Brides, you don’t need to do everything yourself on your wedding day. To help you let go a little, here are my 5 Tasks A Bride Can Delegate.
In all the weddings I’ve photographed, I haven’t met a single bride who doesn’t feel they must do everything themselves. From dressing their welcome table, to keeping the bridal suite clutter free for me to photograph the getting ready shots. Relax, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to! Trying to do everything on your special day doesn’t always mean things will run smoothly. It guarantee’s you’ll be stressed and exhausted when it comes to your ceremony though!
Here are a few tasks you may want to consider handing over:
Transporter
There’s a lot of ‘stuff’ that needs to be taken to a wedding. This can include favor bags, personal mementos for your reception and bridal table, and of course your bridal clothing. As the bride, you do not need to take on the task of bringing all these items to the venue. As someone to take on this task and return anything borrowed to whomever belongs to it.
The ‘Information Giver’
Yes, many guests will have questions, need information or even directions on the day. Consider delegating a friend or family member to represent you as the information giver. Brief them on everything wedding-related from timelines to guest seating arrangements. Let them answer all those inquiries. It’s a good idea to put their contact details on your wedding website or emails so guest know exactly whom to go to for help. Many vendors will also need to confirm details as they arrive. Delegating the task of being the wedding vendor contact to either your wedding planner, or someone organized on the day is the key. If any of your vendors need to be paid or tipped, put the checks or cash in a labelled envelope and hand to your ‘information giver’ before the wedding day.
Clear & Orderly Getting Ready Space
As a photographer, I ALWAYS ask my bride to consider keeping their ‘getting ready’ room clean and tidy. It’s hard to make getting ready photos look elegant if there’s dirty clothes and a huge pile of dishes visible in every shot! Having a tidy room will also help you enjoy those getting ready moments with some of your favorite people. Talk to someone who will be getting ready with you, such as a bridesmaid, and ask her to keep the mess to a minimum. Trust me, a tidy room means elegant photographs!
Group Photograph Organization
I specialize in smaller, more intimate weddings, but even with these there are times when getting the bridal party together for photos after the ceremony is nigh-impossible. The bride should not be the one herding the family together for group photographs. My solution is to always request someone to serve as a family-gather for your bridal party and family portraits. Someone who knows many of the guests, such as your Maid of Honor. As a photographer, I always request a full list of all the portrait groupings and who will be in each of them and have a go-to person to ask for help in wrangling the groups together. Your group portraits will then be wrinkle-free and your photographer will appreciate that!
Head Timekeeper
I prepare a key timeline for the major factors on your special day. This can include what time you have to arrive at the church for your ceremony to the approximate timings of your cake cutting at the reception. This helps me to capture all those important moments in a timely manner and ensures I don’t miss any key features. There are other important elements to your wedding day that must remain on schedule. It’s therefore a great idea to ask your planner to watch the clock and make sure you run on schedule. If you don’t have a planner, ask a friend or family member to be timekeeper. Give them a timeline of the day and make sure they keep an eye on the clock.
Throughout this blog post I’ve mentioned delegating some of these tasks to your friends or family. If you haven’t considered hiring an experienced wedding planner it might be reading a blog post I’ve previously written on the benefits these experienced vendors can have on your special day: Having an organized, trusted planner removes all these 5 key points from your thoughts on the day and helps you enjoy the day you’ve always dreamt about! Being the bride is your one and only job on the day. Don’t forget this. Relax, smile and enjoy your special day and don’t get swept away with the organization…