My Thoughts on Getting Ready Alone on Your Wedding Day

This won’t be the most upbeat post, but rather a “do as I say, not as I did” lesson for all of you brides-to-be or someday-brides-to-be out there. So, when you think of getting ready on your wedding day, what do you think of? Most likely, we imagine sipping mimosas and spending a relaxing and laugh-filled morning with everyone wearing matching robes or monogrammed pajamas. (PS if you’re looking for amazing getting ready looks, check out Flora Nikrooz—my nightgown and robe were both from this collection! Here’s the exact link to my robe.)

GETTING READY ALONE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY

I knew all along that wasn’t going to be my reality. First of all, I wasn’t having a bridal party so no one had to be there getting ready. Second, we had a bus to bring our friends out to the venue, which was 25 minutes outside of town, so it didn’t really make sense to have anyone come out there early. Third, I’m 100% an introvert and spending all morning with people doesn’t exactly make me want to keep the party going until midnight. I felt like getting ready by myself, with family coming and going, made the most sense. I wanted a relaxing, calming morning.

Well, in theory, this was the best idea, particularly because breakfast was at 9 AM, then I had to shower, and then I had to be picture-perfect by 1 PM. It was a tight timeline. In reality, however, there were huge hiccups that made my morning-of incredibly stressful and, honestly, pretty miserable (the day was only up from there!). So, here are the three big things that would have made a huge impact on my sanity and zen-level.

DON’T BE THE ONE COORDINATING YOUR DAY-OF DETAILS

Yes, we had a day-of coordinator, but, he was a logistics-only coordinator. He definitely interfaced with vendors and got things done, but I wish we had spent a couple hundred dollars more on someone who could answer questions about place settings, flowers, timing, bar placement, etc. The last thing I wanted to do that morning was deal with why there weren’t enough of the gold-rimmed wine glasses for each person or exactly where to place the wine barrel bar tables. Sure, I delegated tasks to my sisters, who were super helpful, but I shouldn’t even have been wasting mental energy on that.

If we had hired a day-of coordinator that had more wedding-specific expertise and an eye for what looks good, they would have been the one running around taking care of these punch list items—not me.

MAKE SURE THERE’S FOOD AVAILABLE

I had a big brunch, but that wasn’t going to last me until dinner at 5:30 PM—and I think the first bite I had after 9 AM was at 3:15 PM before our ketubah ceremony. Just make sure there’s someone around to grab you lunch. Whether it’s a smoothie or a sandwich, eat something.

DO A FINAL CHECK OF YOUR DRESS BEFORE THE DAY-OF

Yes, I tried on my dress with the tailor when I picked it up, but I had NO idea that she had not included the ribbon for the corset inside my dress when she put it all back in the bag. I assume it was there when I tried the dress on and somehow it just didn’t make it in there as I left. I wish I had done a final check of my dress even just the evening before so that there would have been time to correct the situation. Thankfully, we were still able to get the dress on, but it affected the fit—and definitely made for a super stressful few minutes.

On the same note, if you have a big dress, make sure there are people around when it comes time to put your dress on! My sisters and mom pitched in at that point.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON GETTING READY ALONE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY

With these three caveats, getting ready alone wasn’t the issue itself. I see no way that I could have made it work to have people there—and, honestly, with the timeline I had, it would have made me far more stressed than relaxed. If you’re someone who prefers getting ready alone to primping with a ton of friends around (if you’ve ever lived with girlfriends, you know those nights I’m talking about), then getting ready alone on your wedding day is absolutely the move to make.

Yes, I’ve loved being there for friends on the morning of their big day, but, for me, I knew that would never be the right move. I needed time to be alone, to get some peace and QUIET, and prepare for what turned out to be an 11-hour wedding marathon (apologies to anyone who was hoping the bus would leave before 11:45 PM!).