Michael and Olivia were married on a perfect sunny summer afternoon in the Perth Swan Valley, their wedding day was perfectly stress free and full of fun, after being apart of 100+ weddings, I feel like I have witnessed it all. Let me be honest in telling: my clients are amazing. They are the best of the best, I feel fortunate to know these people. In working with the best, I need to be the best. So how do you do that? Well, it’s all about guiding my couples through the complicated/stressful/crazy process of planning the biggest, most important day of your life. No biggie, right? Wrong.

So, let’s talk through four tips to help create a stress free wedding day?

1.) BE STRATEGIC WITH YOUR SCHEDULE:

Your ceremony time will direct how the day will lead. If it’s easy, great, you can do your photos in between that and cocktail hour, if you’re ceremony flows into your cocktails, well, you should probably consider a first look. Work with your photographer, find out how long they need for certain things, schedule in travel time, and add a little cushion!

2.) COMMUNICATE YOUR SCHEDULE CLEARLY:

Need your grandma to the church early? Want your wedding party to hang around after the ceremony? Need your college buddies ready for a shot during cocktail hour? Tell them! Make sure you communicate the schedule clearly and that everyone who needs it has it. Be an over-communicator, it will seriously pay off!

3.) MAKE SURE THERE’S TIME TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR RECEPTION DETAILS:

I urge my couples to do first looks for multiple reasons. First, it gives you the chance to soak it in, embrace, and experience the emotions without hundreds of pairs of eyes on you. It also gives me the chance to sneak into your reception during cocktail hour and photograph all of the hard work you’ve done!

4.) TAKE MOMENTS TO JUST BE PRESENT:

I know, everyone says it! The day flys by, so intentionally stop and, take a moment, hold each others hands and remember the moment. Wedding days are amazing and so much fun but they are here and gone in the blink of an eye.

It’s important to set yourself up for success and to ease any stress ahead of time!