Tranquility may seem elusive when you’re glancing at your wedding day timelines or reviewing the final packing lists, but through mindful moments and intentional well-being, it is possible to have a stress-free wedding morning that leads into a stress-free wedding day. Cultivating a sense of calm through all the senses is the secret sauce during a time when your emotions will naturally be heightened, and today we wanted to share a few key ways you can harness peace, serenity and joy in the moments leading up to your walk down the aisle.

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Compose an environment that inspires

Wherever you spend the night before your wedding, let it be amidst surroundings that bring you joy. Beautiful views, charming interiors, beloved scents, cozy wears… take some time to ruminate on what little things make your heart smile. Is it your pima cotton pajamas or quilted satin slippers? Perhaps it’s a calming playlist with Zenlike music you might hear in a Thai spa. If it were us, we’d be entrusting ever-soul-soothing scents of lavender in a weighted eye mask to help us relax – but jasmine, chamomile and basil are good go-to’s as well! Try to build your packing list of petite joys throughout your engagement season so you aren’t left scrambling at the last minute when your brain has less juice.

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Nurture your energy

With all the anticipation and excitement for the day ahead, it can be difficult to find sleep the night before the wedding. Aim to snuggle under that soft sheepskin blanket earlier than usual so you can drift off peacefully without losing hours. It helps to stretch, drink a glass of water, meditate before getting into bed, as well as shutting off all technology at least 1 hour prior to officially going to sleep. Perhaps use this time to journal or pen a love letter to your fiance. This will set you up for a relaxing wedding morning where you can start the day early and take time to pamper yourself. Light your favorite candles or incense, play calming music that gets you in the right headspace, dab some essential oils onto your wrists, eat a fresh + healthy breakfast, brew a cup of floral tea and perhaps take a long soak in a bath filled with floating petals or citrus. This morning should be all about indulgence, so pad enough time in your schedule to embrace each + every moment as it comes and live presently. And don’t forget to hydrate!

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Surround yourself with love

Equally as important as how you take care of yourself is how the people you surround yourself take care of you on the day too. If you’re inviting friends + family to get ready with you, make sure they are people who bring you joy and heighten your energy, not drain it. This is true for the vendors you choose as well. Your Hair and Makeup Artist, Photographer and Planner will be the vendors you interact with 1:1 the most on the day, so make sure that you’re focusing on how your personalities click during the selection process, as well as how much trust you have in them. Being able to sit back and let them do what they do best on the day will bring you much more ease than if you’re having doubts or questions in the minutes leading up to the ceremony. This is one reason we always recommend having a hair + makeup trial and engagement session before the day as well. You’ll likely be interacting with your planner a number of times through calls + meetings in the months leading up to your wedding, but you won’t have as much interaction with the other vendors to build that trust + relationship beforehand without partaking in those two activities. Long story short, surround yourself with feelings of love, support and excitement and you’re sure to feel those emotions throughout the morning and the day ahead.

Most of all, remember to breathe! Shut out the distractions, the worries, the things you can’t help… let your incredible vendor team you’ve entrusted to make your day stress-free focus on the hard stuff. You just focus on cultivating love, kindness, joy, tranquility and the magic that lives in you. With these as your foundation, you’re sure to have a stress-free wedding morning and a lifetime of happiness with your spouse-to-be.

Til we meet again…

Xx,
Haley

Vendor Team:
Photography: Brian D Smith Photography 
Planning + Design: Willow & Oak Events 
Floral Design: Flowershop
Venues: 86 Cannon and Magnolia Gardens
Paper Goods: Dominique Alba 
Hair and Makeup Artist: Domanique of Gibson Hair + Makeup 
Heirloom Lingerie + Gown: Claire Pettibone 
Vintage Floral Print Candlesticks: Fritz Porter 
Ribbons: Silk & Willow 
Model: Brandy Maye 

See more from this wedding morning ritual inspiration on Amber & Muse…