1. Start early
I can’t stress this enough. Your wedding to-do list will be super long and it gets longer with last minute requests (usually from parents) or you may find that you’ve left things out along the way. I totally forgot to get a ring pillow! It’s a good thing my bridesmaids helped me get one at the last minute. Start checking and ticking off things from the list as soon as you can so you won’t be overwhelmed at the last minute. My goal was to be completely relaxed the day before the wedding and I managed to have that by getting everything done and completed beforehand.
2. Choose a wedding theme
I think that choosing a theme, be it a colour or a genre like gatsby, bohemian, etc. makes planning a wedding easier. For starters, it helps narrow your search when you’re looking for inspiration and references. Also, it helps you translate your ideas to your vendors easily. Most of them get it when you tell them what your theme is.
I went for a navy blue and silver elegant wedding theme and my wedding stylists from Invited helped me pull the look together by putting together a moodboard. Everything else followed easily and I didn’t have to stress much over the decor. My flowers are by Hello Flowers.
3. Finding the perfect wedding dress
You know how it is that you sometimes like certain wedding gown silhouettes without having actually tried it on before. These silhouettes especially the trickier ones like mermaid cut may not work for everyone. It’s helpful to try on all the different types of silhouettes available from A-line to ballgown so you know which works best for you and your body type. Ask a friend or your fiancé to snap pictures as you try on the different cuts. A mirror reflection sometimes look different from pictures.
I started my search for wedding dresses by going to a few bridal studios and trying out all the gowns that caught my fancy before settling on a mermaid-cut silhouette and having my gowns customised at Seraphina Grace. Tip for mermaid cuts: The point where the flare of the dress starts can really alter the entire look. If you’re petite (like me), start the flare from a higher point to elongate your silhouette.
4. Stacked heels
I wore 3 mermaid cut gowns on the wedding day (yes, I really love the mermaid silhouette!) so I knew that I wanted really high heels to balance and elongate proportions. I went for stacked heels for the day and night and it was one of the best decisions that I made. Stacked heels really elevate you and are also relatively comfortable (depending on how long you stand in them). I went with the Paloma heels by Charlotte Olympia for the day and YSL Tribute in silver for night.
5. Skincare
I think I went slightly overboard with new skincare and masking in the weeks leading up to the wedding. I was changing up and using a lot of new and very rich facial masks in the days before and on the night before the wedding. As a result, my skin was quite sensitive and I had sensitive red patches flaring up on the wedding day. Thank goodness for my make-up artist, Shaun Lee. He did a wonderful job with my makeup and covered the patchiness such that it wasn’t obvious.
Lesson learnt! Do not change your skincare if it’s already working for you nearing your wedding day. If you must, do it at least a month before so you have time to react if your skin shows any signs of irritation. Also, don’t go overboard with the facial masks like I did. It’s best to stick to tried-and-tested brands that you’ve used before.
6. Focus on the big things
By things, I mean decor. Most of us (me included) have a budget for a wedding. I found that it was helpful to spend on decor that makes an impact and to decorate areas where the guests will actually take notice such as the aisle and stage backdrop. Invited did a beautiful ribbon backdrop in different shades of blue complete with fairy lights for our wedding dinner party.
7. Feed your guests
Wedding dinners usually start pretty late so most of your guests would be famished by the time the 1st dish is served. It’s a good idea to have a dessert table for them to snack on and to keep everybody’s tummies happy.
I got my dessert table from Jara Petit. I’ve always been a fan of their cheese cups. So picking them was a natural choice for me. From what I heard from everyone, their dessert was a huge hit. Everything was wiped out really quickly!
8. Have a fun photo booth backdrop
Photo booths are almost like a must-have at weddings these days. Surprise your guests and change yours up by having a novelty backdrop so it’s more fun for them. I had a starry night crescent moon and stars complete with fluffy clouds backdrop by Invited. The backdrop reminded Jon and I of a romantic scene from his show, Voyage De La Vie (we started going out because I went to watch him perform).
9. Don’t get caught up in ‘perfection’
I know how this might be easier said than done. You’ve planned for months and everything must go perfectly! You’ll be surprised that some of the best moments might be the ones that you actually didn’t plan for. When we released the balloons in the picture above, I’ve planned out the perfect moment in my head way in advance. As it turned out, the wind direction was completely not in our favour and instead of floating beautifully upwards, the balloons all went way south. Didn’t quite have the ‘kodak moment’ that I wanted, but we all had a big laugh. So, my advice is to embrace the unexpected and don’t let ideals sour the big picture.
10. Just relax and be present on the wedding day
You’ve spent months and months planning for the big day. Leave everything in the hands of your wedding party (or planner if you’ve got one) and just relax, enjoy the day, be present and savour the moments. The day will pass by super quickly and the wedding will be over before you know it. Even if there are hiccups, they make for great stories to tell in the future!
P/S Don’t forget to take pictures with your family! I’m only saying this because I forgot…:(
xoxojeneen.com 