How to get rid of wedding day nerves

You may be feeling lovesick the morning of your wedding – but you may also just be feeling sick, and both are totally normal! As an unobtrusive, documentary wedding photographer I’m honoured to witness a lot of private and emotional moments in the run-up to the ceremony, and so wanted to share some of my top tips on how to get rid of the wedding day nerves.

The first thing to do beforehand is to consciously minimise anything that’s making your stress worse. Take a look at your wedding plans, and work out what it is specifically that’s really worrying you. Is it necessary? Can you get rid of it? How can you stop this being such a big thing? For example, if you feel really nervous about seeing your partner for the first time in front of a room full of people, why not have a first look, or walk down the aisle together? (And if you’re worried about any other specific parts of the wedding, take a look at my blog, where I demystify loads of the bits that may be worrying you.)

The chances are you’re planning a wedding that’s authentically your way anyway – and that’s how you came across me! – and this also helps to calm pre-wedding nerves. But what about on the actual day itself? Here’s my advice on how to get rid of wedding day wobbles:

Make sure you’re fed. You may feel too nervous to eat something, but appoint a bridesmaid or usher to ensure you do. It’s going to be an emotional day, never mind a potentially quite alcohol-heavy one, so you need a nourished body and a settled stomach.

Leave yourself breathing space. This means physically – making sure that wherever you’re getting ready, you’ve got somewhere to slip off to where you can just have five minutes on your own. But it also means mentally. It’s tempting to have a jampacked timeline for the day with no downtime to make sure you’ve not got time to worry, but that’s actually counterproductive. Give yourself some time to ensure you can take things at your own pace – and if you’re not sure if you have that kind of buffer in your day’s timeline, don’t hesitate to ask your wedding photographer who’ll be able to take you through rough timings.

Let people around you know. You’ll have chosen the people you’re getting ready with for the very reason that they’ve been there for you through thick and thin, so let at least a couple of people around you know that you’re feeling nervous, whether they’re your hairdresser, your mum, or your best man. They’ll be able to help reduce the stress and look out for you.

Get moving. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true – if you get moving, it’ll release some endorphins and make you feel more relaxed. Take a stroll around the grounds of where you’re staying, or have an impromptu dance with your party. Keep an eye on your posture, too – try not to spend the morning with hunched shoulders and tense muscles. Drop those shoulders down, and keep breathing. Remember wedding day nerves are compleatly normal!