What Should You Be Doing In The Week Before Your Wedding?
The Final Countdown To Your Wedding
That’s an easy question, with a simple one-word answer…nothing!
The week before your wedding is time to kick back with all the hard work and organisation out of the way and chillax. Easier said than done? Never was a truer word spoken!
A good technique is to work to a deadline which is a week before your actual wedding day. This takes all the pressure off and if some things are delayed or go wrong then you will actually have a week in hand to fix them. Just remember to tell people the correct date so you are not on your own at the venue!
Most wedding organisation is done months in advance but there are some things which have to be produced relatively late like the cake and the flowers – these really do need to be last minute, so they are fresh. But the decisions, discussions and ordering so the bulk of the work is all already all done, so the few days before the wedding should end up being a reasonably quiet time. However, that is not always how it pans out!
If you do have things to do in the last few days then why not allocate them to a special friend, one of the bridesmaids or a family member? There are always questions and queries from guests and suppliers most of which can be dealt with by someone else. Hand over the reins if its going to make you stressful.
Best laid plans
Aiming for lots of chill out time in the week before your wedding is a good goal to work to but some brides are simply better organised than others.
Disorganised brides or brides who just can’t make decisions on things have several different options:-
- Hire a wedding planner to keep you on track – there is a National Association of Wedding Professionals which is a good place to start if you can’t get a personal recommendation
- List all the tasks you need to do and then allocate them to other people
- Schedule tasks in order based on priority and deadlines – there are loads of online planners and apps to help you get organised. Some of these are attached to wedding websites. Setting up the planning and information on a website makes it easier to share tasks with other people and direct guests and suppliers to one central point, taking the pressure off in those crucial few days before the wedding
How to relax in the last few days before your wedding
- Plan some spa treatments with a close friend or family member – try to avoid loads of girlfriends as this may not be very relaxing! De-stress mentally and physically with beauty treatments, massage and meditation
- Take a trip to a special location that means something to both of you, this could be where you first met or where he proposed. Take some time out to remember where it all began and just what you feel for him
- Make sure you finish work early enough; most couples think four or five days is about the right length of time. Remember, if you are going away on honeymoon then you could be away for a couple of weeks or more. You will need to have your work organised in the usual way to cover your absence; this is easy to overlook in all the last-minute wedding frenzy
- Meet guests who are arriving early from far afield and who you may not have seen for a long time – it’s lovely to spend some time with people you don’t see often, and you may not have that time on the day itself
- Make sure you eat well, last minute nerves can play havoc with diet. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and stay hydrated by drinking lots of water
- Practise wearing your bridal shoes if they are new, walk around the house in them for a little while every day otherwise they may not be comfortable and could pinch. Slightly roughen the surface of the soles so that they don’t slip on carpet or polished wood, this is easy to do, just step outside for a few minutes on a dry day
- Go to bed early for a few nights otherwise you will be left with dark rings under your eyes, aim for at least eight hours a night. If last minute nerves are disrupting your sleep pattern, then instigate a good bedtime ritual so meditation or yoga followed by a warm bath with scented candles and relaxing with an absorbing book. Avoid anything digital which can disrupt restful sleep and will only tempt you to chat to friends online
- Allocate all the last-minute checks to a wedding planner, friend or family member. It is usual practice to do a final phone round or email to make sure everything is on track – let someone else do that for you. If there are any issues, then they can field the problems and only involve you if it is really necessary
- Pack for the honeymoon, make sure you allow enough time for this. It is a good idea to plan the wardrobe you want to take well ahead of time so the week before, then all you need to do is pack it
- Put together an emergency survival kit, some key makeup items, safety pins for a last-minute wardrobe malfunction, bobby pins, tissues, headache tablets, spare contact lenses. If you don’t have a bag or secret pocket in your dress, then entrust this to a friend or bridesmaid to look after
- Do a hair and makeup trial run, you might have done these already but not together
- Spend time with your family. The few days before a wedding are a very special time and not just for you but for your parents and siblings. Enjoy that unique time of anticipation and excitement when all the hard work is done and you just have the big day to look forward to
Things to avoid in the week before your wedding
- A new hair colour, it could literally just be a rush of blood to the head but resist the temptation. Every bride has doubts about their choices at the eleventh hour – stay strong otherwise the groom might not recognise you!
- Ditto spray tan, whilst a healthy glow is always desirable, you don’t want to walk down the aisle with an orange hue. If you must have a spray tan then have a couple of trial runs in the months leading up to the wedding and use a reputable salon
- Alcohol other than the odd sip of Prosecco
- Drastic skin treatments like a peel or microdermabrasion which will give you beautifully silky skin but not on your wedding day, these treatments take weeks to settle down and can leave the skin on the face red and irritated. Deep or harsh skin treatments are really only suitable four to six weeks before the big day
- Changing skincare products to maximise the impact on the big day, stick with what you know
How early should you go into the wedding venue?
If your ceremony and reception are being held in a hotel then it is tempting to book a stay three or four days ahead especially if there are spa facilities and a pool. This can help get you comfortable with your surroundings and also meet and greet friends and guests.
However, some brides just want to be at home but that may mean moving back in with mum and dad if you don’t want the groom to see you before the big day.
Troubleshooting problems
Even for the best organised bride, things can go wrong, and unforeseen problems arise.
Give the point of contact job to a best friend or family member so if there are any problems or disasters just before the big day, you don’t have to know. If you hire a wedding planner then this is just their remit, to iron out wrinkles and manage glitches so you don’t have to.
Pre wedding photo shoot
Pre wedding photo shoots are becoming more and more popular as part of a wedding photography package.
Sometimes called ‘first look’ pictures, these can be done on the day or the day before – a great chance to have a final dress rehearsal for dress, hair and makeup.
Many brides are opting for ‘first look’ pictures as they are uniquely private and special and allow a quiet moment before the ceremony and the reception when the happy couple are very much public property. But if you are superstitious then this may not be the thing for you unless the pictures are taken on the morning of the wedding itself.
The perfect last week before your wedding
Every bride is different and the perfect last few days before your wedding can be spent how you want it to be spent – there is no prescription you must follow. There are definitely some things to avoid but otherwise, anything goes!