Follow my top tips to stay calm and organised in the week running up to your wedding day.

The week before you tie the knot, you should feel well prepared and have time to relax. Unfortunately, the reality is that brides often feel stressed and anxious! Follow these simple steps to keep your cool.

• Write a planning timeline. When you get engaged make a list of what needs to be done and allocate when you’re going to do everything. Leave as little as possible to the final fortnight so that you only need to organise last minute essentials.
• Delegate. If you’re starting to feel stressed, ask your family and bridesmaids for help. You might need to collect orders of service from your printer or take something over to your reception venue. If these tasks can be carried out by someone else, take a step back.
• Book beauty treatments and give yourself time to enjoy them. If you’re having a manicure at lunchtime, keep the afternoon free - don’t dash off straight afterwards and smudge your freshly-painted nails!
• Get packing. Start putting things to one side if you’re packing bags for your wedding night and honeymoon. You don’t want to pack at the last minute and realise you’ve forgotten something. If possible, buy a second set of toiletries for your honeymoon so you can completely pack your bag and forget about it.
• Say no! If a friend invites you out for a drink and you were looking forward to an early night stick to your guns. Everyone wants to see the bride in the week running up to the wedding, and there’s plenty of time to party on the day itself.
• On the day of the wedding, give yourself plenty of time to get ready and, depending on the time you’re tying the knot, make sure you eat breakfast or lunch. You probably won’t have much of an appetite, but it’s important not to feel feint when you walk down the aisle.

Article by Wedding Consultant Kate Smallwood

Image Courtesy of London Wedding Photographer Emily Quinton Photography