The morning of your wedding should be a time to have some fun with your closest friends, family, and wedding party. Whether you’re planning a more traditional wedding, or breaking all of the rules, these are just a few fun ideas I’ve noticed couples incorporating into their wedding day plans prior to the ceremony. 

1. Have fun

All of the tips after this are second to this one—this is your wedding day and the most important thing is for you to enjoy it. This might mean unplugging for some time to avoid looking at distractions on your phone and to be present with those around you. Delegate anything you can to others (trust me, everyone will want to help and will feel happy to have a part in the wedding production). Don’t stress over unnecessary things, and try not to stress at all! It might seem tough but think about all of the time and effort you put in throughout the wedding planning process and let all of the worry go.

2. Coffee time

If you’re like me, this goes without saying, but take some time to really enjoy a cup of coffee with those closest to you. Maybe that means hitting up your favorite shop for a latte and pastries, or splurging on a few different bags of beans to have your own coffee selection at home dialed in. If you are a serious coffee connoisseur, set up a coffee station with your beans, a grinder, and different brew methods for everyone to try out. If you’re based in Rhode Island, I highly recommend checking out my friends at Bolt Coffee for your beans and even brew guides. Those folks are the best and they know their coffee!

 3. Wedding morning brunch

There’s never a bad time for brunch, but if there was ever a perfect time, I’d say it’s on your wedding day. If you’re planning to keep the two sides of your wedding party separate until the ceremony, think about picking places that might hold some sentimental value to you and your partner separately. That could be the greasy diner you spent many mornings at after a long night with your maid of honor or best man, or a local staple of the culinary scene. This is also a great way to ensure your stomach isn’t rumbling as you walk down the aisle. My recommendation is to keep this brunch intimate, with ideally less than a party of 8-10 so you’re able to spend some quality time with each person there and not feel too overwhelmed or hectic before the wedding ceremony. Everyone is going to tell you this, but don’t forget to seriously kick up the hydration game so you can feel great all day and through the night.

4. Go for a walk

More than just a good idea after that big brunch, going for a walk through a favorite park or place within a city is a great way to spend some time with those in your wedding party. If you’re not in a city, find somewhere nearby to take a walk or even a short hike. If biking is more your thing, plan a ride through town and let your friends know about it! It’s often the case that we simply can’t invite everyone to a wedding celebration, and I am always a fan of finding a way to incorporate those friends in our lives into a second celebration, whether that’s before or after the actual wedding. 

5. Hit the barber shop

Okay, this one is likely geared a little more towards the guys and if you know me at all, you know going to the barber shop is not my thing (though I do seriously admire the people who do this regularly). I personally have been part of wedding parties where the plan was to have everyone go to the barber shop in the morning to get cleaned up, and it was a really fun experience for me since I don’t usually do that kind of thing. It is also a good bulletproof plan to make sure everyone is looking their sharpest for those wedding day photos. 

6. Treat yourself

If going to the barber isn’t your idea of treating yourself, do anything that feels like a splurge! This is your day to celebrate, have fun, and go big with those closest to you. A trip to a spa in the morning is a great way to relax and rest up before the wedding festivities ahead. You can keep things simple and have a toast with a nice bottle of champagne at home or maybe go all out and pick a drink to make with all the fixings. Everyone’s tastes are different, maybe treating yourself looks like a trip to the local rock gym with all of your friends, this is your time to do something you don’t get to do every day and enjoy yourself! 

7. Write a letter to your partner

Maybe you don’t think you’re much of a writer, but if there was ever a time to put some words down on paper, I would say the morning of your wedding is the one. It doesn’t have to be so serious, write about how you’re feeling, the silly little things you’re worried about that you’ll look back on and laugh at, or how excited you are to see your significant other at the end of the aisle soon. Reflect on the past months or maybe even years of planning, the day you first met, or anything else meaningful. I see a lot of people wait to write their vows until the morning of the wedding and I actually don’t think that’s a terrible idea, because you’re so close to the moment and likely have a lot of feelings ready to be written out. 

8. Start the day early

The late risers in the room might hate me for this, but whatever your plans look like on the morning of your wedding day, the biggest advice I can give is to wake up at a reasonably early hour and get things going. This might definitely mean not staying out until after last call the night before. Early is a subjective term, but if you’re wedding ceremony is set to be some time between 3 and 5pm, I’d highly recommend thinking about getting up by 7/8am. This will give you time to avoid rushing and spend the morning with your close friends and family within the wedding party. 

These ideas are suggestions to give you and your wedding party something to think about that might keep you all from sitting in a room looking at your phones. It can be easy to default to that mode, and most of the time we don’t actually intend or want to be doing that. I don’t make many guarantees in this business, but there is one thing that I am certain no one has ever done, and that is look back on a moment when they were with their closest friends/family while everyone was sitting on their phones and talk about how good of a time that was. I think it’s important to be present on your wedding day, there will always be time afterwards to get lost in the infinite scroll. Whatever you choose to do, make it mean something to you and your partner and enjoy every minute of the pre-wedding festivities. Be sure to ask your photographer how they plan to navigate the time so they can capture both sides of the wedding party. I offer wedding packages that include time for me to be there with you and your wedding party through the morning so we don’t miss any of those unplanned moments that end up making the best photographs to look back on!