while you calmly sit in that chair feeling amazing.
- Make sure that you get on with them: I really think this is important for every one fo your suppliers but getting ready is actually a huge chunk of the day and like the tip about choosing the right people to be around you this definitely includes your hair and makeup artist. You want someone who you can chat with, who gets you or who lets you just relax if thats what you need. Choose a fabulous artist but also someone who just feels like the right person to have around.
- Discuss timings with them: They'll want to know the time of the ceremony to have you ready. However, for the least stress on your morning I'd recommend asking them to have you ready 1 hour before the ceremony, it allows for any delays in the schedule, gives time to take some beautiful portraits or group pictures with your wedding party or just time to relax.
- Content: no one can ignore the fact that getting content is now a part of all businesses and all suppliers may feel that they need to do this on a wedding day. However, all suppliers should respect that it is still your wedding day. I think it is now important to discuss this with your suppliers and find common ground and create boundaries surrounding this. It's completely fair that hair and makeup artists will want to take a picture of their work or a little video. However definitely find out what this will look like with your artist so that there are no surprises on the day and you're not spending your wedding day creating their content in way that doesn't feel fun or right for you.
DIY Hair & Makeup
Getting a hair or makeup artist isn't right for everyone, whether its cost, you love doing it yourself or any other reason. However, this is a common thing that I see causing a lot of stress on the wedding morning. So heres a few tips:
DIY Hair & Makeup Tips:
- Practice, Practice, Practice: Honestly, my personal advice is if you're doing it yourself don't do something completely new. Wear the makeup that is comfortable for you and that you're used to. However, I get it, it's your wedding day and you want to look your absolute best. So, leading up to your wedding absolutely nail the look that you're going to do. Fully trial and test the products you're going to use:
- Make sure that they all sit nicely together (you don't want any pilling because products aren't compatible)
- Make sure you have a combination that will last all day (find the perfect combination of primers, powders and setting sprays!)
- Make sure you have the exact right shade that matches your neck
- The same applies for hair, lots of practice. Make sure to do the style and then really put it to the test. Go party in it, go for a run, whatever it is just really test that you can get it to stay in place.
The Veil
On the topic of outfits and hair, if you don't have a hairdresser to do this for you please make sure you know how to put your veil in and how to make it feel secure. They can be heavy, the wind can blow them, people might stand on them. There is also definitely a right a wrong way to put it in and if it goes in wrong its going to feel super uncomfortable and distracting. So as always, practice.
Prepare Your Details for Photographing
It's quite common to want pictures of your details now. You want to remember all the little things that you put so much time and effort into choosing, they could be really special to you or you just know you'll want to look back on them in the future. As a photographer when I first arrive I don't want to jump straight into photographing people. Firstly you might be in the early stages of getting ready when I arrive so I don't want to be pointing a camera at you and secondly it allows people to have a moment to feel comfortable around the presence of the new person in the room. So the first thing I do after saying hello to everyone is that I'll ask for your details so that I can go and photograph them. This is usually the moment when people say something like 'hmm I don't know what I have' which prompted then turns into quiet a few gorgeous little details that they definitely do have but also in this moment it can take you away from just relaxing and having fun getting ready and its just another thing to think about.
So, what I recommend is to prepare this and place it all into a little bag the day before so that when your photographer arrives you can give it to them and its all there ready to photograph, no stress!
Details you might want to include for photographing:
- Veil
- Shoes
- Jewellery
- Rings
- Special sentimental items (something that you're having with you to remember a loved one perhaps. Think pictures, pocket watches, or the things that fall into the "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" category)
- Invitations or other stationary that represent the theme and styling of your wedding.
- Perfume
Don't Forget to Eat and Drink Enough
You wake up you're nervous, excited, there's adrenaline and you have a list of things that you need to do before the ceremony and the last thing on your mind is eating and drinking. Or maybe it crossed your mind a few times and then you got distracted. But trust me, book it in, schedule time, have snacks on hand that are easy to grab. You need to eat and drink before the ceremony.
As someone who goes to weddings as my job and still hasn't quiet figured out the best way to make sure I eat enough I'm saying this from experience. In most cases the ceremony is at lunch time so you skip that meal completely, then you'll have a reception where you'll be chatting, taking pictures and then you'll have some speeches and then after all that in the late afternoon you'll finally get some food.
If you don't eat in the morning and make sure you're hydrated as soon as the ceremony adrenaline wears off you've got people to talk to and pictures to take and you absolutely don't want to do that while hungry or with a headache. Worst case scenario its a hot day, you have a hot outfit on and there is absolutely a chance of passing out which no one wants.
Eat something, drink something = Enjoy your day
Planning your Time
Plan your time. Not in a restrictive, boring kind of way. Just so that you know there is enough of it for everything that you have planned. Then once you've done that add a 15 minute gap between each section. You'd be surprised how wedding days can so easily run behind and a lack of time creates a lot of stress. If you have time scheduled in then when theres little hiccups you have time to fix things, and your experienced suppliers have to time to help you and everything runs smoothly.
I hope all of these tips were helpful, they genuinely are things that I see coming up again and again during wedding prep and they're really easy to avoid if you just know about them in advance. I think sometimes the bigger things that are stressed about actually aren't that important in the end and these little things just make your whole experience so much better.
Once of my brides who's wedding morning went so smoothly told me that it was one of her favourite memories, getting ready with her favourite girls and I honestly think that can be the case for everyone.
Don't forget your suppliers are there to help and they have a lot of experience so ask for advice if you need it. If i'm your photographer your experience is my number 1 priority. So I bring some of the things that can help to make your morning run smoothly. I always carry scissors, safety pins, a sowing kit and lots of other useful bits. You're hopefully only going to do this once but your suppliers do it hundreds of times so don't be afraid to ask if you need help or advice.