What is the number one things brides almost always overlook on their wedding day? It’s the thing you would least likely expect, but makes a huge impact when you look back through your photographs.

It’s the getting ready location.

I know it seems small and insignificant, but location and tidiness is key to keeping your photography looking great throughout the day. In my opinion there is nothing worse for a photographer than arriving onsite to what might look like a bomb just went off - empty dishes and mimosas from brunch scattered about, a gazillion overnight bags tossed around, misc clothing laying about + the people +the makeup team etc. Chaos! And trust me, it will show in your pictures. Some photographers will do their best to tidy up- but the more they occupy their time with being your maid, the less time they have to get those great getting ready shots. So here are some key tips to making sure your setting yourself up for success. But before we get into all that, the first thing to consider is choosing your getting ready location.

Location Location Location

I always suggest a hotel suite that has a kitchenette/dinning area, a sitting area and a separate bedroom space. This gives you multiple areas for photography and also allows you to order-in brunch and your beauty team can come right to you. This also means there is no rushing around the day before to clean the whole house or grocery shop for brunch the next day.

My Favourite Ottawa Hotel Suites:

Andaz - Large Suite

Le Germain - The Prestige Suite

Chateau Laurier -Presidential Suite or Executive Suite

*** If you live in or have friends that live in a condo building, another option would be to consider checking if you can rent a furnished suite for the day.

Prep Talk

You gotta lay the groundwork. At your dinner rehearsal, reminding your girls of how the day will progress is so so important. This way they fully understand the time constraints and how their actions can affect the overall flow of the day ie: tardiness, forgetfulness etc. Actually, a mini printed timeline with tips would be super helpful. Here is a list of helpful tips i’ve provided brides before:

It is very important for all bridesmaids to arrive 15 mins before the suggested arrival time. This provides a small buffer period for everyone to get organized before your beauty team begins.
Bring only one overnight bag and place it in the bedroom once you arrive
Steam and hang your dresses the night before
Don’t forget to bring a comfy pair of shoes for dancing
Have a small’ish purse with all your immediately necessary items you want to carry with you throughout the day.

Grown Up Babysitter

I know this sound silly, but as a bride, to truly enjoy your day, you shouldn’t be running after your bridal party to keep them on time and in check. Instead, delegate morning tasks to your Maid of Honour such as:

Preparing morning snacks

Making Mimosas

Ensuring endless coffee available

Keeping the getting ready space clean and tidy

Assisting the beauty team with set-up once they arrive

Ensuring there is a steamer for the brides dress

Gathering any items the bride would like photographed for her details (veil, shoes, perfume, invitations, gifts)

Keeping all the girls on-time throughout the beauty process

CONSISTENCY

It's always nice to have getting ready robes available for more cohesive images during your getting ready photography.

TIME CHECK

30 mins before your photographer or videographer is due to arrive, your Maid of Honour should grab whomever is not in a hair or makeup chair, to tidy and clean all areas to ensure you don't have any clutter which can be seen in photos. I’ve personally gone as far as removing artwork. I know, I know….it’s soooo bad…but if a bright neon blue poppy painted in the 90’s in a speckled gold frame doesn’t flow with your wedding vibe- guaranteed I’m taking it down! You’ll thank me later:) Mind you- I’m not always onsite while your getting ready.

The 5 Minute Rule

If there is anytime in a day where you will loose time, it’s while your getting ready. I have this rule. For every person with you getting ready, you will be 5 min late. Let do the math together:

1 bride + 4 bridesmaids + Mother of the Bride + Junior Bridesmaid = 7ppl x 5min = you will be late by 35 mins

Options

With all this being said, it’s important to be prepared. If you feel like you need additional assistance to plan and coordinate and keep you on time during the morning, you may want to ask your planner if she can provide you with a dedicated attendant to ensure everything runs smoothly and you want for nothing! ;)

xo Elise

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Toast Events Wedding Planning Horticulture Building

Timelines Are In-Place For A Reason!

Let's talk about them for a second.... and imma give you some advice!

These are tricky waters here....because in my eyes-timelines are a loose guideline to keep the day running smoothly. Yes you'll be 10 mis ahead or behind, and it's our job as a planner to gently guide you along without being excessively late.

It's like a science, I know how long certain tasks take and plan for our brides accordingly. By the time your wedding comes, we'll know if @britd (as seen in the photo above) is super organized and on time or not. - B, we love you for being so punctual!

So I'm going to tell you EXACTLY where you will always loose time followed by great advice to make sure you don't let that happen on your wedding day.

It starts with BEAUTY.

Bellow I'm giving you explicit instructions on what to do and what NOT to do on your wedding day!

GIRLS! This is so-so very important!!!

1. What's the number one thing that will mess up your whole day from the get-go?.....your bridal party arriving late for hair & makeup. This is so unacceptable ladies- get it together! xox Pack your bags the night before, make a list and check it twice because when the morning alarm hits- you gotta be up, present and ON TIME!! And no! You can not pick up a Starbucks on the way- why? Reason number two.

2. The morning should be relaxing and literally want for nothing. When your beauty team is onsite- it's go time. That means no leaving to pick up something you forgot at home or decide you need that Starbucks after all. To all the Maid of Honours reading this blog. This is your cue! It's your job to set the scene. That includes organizing snacks, making coffee, assembling the brides little curated emergencies kit, curating that itunes play list, helping the beauty team set-up, making sure the place is always neat and tidy etc. The morning is your time to shine. The wedding planner isn't there to micro manage everything- so that's your job now :) and for a limited time. You need to keep all the girls in-check with no extra chit-chatting while makeup is being done- this always slows down the process, because once you move your mouth- your artist has to stop.

Next.....

3. Someone randomly decided after having their hair done, that they would rather have an up-do than that gorgeous blow-out the stylist just spent 1.2hrs on. For brides, once you make a decision at your trial- stick with it!! There is simply no time for two beauty looks. Same with your bridal party. To avoid this from happening, ask all your bridesmaids to send you a picture of what they would like their hair and makeup style to be in advance. MOH- your job again- make sure those pictures are printed and available for all your artists the morning of. CLICK HERE for my very own Beauty Prep document that I use for all my clients.

And there you have it. My achilles heel for loosing time on your wedding day.

Lastly, I'm going to throw some mathematic at yah!

Add 5 mins for each bridesmaid and that will equal how late you'll be even if you follow all my advice ;)

Keep in mind, this is just the tip of the iceberg and there's so much more I could chat about for days!!!

But until then my pretties, stay tuned and visit our blog often for more amazing advice, tips and tricks to help you get through your wedding planning.

Eliza