Pre Wedding Tips | All The Things No One Tells You To Do | Wedding Advice | Albuquerque Wedding Phot

The closer your wedding gets, the busier and the crazier your life can seem! There are so many things to do and so little time to do them! By the time the big day comes, you’ll find a few things making you say “I wish I would have done that!”

But fear not, because we’ve got you covered. We’ve gathered some tips and tricks from attending so many weddings, and from our brides themselves!

.:Things To Do The Week Before:.

1) Break In Your Shoes!

I know it’s scary to think about scuffing them up before the big day. But you don’t need to wear them out and about. Try keeping them on for half an hour a day while at home. This can be while doing laundry, or sweeping the floor. I know it sound weird to vacuum in your sparkly high heels, but there’s so many benefits:

-Your shoes WON’T be killing you the day of your wedding. (Which is nice since you’ll be in them all day.)

-This will also help you learn if you need to wear a band aid or buy an insert to avoid blisters and maximize comfort.

-You’ll feel comfortable walking in them. No tripping and rolling ankles on your big day!

-You will never look more fabulous doing housework. 🙂

2) Notify Your Family Members That They’ll Be In Photos

As soon as the ceremony is over, we’ll round up your family members to grab those family portraits super quick and move on to photos of you and your boo! That is, if we can grab everyone quickly. No one wants to be standing around while we wait for aunt Carol to get a move on. And we don’t want to send more family members AWAY in order to hunt down other family members.

When we send you your shot list, let those family members know in advance. Call them, text them, and remind them that immediately after the ceremony they are to meet you somewhere specific for photos. If you don’t have a location picked out yet, ask them to stay seating at the ceremony space. It’s easier to move a crowd when they’re already together!

This way we can but through your family group shots and start focusing on you and your new husband!

If you’re doing family portraits BEFORE the ceremony, remind them when they need to be at the location by and give them a rendezvous point. You can also remind them at the rehearsal.

3) Practice Getting In Your Dress

Seems easy enough. But I promise, you’ll be thanking us. Many brides have corset gowns or buttons all down the back. And while these are BEAUTIFUL additions (I am a sucker for buttons, they make me swoon) they aren’t always easy to manage. it takes lots of practice to be able to lace a corset quickly, and without practice it can take a whole team of bridesmaids a long time to get all those buttons buttoned. I had to work in a bridal shop lacing gown all day in order to get fast at it. Your maid of honor won’t be as quick on her first try.

Everyone wants an excuse to wear their dress more than once anyways. Have your mother or MOH practice getting your dress on before the big day! Most bridal shops and alterations specialists will even help teach you the proper way to do it, and some tips if you ask for pointers!

4) Perfect Your Entire Beauty Routine (Month Before)

Now for a “What not to do”: DON’T take any beauty risks. If you’ve never had a spray tan before, maybe don’t risk it the week before. Start experimenting with shades a few months before if you want a spray tan. If you’re getting a manicure before your wedding, go somewhere you’ve been to before and have had a great experience at. Make sure you get your hair and make up trial so you won’t be surprised by your wedding look a few hours before walking down the aisle ( When it’s too late to change it!)

Make sure you are confident in EVERY aspect of your wedding look BEFORE going in to finalize it. A good way to always make sure you love it; Do a bridal portrait session!

You can read more about what they are and why we think every bride should have one here!

.:Things To DO The Day Of:.

1) Don’t Wear a Bra

Gasp! Sacré bleu! Haha although honestly, who ENJOYS that anyways?

Here’s why we’re saying to let the girls breathe that day: Many brides wear backless/low back/illusion backline dresses. Keeping your bra off the night before through the morning of eliminates those terrible indents on your skin. This is also beneficial for strapless gowns. You don’t want to see your bra straps leaving lines in all your pictures.

Now if your back is totally covered and you have sleeves, then it isn’t as big of a deal. But if you’ll be showing your back off during your wedding, consider going braless that morning!

2) Bring ALL your details

You’ve spent so much time and energy pouring into every little detail of your big day, you deserve photos of them!

To ensure that you get photos of your details to remember forever, make a check list of the items you want photos of before the wedding. On the wedding day make sure you have them all with you when your photographer arrives.

The list we give our brides are the following:

-Dress

-Veil/ Hair pieces

-Rings (All three! His too!)

-Shoes

-Bouquet and Boutonniere

-Jewelry and perfume

-Garters

-Something old, new, borrowed, and blue

-Invitation suite

3) Limit Alcohol Consumption For Yourself And Your Bridal Party

We know that your nerves are everywhere and even just the thought of a mimosa is already calming you down. This is a personal choice and only YOU get to set a limit. Sitting down and getting your hair done while you drink isn’t going to make you feel the alcohol. However, once you stand up and start walking around, it’s a different story.

Same thing with your bridal party. In order to make your day as stress free as possible, you want everyone where they need to be when they need to be there. Take it from our experience: photos will take much longer if your bridal party isn’t listening. And since we don’t want to cut into your bride and groom portraits, you may not get as many photos of your bride squad as you wanted.

It’s your big day, so don’t feel bad asking your friends not to drink before cocktail hour or setting a drink limit. That’s what the reception is for!

4) Water Water Water

Speaking of drinking, make sure you’re drinking enough water. I mean, drink enough, and then drink more. Hydration is important every day, not just your wedding day. However, did you know that stress can DEhydrate you? After you get ready, you’ll be running around for photos and getting ready for your ceremony and then taking MORE photos and you probably won’t get a chance to drink until the reception. Dehydration can lead to headaches, muscle cramps, dry skin, and even bad breath (which no one wants.) So keep water by you at all times. Have your bridesmaids keep you accountable for staying hydrated through the morning. Make sure you always have a water bottle or glass of water nearby!

5) Eat Something

Again, your nerves are everywhere! “If I eat I might vomit!”

It is SO important to eat on your wedding day! You don’t want to be dizzy and grumpy all day, and you don’t want to risk passing out! Keep some easy on the stomach items nearby; fresh fruit tray, crackers, rice patties, even some OJ will help! Most of the time, brides end up skipping lunch while getting ready. And not eating from 9-7 is NOT a good idea. Many couples have even told us that they spent so much time talking to guests that they didn’t even have time to eat dinner! So try to snack throughout the day! You’ll feel better in the long run. Have your bride tribe try keeping you fed. Ask someone to set aside a plate of snack from cocktail hour while you’re taking photos, and if you don’t have time to eat dinner, don’t be afraid to ask if the caterer can box it up for you!

Your wedding is the happiest day of your life, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with minor things that stress you out!

Ask around and see what past brides might have to say too!