Most brides are stressed out on their wedding day. The day is usually a mixed bag of emotions, from anxiety to excitement, from fear to elation, from sadness to hopefulness.

In my opinion, the greatest thing that you can do on your wedding day to remove stress is hire a day-of coordinator. Yes, I’m a little bias. But in truth, the coordinator is on the front lines of trying to minimize the stress for the couple. One of the most important responsibilities they perform is to deal with the emergency situations to shield the bride and groom from the unneeded stress.

There are also a few other things you can before your wedding to ensure a low stress day. Schedule activities on the day before and the morning of that are specifically aimed at reducing stress.

In order to prepare yourself mentally for low stress and overwhelming happiness on your wedding day, stick to a casual schedule the day before your wedding. Do not overbook yourself with multiple events involving family and friends.

In essence, do not try to squeeze in meet-and-greets with every member of your family that has come in from out of town.

Take it from a day-of coordinator who has been in the business for many years here in Arizona...Oftentimes, wedding couples feel obligated to stretch themselves a bit thin on the week of their wedding when it comes to spending time with friends and family. And it’s completely understandable.

However, it's important to remember that this wedding is going to be one of the greatest moments of your life, and so you want to go into the day feeling relaxed and emotionally prepared.

Do something that will relax not only your body, but your mind and your soul. Take a bubble bath, get a massage or have a full spa experience the day before your wedding.

On the morning of your wedding, eat a hearty meal. Do not take the term “hearty meal” to mean that you have the last breakfast and fill your plate with food items that you wouldn't normally eat. But rather in portion sizes, ideally proteins that will keep you energized throughout the day and not slow you down.

I know this seems like an inconsequential tip, but oftentimes you wake up on the morning of your wedding and feel like you have so much to do before the wedding starts that you actually forget to eat breakfast.

Another stress reducer is to have a schedule.

Let your day-of coordinator work with you to create a wedding day itinerary that works for everyone, doesn't rush you, and yet accomplishes everything that you need to get done on wedding day.

A timeline that is distributed to all the vendors will ensure everyone is on the same page and is aware of the times they are needed to be at the wedding location. It helps to cut down on vendors calling the bride and groom to ask trivial questions, which can cause stress.

Remember, this is going to be the most memorable, and emotionally draining, day of your life...so far. You want to make sure that you give yourself every opportunity to make sure those emotions are full of happiness and joy.

If you reside in Arizona, I'd love to help minimize stress by being your day-of coordinator!

Happy Planning!

~Janet