Wedding Day MUST Haves
Four wedding day essentials that you cannot live without! Yup, sounds like the same ol’ blog you can read anywhere right? Well, buckle-up kids! These aren’t going to be your “make sure you have plenty of water on hand” kind of essentials! These essentials are gonna come from experience in the industry AND what I wish I had on hand when we said “I do!”
First, get you a coaster made. And no, I am not trying to save the table from water rings. But you will be getting up to dance. You will get up to hug people. At some point in time you are going to run to the restroom. And when you walk away from your drink, some helpful staff member is going to come by and clear the table. Bye, bye beverage. I’m not talking about a fancy coaster. Just get one of those cardboard numbers (unless you feelin’ fancy- then get you a granite coaster) and put it on top of your drink. Bam! Drink will be there when you return. Bonus: no bugs can land in your glass!
The next “must have” for your big day can take different forms. You need to find something to help with chafing. I don’t care how big your thigh gap is, wedding gowns can be WARM and when you dance and move a bunch you are gonna chafe somewhere. A lot of brides have their underside of their arms rubbed raw from beading or lace. For this, deodorant will do in a pinch, but Body Glide ($7.99 on Amazon) will do the job better. You can also use this on your thighs, under-boob, or feet. If you are only worried about your thighs, they make what looks like a garter but instead of being 1” wide, it is several inches wide. There are several brands, but check out Bandelettes. Or my personal favorite chaffing relief: SPANX (which we sell at the store)! Not the most comfortable option BUT it sucks you in everywhere and hides all your bumps- plus, when you get the shorts, it keeps your thighs from lovin’ each other too much.
The third thing that you are going to want to round up for your wedding day- someone in charge of tuxedos. I'm not suggesting that you have someone follow the men of your wedding party around all night, but listen, things happen. Alcohol is consumed. But the number one thing lost on a tuxedo rental: cufflinks. They are tiny. Cufflinks keep the guys from rolling up their sleeves (which of course they want to do as soon as they can). The groomsmen take the requiste photos and they start disrobing. So, have someone walk around after your pictures and take the cufflinks from the guys. Have this person remind all the guys to stick their ties in the jacket pockets (ties are the second most common thing to be lost). Your tuxedo wrangler may not be appreciated in the moment, but when the groomsmen return their tuxes, they will be thanking them for saving them from lost item fees!
Lastly, and this one is important. You NEED a designated bustler for your gown. Sometimes bustles are complex. Sometimes the person doing it starts to stress and ends up doing it wrong. Sometimes people’s fingers can’t work the buttons and loops. So, you will need to find someone with dexterous fingers and a plucky attitude and you have to make them practice. Get someone to video your designated bustler putting up your train for reference later. Make a map. But get this person prepared! And most importantly, keep them sober on the big day until AFTER the gown is bustled!
BONUS ESSENTIAL: I can't stress this enough- you are going to need to bring your sense of humor (and maybe a sweet air guitar). Something is going to go wrong. Expecting to have a wedding without a single mishap is setting yourself up to be stressed. So, remember at the end of the day, if you said "I do" and you are now a married lady- the wedding was perfect! This "must have" is gonna be hard to get. I can't add a link to show you were to find it. I can't magically make you not care that the bar ran out of white wine (although if you were the one who drank it all- you probably are feeling fine!)
Oh, and drink some water.