Southern Weddings

I don’t know about y’all, but how I start the morning tends to set the tone for the rest of my day. With a healthy breakfast, a cup of coffee, and maybe even a few extra minutes to pick out my outfit, I’m much more happy and productive for the rest of the day. At Southern Weddings, we think that this same idea holds true on your wedding day. With a little bit of preparation and forethought, you can ensure that the day will start in a peaceful and stress-free way, letting you focus on what really matters: getting married! With the help of our friends at Freixenet, we’ve compiled our best tips for your wedding morning.

Choose your location wisely.
Be honest with yourself when considering the best place to get ready. Will your childhood home put you at ease, or will a week’s worth of detail DIY-ing lingering in the air make you anxious? Will the bridal room at your church make you feel more comfortable about not running late, or will the lack of natural light make you feel a little claustrophobic? Everyone’s needs are different, but a pretty, clean, light-filled room with plenty of mirrors and outlets is generally the best place to start. We shot these photos in one of the suites at The Umstead in Cary, North Carolina, and with its huge windows (and gorgeous views!), beautiful furniture, and ample space to spread out and get ready, we think it’s a prime example of a great wedding morning room!

Another tip: when you’re getting ready, keep purses, dress bags, coats, etc. contained in one part of the room–hidden, if possible. Not only will a clutter-free room help you relax, it’ll also make your wedding morning pictures clean and beautiful.

Know your timeline.
The ultimate essential for a stress-free morning? Knowing you have plenty of time. Coordinate the amount of time you need to get ready with your hair stylist and makeup artist, taking into account all of the people who need to be attended to (perhaps bridal party, moms, grandmas, flower girls, and, of course, you!). If you’re going to a salon, overestimate the time it takes you to drive back and forth. Ask a responsible bridesmaid to keep an eye on the clock and gently enforce the schedule. If you haven’t created a wedding day timeline yet, find our tips for doing so here.

Consider your attire.
Slipping into a pretty robe, crisp monogrammed shirt, or even a cute, strapless dress or coverup will help you feel special from the moment you wake up. Just make sure that whatever you wear can be stepped out of easily to prevent smudging your makeup or mussing your hair!

Designate a point person.
Phone calls from vendors, friends, and even your wedding guests on the morning of the wedding are almost unavoidable. Have your mom or a bridesmaid take charge of your phone to field all questions and concerns that may come your way, so you can sit back and relax!

Don’t forget about food and drinks!
Y’all, we cannot stress enough how important it is to remember to eat on your big day! We love fresh, light finger foods that are delicious and easy to eat in between turns on the makeup chair, like these sandwiches and sweets prepared by The Umstead. Make each of your bridesmaids feel extra special by stenciling her monogram (see below for a tutorial!) onto mini bottles of Freixenet–the matte black bottles are perfect for this! She can drink straight from the bottle with a pretty straw, or pour the sparkling wine into a glass with juice for a morning mimosa. This is the start of a celebration, after all!

As responsible bloggers, we did take a sip from these dainty bottles while shooting these photos, and we can personally certify that this sparkling, bubbly drink would be perfect for a celebratory wedding morning! The Freixenet winery is still family-owned with a rich history that stretches over 100 years, beginning when two winemaking families decided to make sparkling wine in the classic tradition of methóde champenoise, using indigenous Spanish grapes from their vineyards. The Ferrer family’s dedication to detail and quality is this cava’s distinguishing mark – it’s still completely harvested by hand!

Plan special touches in advance.
A few little details will make getting ready feel more like a special event in itself. You don’t need much–we love cute straws, bows around mini Freixenet bottles, personalized hangers, and a simple floral arrangement, to name a few. We suggest brainstorming and preparing these details as soon as possible–by the week of the wedding, there will most likely be other things you’ll need to focus on.

Make a playlist.
We love this tip! Nothing sets a mood quite like the perfect playlist, and whether you’re anticipating a quiet, serene morning or a pre-wedding dance party with your best gals, music will help set the tone for whatever kind of morning will make you feel your best.

Bring your invitation suite.
This may sound like an odd thing to pack into your wedding morning tote bag, but if you want your photographer to capture beautiful pictures of your paper products, it’s essential! As well as paper, be sure to lay out any details you may want photographed–perhaps your jewelry, your somethings old/new/borrowed/blue, your perfume, etc.

Now about those monogrammed Freixenet bottles! It’s no secret that the Southern Weddings gals love monograms, and we think the idea of gifting bridesmaids with a custom bottle is so special.

1. Design a monogram on the computer and print it out on cardstock. Make sure the lines are on the thick side, since you’ll be cutting them out! We used the font “Circle Monograms” (available here) to make ours.
2. With an X-Acto knife, cut out the monogram to create a stencil.
3. Carefully remove the label from a Freixenet bottle and use the stencil to outline the monogram in pencil. We found soaking the bottles in water helps.
4. Go over your pencil lines with gold sharpie, and then fill in the letters.
5. Add a little border–we love these cava-inspired polka dots!

What are your wedding morning plans? If you’d like your wedding day to include Freixenet, be sure to enter the All Love Sparkles sweepstakes on their Facebook page–you could win 125 mini Freixenet bottles, like the ones seen in this post, as well as a Memory Magnum bottle. Good luck!

Photographer: Julia Wade | Venue and Food: The Umstead | Bridesmaid Dresses: LulaKate | Robe: Plum Pretty Sugar | Stationery: Minted

Written with love by Lisa