8 top tips for a stress-free wedding morning

Updated on 5^th February 2026

So it’s finally your wedding day and you’ve planned everything to a T. For a lot of couples, the moment you walk down the aisle is the moment the wedding officially begins.

However, having witnessed far too many chaotic wedding mornings over the years, your wedding planning should start from the moment you wake up. And no, that doesn’t mean cramming lots more activities into the morning – it simply means being prepared. A simple plan with realistic timeframes will mean you’re much more likely to have a calm and stress-free wedding morning, which should leave you in a positive and happy headspace for the rest of your day.

Let’s face it, that can only be a good thing!

Take it from your wedding photographer, your wedding day will absolutely fly by. It goes SO quickly. So, if we can allow ourselves some lovely moments of calm before the madness begins, why would we say no? Let’s dive in and make sure we’re as prepared as can be for the morning of your big day…

1 – Aim to be ready with AT LEAST one hour to spare

Timing really is everything, and this is my first tip because it is the MOST important.

You may be thinking ‘But Lily, what on earth are we going to do for an hour before the wedding ceremony? I don’t want to be bored on my wedding morning’.

I assure you, during this hour you will not be sat around twiddling your thumbs. Please believe me when I say that the last hour before the wedding ceremony is so often sheer chaos. Here’s are the things that tend to trip people up:

Unless you’re having a church or celebrant-lead wedding, you need to allow around 20 minutes for a meeting with your registrar. That’s a third of our hour already gone
Most likely your hair and make-up artists will want to take some photos of you for their social media
First looks, gift giving and getting into your dress can often take longer than you think
You may need to check out of your accommodation which means a mad dash to tidy everything up (if you can avoid this, I would highly recommend it!)

Not to mention that someone will inevitably lose something, things will need putting in the car, and that’s providing everything is already running on schedule.

If we allow ourselves that extra breathing space, it will give you time to do just that – BREATHE! Leaving time just to sit down, have a glass of fizz with your bridesmaids or take some lovely photos will set you up so brilliantly so the rest of the wedding day.

2 - Take your flowers out of water in plenty of time

Or even better than that, nominate a trusted person to be in charge of taking the flowers out of water so you don’t even need to think about it on the day.

It’s not such a good look having a damp patch on your dress from a bouquet that’s still wet! In fact, I’d even go as far to say it’s a very bad look. 30 minutes to an hour before you need to leave is the prime time to start the drying process. Simply take the bouquets out of water, squeeze the stems gently with a towel, then place back into the container having emptied the water. Easy as that.

3 - Set aside any accessories that you’d like photos of

When I arrive on a wedding morning, often a nice place I like to start is with some photos of your accessories. That way, once I’ve captured those little details, I can turn my full attention onto capturing the excitement of the day and all those beaming smiles. Whether that’s your dress, perfume, shoes, jewellery or wedding invites. If it’s special to you and you’d like a photo of it, anything goes.

It saves a lot of time if these special items are already laid out before your wedding photographer arrives. If you’re busy getting your hair and make-up done, you don’t want to have your bridesmaids scrambling about trying to find things for you!

It also goes without saying that you don’t have to have photos of your accessories if you don’t want to! A lot of my couples simply prefer photos of the people around them, so there’s certainly no pressure if this isn’t an important aspect for you.

Take Imi & Paul for example who got married at the Tithe Barn this summer. This is the message I got from them when they came to book me as their wedding photographer:

“Lily, we don’t care at all about photos of shoes and rings or my dress! We love pictures of people doing things in places. The goal is to capture the FEELING of the day, less the stuff we had and the accoutrements. We know you totally get this. Photos of our parents and grandparents enjoying themselves in the Yorkshire countryside. Our family are priority number one.”

4 - Leave your phone with a trusted person

You will probably be inundated with messages of congratulations and well-wishing on the morning of your wedding. However, your wedding suppliers may also need to ask you last minute questions, and you don’t want any extra stress if you can avoid it.

So let’s say the florist can’t find the house, or the venue needs to double check which song you’re walking down the aisle to. If your maid of honour already knows the answers to these questions, they can be sorted out in the background without it having any impact on you. Leaving you to enjoy your stress-free wedding morning with glass of fizz and a dance around the kitchen! Speaking of which…

5 - Create a banging playlist

Whether it’s upbeat or chilled, a playlist can set the tone for the rest of your wedding day. There’s nothing worse than walking into a silent wedding morning! The right playlist can help you feel more relaxed if you’re a little nervous or hype you up for the party – it’s your day and you can tailor it to fit the right mood.

Have it play from a speaker if possible – phones are never great quality and the TV can be distracting in photos. No one wants Liam Gallagher photobombing in the background of your wedding pictures!

6 - Consider a second photographer

While I’d love the potential to be in two places at once, sadly it’s a skill I’m still working on! A second photographer on your wedding day means you’ll have photos of you both getting ready in the morning.

If you’re getting ready at the same venue I’ll happily hop between you both on the wedding morning, but a second photographer is certainly worth considering so key moments aren’t missed.

As a general rule of thumb, I recommend adding a second photographer to your package if:

You’d like photos of both parties getting ready
You have more than 100 guests
You have a long list of group photos you want to get through during the drinks reception (check out my guide on group shots for keeping this time to a minimum!)

7 - Get ready somewhere light, bright and spacious

I know we can’t have it all, but if this is an option then go for it every time!

You don’t have to get ready in an upstairs bedroom just because that’s naturally where you’d get ready. If there’s more space in the kitchen, let’s go in there! Your make-up artist will also be on hand to advise where to position you in the best spot for good lighting.

It’s also best if you have the choice not to spread people too much across multiple rooms. It makes for a much happier atmosphere when everyone gets ready together, which will ultimately mean better wedding photos!

8 - Keep things tidy 

And last but by no means least, try to keep things as tidy as you can. No one wants an Aldi bag for life in the background of their wedding photos.

Make sure to prep your bridal party on this in advance so everyone knows to do their bit. You can happily repay the favour when they get married!

And finally, if you can keep your dress in a room that is free of clutter and ideally free of people, this will be the moment of calm you need before your big day really begins.