Your child is engaged and now you have a wedding to plan. Incorporate these tips from “a big sister” into your plan.
Assuming the L’chaim was already, and that you started working on your guest list, and that you read the tips on how to make a wedding in 6 weeks (or more!) over here (week by week guide to making a wedding). You also read how to set up a practical schedule for the day of the wedding and you even prepared all the physical things you need for the wedding day.
You are all organized!!
However we’re going to share the tips that your big sister will tell you. The things that don’t fit into one specific category but things you really, really should keep in mind, especially if you are the Kallah or the mother/sister of the Kallah taking care of the wedding! These are tips for the week of the wedding or the day of.
If you have any more to share, please share in the comments so others can benefit from them.
- Leave nothing on your schedule for the week of the wedding. Aside from the basics- mikvah, manicure or anything that MUST be done the week of the wedding, do not schedule anything else. There will be last minute things that you will need to take care of. And if nothing extra comes up, you will enjoy going into the wedding calmer.
- Prepare a dress rack. You can borrow or rent one (by the week) if you don’t have one. Gowns take up a LOT of space. If you have a house of girls, hanging them all in one central place will save you a lot of stress. On each gown hanger you can hang a shopping bag with stockings/socks, shoes, hair accessories and undergarments. Boys suits, shirts, ties, socks… can also be added to the dress rack.
If you do have a house of girls, it’s very helpful to hang their Shabbos sheva brochos clothing with all the accessories on the rack too. It’s quite stressful to shop and shop for so many details, and then turn over the house looking for that one hair accessory you bought for your younger daughter. - Wear your shoes. Whichever new shoes you plan on wearing for the wedding or Shabbos sheva brachos, start wearing them NOW. You can wear them every Friday night in the house so they don’t get ruined (have someone else serve the soup if they are heels!). Just wear and wear them. Your feet will thank you during the simcha.
- Assign a designated driver for the day of the wedding. If you have boys that need to go to yeshiva part of the day, girls that need to be driven to appointments, or even if you want to stagger the family coming to the hall at different times. If you want to pick up your parents/grandparents to come earlier to photos, or just in case you need someone to run a last minute errand. Assign someone to drive everyone around. It can be a sibling, a teenage son or family friend. If you don’t want to bother anyone or do not have family to help you, you can hire a driver by the hour to be on call and drive everyone around town.
- Plan hair and makeup in one location. This is especially important if you have a lot of people and you don’t want the makeup and hair waiting around. A makeup artist once told us that she doesn’t leave her studio to do makeup in halls or homes, but is happy for the family to have the hair person come to her studio. It doesn’t hurt asking to try and coordinate so that it’s in one location.
- Food. The night before the wedding, you want good wholesome food. The day of the wedding you want to make sure that everyone in the wedding party (aka yourself, spouse and kids) eat. No need to add hanger (hunger + anger) to the hecticness of the day. Be smart. Have someone prepare the food, prepare yourself or order food (the less greasy the better everyone will feel).
- Accept help (or hire help). So many people offer to help. Take them up on it. They really mean it and even one less run to the cleaners helps.
- Tylenol. This tip some may not like. And while we don’t advocate medicating yourself for no reason, this tip was a lifesafer. Give the Kallah 2 Tylenols before the wedding. Many gowns are very heavy. The dancing, loud music combined with a tight heavy gown can give the kallah (or moms of the kallah) a really bad headache. Someone who is especially sensory, in particular, can really benefit from being proactive. It can make a difference in how you will enjoy the simcha. (Ever saw someone giving the kallah Tylenol during the wedding? It takes at least 20 minutes to start working and it’s usually too late by the time they take it.)
Did we leave anything out? Share below!
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