You will probably be given plenty of advice prior to the day of your wedding, but sometimes there are some rather important aspects that people leave out. So here are some things you might not have thought about in advance, and some solutions regarding what to do about them.
Wedding dresses are VERY hot. I don’t mean hot in a sexy way, I mean temperature. Unless you get a sheath dress that is very simple, and you aren’t wearing any special undergarments like spanx or a corset, you will be much warmer than you normally are. Stunning wedding dresses can often credit their enchanting appearance to layers of crinoline, taffeta, silk, beading, embroidery, lace, and swarovski crystals. Unfortunately, all this finery is also the perfect mix to create a very well insulated dress that retains all of your body heat. When you go and try on your dress at the dress shop, you may notice at first that the store is set at the temperature of an icebox. This is to make those trying on the dresses more comfortable. Unless you choose to get a short dress, this unexpected rise in temperature is basically unavoidable. Unfortunately, there are many consequences of this. Other than just feeling warm, it can lead to excessive sweating between your legs which can lead to painful chaffing. This is not the way you are going to want to start your honeymoon! So, take the advice the wonderful women at Katherine’s Bridal Boutique gave me. Get a small thing of baby powder (talc free!), and cover your inner thighs with a light coating of it. What they didn’t tell me was the fairly obvious instruction of doing this BEFORE you put on your dress. Unfortunately for me, the day of my wedding, I was completely laced up into my dress, hair done, etc, and then it hit me, OH NO! WE FORGOT THE BABY POWDER! It felt like a scene out of my Big Fat Greek Wedding. At this point, we realized there was no way we had time to take off the whole dress, and do that, so instead, my wonderful bridesmaid who was a medical doctor and had just completed her obstetrics rotation had the bright idea of me laying on my back and legs up as if they were in the stirrups and she put her head up the layers and layers of fabric and squirted many poofs of baby powder. Of course at that very moment, the best man brought up the flower girl to have her hair done, and he let out a huge “What on EARTH is going on here!” and got out his camera to try to take a photo. In what I hope was my only bridezilla moment of the day, I let out a scream,”GET OUT! you take that photo, you die!” Antiperspirant, Body Glide for Her, and Monistat Anti-Chaffing gel work even better than baby powder. So long story short, do use something to avoid chaffing, and make sure to do so BEFORE you put on your wedding dress. You might also consider having a small fan placed under your table in front of where you will be sitting. If the linens are long, no one will be able to see it. I have had more than one bride express to me that they’d wish they’d had a fan under the table.
Stay hydrated. This goes hand in hand with the wedding dresses are hot point. It’s a tricky situation. I have seen many brides try to not drink many fluids that day to avoid having to use the restroom, to try and fit in their dresses better, or just plain have been so busy that they forgot to drink some water. Unfortunately, the lack of drinking fluids in combination with the very hot dresses, can quickly lead to finding yourself extremely dehydrated. Along with all the activity of the day, this can lead brides to pass out. So in the end, ask yourself, which is more embarrassing, having to use the rest rooms a few times with your wonderful bridesmaids assisting you, or passing out at your own wedding. I’m guessing the latter. To avoid this problem try to remember to drink a fair amount of water while you are getting ready in the morning and during the reception. Be sure to use the restroom right before you put on your dress. Ask your servers to keep your glass full of water if you have servers, and if not ask members of your bridal party to bring you water when they can.
Use Spot My Photos at your Reception: Hire a wedding photographer who uses Spot My Photos, an incredible photo sharing platform, to capture your wedding. This way your guests will get all the photos being taken of them in their own private gallery in real time while they are still at your wedding delivered right to their phone! The WOW factor is off the charts with this one. They will be totally mind blown and will share those professional images taken by your photographer on social media instead of their blurry, not so flattering, cell phone selfies of you.
Consult your photographer when creating your schedule for the day. To get all the shots you want, enough time needs to be allotted for set up. Certain shots will only work at certain times of the day. This is all helpful information your photographer can provide you if you talk to them in advance.
Edit your wedding photos with Evoto AI. Evoto is an incredibly powerful image editor that is super easy to use and affordable! It’s WAY easier to use than photoshop! I made this video showing you step-by-step how to use Evoto AI to edit your wedding images so you can see just how easy it is to use and all the amazing features it is packed with. Click on this link for 30 free edits!
Videotape your dress being bustled at the store on your phone: bustles are often VERY complicated. Have your maid of honor or mom go with you to the store to see how to bustle your dress and video tape how to do it on your phone. Have this person practice getting you into the dress as well at the store. Here are two videos to help you get into your wedding dress properly as well as a time saving tip on how to close all those crazy loops over the buttons on the back of your dress.
Tone your arms and back. Just about every bride I know tries to get into better shape before her wedding so she can look her best on her big day. Unfortunately most of us don’t have tons of time to hit the gym so it’s important to know where you are going the get the most bang for your limited exercise time buck. Most wedding dresses combined with good shape-wear hide our least favorite parts of our bodies, but they do put our arms and back on display. So if you want a quick and easy way to make a big difference with how you’ll look on your wedding day try this simple 5 minute work out that concentrates on toning your arms and back put together by my friend and personal trainer extraordinaire, Lauren Hefez, that you can do in your own home! For more workouts you can subscribe to Lauren’s youtube channel.
Avoid the appearance of a double chin with proper posing. So many brides (and grooms!) are worried they will have the appearance of a double chin in their wedding photos. This can easily be avoided using a posing technique called “the turtle” that is borrowed from the fashion industry. Follow my steps in the video below and you will be able to keep your neck looking long and lean in your wedding formals.
Tell your photographer key information in advance. From special family situations like divorces and mobility limitations, to special details you want to make sure are captured, there are several things you need to share with your photographer in advance. For more information on this check out this post highlighting the most important things you need to let your photographer know about before your wedding day.
Bring a bridal emergency kit with you. On the day of your wedding, you want everything to go right. Inevitably though, something goes awry. That’s why you should bring a bridal first aid kit with you that has everything and anything you could possibly need on your wedding day. For more information on why these items are so important to have with you check out this post.
Have wireless mics and speakers at an outdoor ceremony. Unless you are having an intimate gathering of 10 people or so for your outdoor wedding, the groom and your officiant should be mic’d up, with a speaker or two spread through the audience. If you don’t, then only the first or second row, tops, will be able to hear you and the officiant unless each of you speak at unnaturally loud levels. So make things easier on you and your guests, and if you are doing an outdoor ceremony, get microphones, or start practicing projecting your voice. 😉 If it is very windy out, skip the microphones and just try to project your voice.
Have all your rings and other wedding details ready to be photographed in advance: While you are getting ready the photographer will likely want to take photographs of the rings, your jewelry, your invitations, your shoes, bouquets, and any other special items you are using that day. For a complete list of what you should have set aside in advance to decrease your stress that day, check out our blog post here. Be sure to get your engagement ring cleaned before your big day. Soap residue can really ruin how sparkly your diamond will look in photos.
Use Pinterest for inspiration not imitation: Trying to make your wedding a carbon copy of everything you see on Pinterest is an impossible and infuriating task. Instead of doing every bridal project you find on Pinterest, customize what you like to your own personal taste. Be sure to also share with your photographer any photography ideas you have well in advance. For more info on the best ways to use Pinterest when planning your wedding, check out our blog post here.
Get bridal magazine subscriptions: Most people these days are planning weddings for over a year and buy just about every bridal magazine that comes out during that time. You can save yourself a boatload by buying 1-year subscriptions online to these magazines, like Martha Stewart Weddings and Brides instead of buying them at your local grocery stores. Be sure to cancel them at the end of the year though so you don’t keep getting them year after year.
Look at each other during your ceremony, NOT your officiant: Couples almost always make this mistake. Remember you are marrying each other, NOT your officiant. So when you say your vows, you should look lovingly at each other instead of awkwardly mouthing them to the officiant.
Look at each other as you recess out: To be sure to get a romantic shot as you leave your wedding ceremony as newlyweds be sure to remember to look at each other.
Set watches to the right date and time: If you are giving your groom a watch as a gift, be sure to set it to the correct time and date when you give it to him. It makes a nice detail photo for the photographer to capture…IF it has the right date and time on it already.
Put a nice camera on your wedding registry: Many couples go on the trip of a lifetime for their honeymoon. Knowing how to use your camera properly will help you be able to capture images that you’ll look back on with joy. Put a camera on your wedding registry along with this book, How to Get Off the Green Auto Setting: A Practical Guide to DSLR photography for Beginners, so you can use it to its full potential.
If you found this post helpful email the link to your friends when they get engaged or if they are bridesmaids in a wedding.
I love these tips. I already knew about #2 and #3 but the two tips mentioned in #1, I almost laughed to an accident. I will remember those tips and make sure my bridesmaids do as well! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it Bonnie! Every word of it is true. The scene looked like something out of a romantic comedy.
An alternative to tip #1 is to use deoderant instead… it lasts much longer and much less mess:)
Agreed Heather! Since I wrote this post in 2010 I have stated to bring deodorant sticks for my clients for just such an occasion. The key is to make sure it is an anti-perspirant, not just deodorant, since what you are trying to prevent is excess moisture not smell.
If you’re afraid the baby powder will clump or wear off, other anti-chaff products are on the market.
Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel is exactly for inner thigh chaffing, and some runner’s use BodyGlide anti-chaff stick (looks like stick of deodorant).
I’ve personally used both (the monistat when wearing a dress in a hot, humid climate, and the BodyGlide for running a half and full marathon with rubbing arms and thighs) and they are awesome!!
regarding the mics: only the officiant and the groom not the bride? hmmm the grooms will work for both bride and groom? or is this because of attire? grin*
Lynnly, usually miking up the groom will work to get the audio from both the bride and groom. Also, the mikes are hidden better on a guy’s tux than on a white wedding gown. If the groom and bride are not standing close together (which would be unusual), then she would want to have a mic as well.
one thing to consider when being mic-ed outside is wind and feedback. My fiance is a professional wedding DJ and usually advises couples AGAINST being mic-ed outdoors, because if they are and it’s at all windy, all that can be heard is horrible feedback/white noise rather than the actual ceremony. Just something to consider!
DERMAdoctor Med-E-Tate is also a great product for keeping dry, and not just your underarms. I have used it for my feet when wearing hot shoes, friends have used it for sweaty hands, and I have even heard of it for facial perspiration. It comes in little packets, which, if I was a wedding coordinator, I would keep in my purse. Pricey, but worth it for your one special day.
Oh my word! Laughed so hard while reading your baby powder wedding story. Good stuff.
Great wedding ideas, especially for an outdoor wedding
Outdoor wedding ideas?
An idea that I came up with on my wedding day…I put a wash cloth,a little water and some ice in a zip-lock bag. I put it in the 1st seat on my side of the church before the wedding. When my father passed out my mom quickly grabbed the wash cloth and brought my father back around. Within 2 mins the wedding was going again. It really helped
My husband is a minister, so we have dealt with a lot of weddings. My husband is always miked. He won’t not let it happen. He also uses a choir mike for the couple. He does most of the ceremony with just his mike and then when there is movement, pulls the other mike out of the corner for the vows. This allows the couple to have quiet moments as well as allows the congregation to hear the vows. When miking the groom, you have to have a sound person who is going to mute it for most of the service.
I wear bike shorts under all my dresses, all the time. It prevents chafing, wicks sweat, and acts like a comfortable shaper all in one.
Eve, I wear bike shorts when I’m shooting weddings under my dress as well. But for your wedding day I think many girls might not be comfy with that as they might want to be wearing something a little bit frillier when the dress comes off at the end of the wedding 😉
Always have your wedding planner or maid of honor ensure that there is a small fan somewhere in the reception hall. I got married on a very warm day and melted in my dress. 🙁 So bad I had to take it off. A fan would have saved the day. Whenever I help with a wedding now, I bring one, and the bride is always grateful!
Another Tip: Make sure YOU know where your things are. In the rush to get to the reception on time, my things were everywhere! Half way through the night I needed my credit card, and I couldn’t find my purse – wasted 40 min of my wedding trying to find my room key, purse, etc. brutal.
To prevent chaffing use Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel. I used it for my Hot August wedding because i was serioisly debating on buying and wearing SHORTS under my dress. It truly worked with one application. and i ended up using for the honeymoon as well hot florida weather, it was PERFECT!
Plan on having a separate e-mail addy and phone # before you even THINK of signing up on a wedding website or going to a bridal show. I requested coupons for a show I ended up not making it to, but I keep getting “It was so nice to talk to you at Such and Such Bridal Show” emails and phone calls from vendors I’ve never heard of.
Thanks to Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail, you can have all the e-mail addys you want, and thanks to Google Voice, you can have a separate phone number that doesn’t ring anywhere, but sends a transcribed voice mail to your designated e-mail addy. And it’s all free. YAY!
The most akward thing in the world was at my brothers wedding when he and his bride to be didn’t inform them o our akward mixed family! Now we only have one sibling picture with his moms kids and us his dad kids! Make sure to tell your photographer to avoid situations like this!
Another tip for good photos with out the double chin is to always press your tongue up to your gum. I’ve done it for years and very very rarely get bad chin action in my photos, I don’t really know how to smile anymore with out doing it!
Baby powder is definitely not enough for chafing thighs… I recommend Monistat Chafing Relieve Powder Gel. It’s just like baby powder except it only goes where you want it to go because it’s a gel. It’s much easier to reapply once you have your dress on. Here’s a link to it:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=139254&catid=184078
Hehe.. just read the comments and it looks like Monistat has a lot of fans 😉
I just want to add something for anyone who reads all the way down here at the bottom 🙂
For the brides who do hydrate enough, and therefore need to pee frequently– turn and face the toilet, and sit down backwards. Thats right– like you’re riding a bike or a horse. It is incredible how much easier it is to lift the layers of your gorgeous dress that way, instead of hiking it up your back, hoping that you got all of it out of the way, and potentially returning to the reception with pee on your gown.
just turn around.
fascinating…
Why not just get married at City Hall? A lot less complicated…
great ideas
Saving for the wedding in my sons future.
First one made me laugh out loud :)))) thanks for sharing such intimate moments with us :))) much appreciated! Xxx
For all of my friends that plan on getting married soon, this will be a big help.
Helpful trick that saved the bridal party in two weddings I’ve been in!: An nylon will take deodorant off of just about any material (the dresses we had were chiffon and another was silk!). Just rub the nylon vigorously over the deodorant mark and it comes right out. seriously, works like magic!
I love this, I never thought about theses things and I’m very glad I found this:) Better to learn theses things now than during that day.
Here you go future bride friends
I am so going to try these exercises. Thanks for the photo tips too.
One thing I needed on my wedding day was chalk. Getting into the car I accidentally touched my lipstick to my dress and got a nice big smear of it on my dress. Luckily one of my bridesmaids had chalk with her. We wiped it off the best we could, covered it in chalk and could not see it in the pictures at all.
Mary Kay makeup remover took a lipstick mark out of my daughter’s wedding gown..
Mary Kay makeup remover took a lipstick mark out of my daughter’s wedding gown..
This is for you ladies getting married out there!! Saw this on pinterest and thought it was absolutely necessary for posting lol
Monastat makes an anti-chaffing cream….I used it for biking for chafing. MUCH better than baby powder or corn starch and no powder everywhere. Goes on as a cream…..dries like a powder…but no residue!
Amazing advice! Thank you!
One thing I wish I could have had with me for my wedding day was… ELECTRICITY! A freak storm the night of the rehearsal dinner resulted in a power outage across about 2/3 of the city for about a week. 105 degree temps with no air conditioning meant changing a TON of stuff for the ceremony and reception. SO glad I had plenty of deodorant, but oh my word, my dress stuck to my legs because of the sweat! My DJ was awesome, though, and kept reminding me to drink water. If I didn’t have a cup or bottle of water in my hand, he was telling someone to go get more water for me!
Brides: My tip is this… Expect the unexpected, but also expect that SOMETHING will go wrong, and no matter what you do, you cannot expect to fix every little thing. Just go with the flow and have a special someone (mine was my mom) who will keep you calm all day long. In the end, as long as you have your groom and the officiant, the most important parts are covered and the rest is just icing on the cake. 🙂
Awesome! Thank you for the tips!
As much as it would suck if you needed it, but I would add tampons to that picture list.
If your having trouble with toning your arms (or any other part of your body) or maybe you found this Post a little to late, i suggest It Works Body Wraps! If you don’t have a friend who sell it, I do! And they can be purchased all around the globe! check out: https://shown.myitworks.com if you have questions my contact info is on that page as well!!
The story about the baby powder had me in tears!
Gold bond now has a spray (wouldn’t have to get powder everywhere!)
Thought you’d like this Demi (:
My wedding coordinator used baby powder to get dirt/dust off my train, from the church floor. My husband’s cousin gave me a can of FDS, she said they were in a wedding, in the heat of the summer & stuck in the church loft to wait, one of the girls pulled out a can to prevent sweating, worked like a charm, without the mess of baby powder.
Pretty good advice
Pretty good advice
Hi ladies, some great ideas above but I have not heard ideas about how to stop your tan from staining your wedding dress. Especially under arms… Any ideas
My suggestion is not to fake bake. Even if it is a winter wedding you will likely sweat a fair amount and it may run down your skin leaving you looking streaky. That issue aside I still advise brides against it because in photos it gives them an unnatural orange hue. Even if you go to the pros and get it airbrushed on in photos you will still look orange tinted. So instead skip the fake and bake and the tanning beds all together. Get a dress that compliments your natural skin tone. I am pale as can be so I went with an ivory gold toned dress rather than a white white dress. Also make sure your make up blends down into your neck and decoltage. You don’t want to look two toned as a result of too much bronzer or too much powder/concealer. Hope that helps.
I wish I read this before my wedding!
I LOVE THIS!!!
Wouldn’t just wearing a pair of form-fitted shorts made out of something like lycra or spandex (not spanx or anything like that) be more comfortable than messing with baby powder? You’re going to sweat anyway. Lycra and spandex are absorbent, extremely breathable, and just as easy to take on and off as underwear. Put a panty-liner in those bad boys if you want to skip panties altogether.
I was on our church’s wedding guild (we helped all brides, but especially ones that were not members of our church) so I was often faced with last minute problems. I always added a few other things in my Bride’s Bag that I brought.
Imodium – just in case
Carpet tape – double sided tape, the kind used to keep rugs from slipping. This holds much better than the tape sold to hold up dresses. It won’t harm the fabric and it will hold a dress up, repair a hem, all those places that need to be held in place.
Panty liners – so versatile. Obviously they have their original use, but they can be folded and trimmed to make a dress shield to prevent sweaty armpits. If a shoe is too large, a panty liner can work as an insole or trimmed to fit at the heel. Use some carpet tape to help secure.
Visine eye drops – applied with a cotton ball, this can help calm red blotches on nervous brides or maids.
Oh these are wonderful tips. However, have you ever heard of Bandelettes? Bandelettes is a sexy way to prevent chafing while wearing your lovely wedding dress. I love, love Bandelettes, I use them all the time when I am exercising or when wearing skirts and shorts. It is a very sexy way to prevent chafing. http://www.bandelettes.com
Baby powder everything! I wore a full corset and poured powder all over the inside before I put it on. No drippy back sweat. Baby powdered the panties too and on the body in every nook and cranny, felt dry as could be for the day, only re-powdered the down under at bathroom brake before the reception. Worked like a charm.
Some really good advice there, thank you for being so honest! Going to share this article. Thank you.
I loved this page! I found everything so helpful!
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something all women should know!!! Talc powder is very bad for the womanly areas! ONLY use powder made from cornstarch!!!!!
About the emergency wedding day kit I would like to say that a bride without it is like a groom without a ring 😉 It is very important to be prepared for any unpleasant situation just in case. One of the most unwanted scenarios is to spill something on your dress. For this horrible situations be sure to have salt on hand. Sprinkle the spot with salt and leave it for some time to avoid the dirt penetrate the fabric. After a while just clean the spot with a wet wipe but not with water.
Ask a group of wedding photographers what advice they’d give to someone just starting out, and chances are you’ll hear something like this: http://dailycome.com/how-to-know-if-a-bride-is-your-bride-awesome/
As an officiant, the first part of the ceremony you are looking at us, because we are directly speaking to you about marriage and giving you the declaration of intent (AKA the “I do’s”) but a good officiant will say, “join the hands of, and look into the eyes of…” before you get to your vows. I also bring an emergency kit for all my brides, in case they forget! I also have blotting tissues (another must on a warm day), cough drops/aspirin/allergy tablets, girly products, a wrinkle-release spray, dental floss/disposable tooth brush and a bottle of white out…I know nobody wants to put white out on their gown, but if it comes down to having a large dark mark or that – you pick the white out (not that I’ve had to use it yet, thank God!)
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My suggestion for staying cool – if you are wearing a ballgown or a-line dress, wear a hoop skirt underneath even if it’s a small one. A petticoat over the top hides the lines from the hoops well. The hoop skirt will allow for airflow underneath the dress. If you want an extra blast of cold, hold something frozen under the dress near your feet and the cold air will circulate under the dress 🙂
Lydia Droogendijk, sommige dingen zijn best wel handig! 🙂 Translation from Dutch: These things are quite handy! 🙂
brides should learn these tips before wedding days. THanks for sahring.
Here’s another option to avoid thigh chafing – lace “bandalettes” you to wear. (link below) -OR – Gold Bond makes an anti-chafing stick (like a deodorant container,; sold at Walmart) you can smooth on. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NB94CO2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=28GFLJTUME0I4&coliid=I2WU4TQWBCUHQ7
Sweat prevention for the “under-boob” area, not only to stay dry, but avoid chafing : “invisible” stick anti-perspirant.
Lovely! This will soon enough be myself <3
Nikkis SprayTanning tips for you!
Excellent advice I will use them, Thank you!
The nerves will try to take ownership of your reason for your wedding day, I do not say that is not normal to have nerves, but try to keep them at bay. Most of the things you had to do and will have made in the days before your wedding, and you have left to do tomatillos calmly. If you feel the desire seeks installed on your mood you would do well to remember at the time what an old Chinese proverb says “If you have solution why do you care? And if you do not, why do you care? ” .
Not a good idea to take painkillers and less alcohol. It has happened more than a woman (of course also men, but they’ll talk in another post), which try to calm his nerves using these methods, the only thing they remember about your wedding is the hangover the next day.
As much an infusion of lime.
In short, try to be as relaxed as possible and enjoy what you came to do this day. Try to keep a clear mind, your senses awake, lest you escape any moment one of the happiest days of your life. And if you get to escape any, quiet, it is very possible that your wedding photographer take care of catch
Wear a Pantiliner! I got my period early walking down the aisle but thankfully was prepared!
@chantelle kat don’t let you or I forget this!!!