Wedding Day Advice
1. Scuff your shoes.
“I always tell people to do this. The wedding party usually wears news shoes, and it’s so easy to slip—especially if the church or venue is carpeted or if there are stairs to walk down -- so I always tell everyone to go outside and scuff the bottoms of their shoes on the pavement before the ceremony starts.”
2. Eat something.
“It sounds so obvious, but brides get caught up in getting ready and they forget to eat, or they’re nervous and don’t want to eat. But it’s so important to have even a little something … especially if you’ll be drinking champagne.”
3. Be prepared.
While James naturally endorses her own emergency kit, she suggests that every wedding party have one in some form. “Something always happens,” she says. “Someone will always lose a button, someone will always get a headache, someone will always get a stain on something. These might seem like little things now, but when your photographer is taking pictures and someone’s strap won’t stay up or the flower girl gets a grass stain, it can be stressful if you can’t fix it.”
4. Give the guys something to do.
James, who also makes an emergency kit specifically for grooms, suggests that ladies give their guys playing cards, or something else to keep them entertained while the bridal party gets ready. “It doesn’t take the guys as long, and they need something to do before the ceremony besides drink!” she jokes. “I’ve seen too many drunken groomsmen.”
5. Let go.
“Plan as much as you can and organize as much as possible, but then on that day just let it go. Things will happen, and the couples I’ve worked with who were the happiest on their wedding days were the ones who just let go and enjoyed themselves.”