I’ve been working on a huge website update and rebrand lately.  This caused me to look at a lot of my recent and older work. Through this process, I’ve realized that there have been a couple weddings on the more stressful side that I remember when looking back. But, what caused that stress? The couples were amazing and I always make sure to have a solid timeline ahead of time…but still it was stressful. So what was it?

 

Every single stressful wedding I’ve photographed ran late. Specifically, these wedding ran late because the “getting ready” part of the day ran late. And even more specifically, it was getting into the dress that caused almost every single one of them.

 

Now I know, nobody wants to run late on their wedding day! But all hope is not lost. Today’s post is about having a “Dress” rehearsal, and I don’t mean the one that takes place the night before you get married. This is quite literally a rehearsal to practice getting in and out of your wedding dress. This is extra important if you have a lace up or button up dress. Trust me, those take time to get on and fitted to you properly.

 

So what do I recommend? Grab your girls, namely whoever is going to help get you into your gown, and practice getting into the dress one afternoon. Send your fiancé out with some friends and time yourself getting into the dress. As silly as it sounds, practice getting into it a couple times to really get the hang of how long it will take. Then, let your wedding photographer know. If that’s me, great! We can tweak your timeline to minimize those chances of running late!!

 

Here are a couple of extra tips for keeping things on track. Button up dresses are made a little easier by using a crochet hook! Get a cheap one at Walmart or Michaels before your rehearsal. Have a lace up dress? Have your seamstress trim your ribbons to save time tucking them in!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I hope you found these tips helpful!! Interested in more Wedding Wednesday content? Follow me on Instagram @ChelseaLavalleePhoto to see all of my new blog posts when they go up!