Tips for Making Your Wedding Day Feel Like You

Here are a few of my favorite ways to make your wedding day feel personal, intentional, and meaningful. These are just ideas, not rules, so take what resonates and leave the rest. This is your day, and it should feel like it!

1. Who’s Marrying You?

If having a random officiant doesn’t sound great to you, ask someone close to you to get ordained. It could be a best friend, a sibling, a parent—anyone who knows you both and can bring that personal touch to your ceremony. It only takes a few minutes to do online (Universal Life Church is a good one), and it makes a huge difference when the person marrying you actually knows your story. Your ceremony will feel way more meaningful and emotional with someone who loves you standing up there with you.

2. Florals

Don’t underestimate how much your bouquet can shape the vibe of the whole day. It’s in so many photos, and the right one really pulls everything together. Whether you go for something clean and classic or wild and colorful, make sure it feels like you. If you want to keep it afterward, you can dry or press it as a keepsake.

If flowers are important to you, it’s worth putting some budget there. But if you want something more personal, foraging with friends or making your own can also be super fun and memorable.

3. Hair + Makeup

Try to schedule a test run with your hair and makeup artist ahead of time. Even if you’re going for a natural look, it helps to see how things photograph and make sure the style holds up throughout the day. It also gives you time to test out accessories like veils, clips, or earrings so the full look comes together.

Having that practice run makes things smoother and less stressful, and it gives you one less thing to worry about when the day comes.

4. Unplugged Ceremony

Ask your guests to put their phones away during the ceremony so they can really be present with you. It’s such a short part of the day, but it’s the most meaningful, and it’s so much better when everyone is actually watching with their own eyes instead of through a screen.

You don’t want your photos full of phones, and your guests probably don’t want to be that person blocking the view either. Have your officiant mention it before the ceremony starts and reassure everyone that I’ll be sending sneak peeks soon after the wedding to share.

5. Family Photos

Right after the ceremony is the best time for family photos. Everyone is already there, they’re looking good, and the energy is still high. I’ll ask for a list of groupings beforehand, and it’s helpful if you have someone who knows most of the people to help wrangle them and keep things moving.

We’ll get through them quickly and then you can get back to celebrating!

6. Breathe and Enjoy the Moment

At the end of the day, this is about the two of you and the commitment you're making. Not everything will go exactly to plan, and that’s okay. The real moments, the messy stuff, the little surprises—that’s the good part.

Take a second every now and then to pause, look around, and soak it all in. It goes by fast, and you deserve to enjoy every bit of it.