I’m giving you my best advice when it comes to creating space on your wedding day. What do I mean by creating space? Giving you and your partner time to take a step back, be present, and enjoy the day with your friends and family.

Enjoy a slow, easy going morning.

Take time to sit and enjoy a coffee and your favorite breakfast pastry. Enjoy this time with or without your partner, reflecting on what brought you to this day and how you want it to feel.

Add in extra time for everything.

There is no denying it… A wedding is a wedding and not everything goes as planned. AND THAT’S OKAY! Work with your coordinator, photographer/videographer, and DJ to ensure you give yourselves extra time. Extra time to get ready. Extra time during your family portraits. Extra time for your toasts. This will allow you to have a relaxed easy going day!

Take 5-10 minutes to yourselves.

Do this more than once! Allow 5-10 minutes in your timeline to have some quiet time to yourselves. A great way to do this is during your first look, before and after your ceremony, and during your reception.

Enjoy your cocktail hour!

Like actually plan to enjoy and be present with your people! This is one of the biggest benefits of doing a first look. You’re able to get all of the more formal photos out of the way so when it comes time to your cocktail hour you actually get to spend time chatting with your favorite people and your photography can get those candid moments you love!

Share a last dance.

I had the chance to capture one of these for the first time last year and I absolutely loved it! They gathered all of their friends and family who were left out on the dance floor, played their favorite song, gathered into a giant circle, and sang along. Talk about a memory to last you a lifetime. You can also do this just with you two – a quiet, slow ending to a day of celebration and love.

Give yourself permission to say no.

This one might apply more to the wedding planning process, but still equally as relevant for your wedding day as well! As you go through the planning process and your day there might be a lot of things you feel like you have to say yes too. That’s okay. Take a step back, realign your celebration with your values, and give yourself grace to say no when it doesn’t feel right.

Let go and have fun.

Literally let go and have fun! You’ve done all you can to plan and coordinate, but now the day is here. So just sit back, soak in this time with your person, your friends, and your family, and ENJOY IT!!

Ready to have your celebration captured exactly as you intended it?

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