How to be Present & Stay Calm When Your Wedding Day Arrives

Wondering how to be present and stay calm once your wedding day arrives? Undoubtedly, your wedding day will be one of the most unforgettable days of your life. You, your spouse, and your friends & family will recall that day for years to come. In the days ahead, you’ll spend your time meticulously planning every detail in order to bring your vision to life for your best day ever.

But when wedding day arrives, everything is suddenly thrust into go mode. As your vendors begin to set up and your guests trickle in, you might start to feel the weight of importance this day carries. So how can you stay calm and be fully present and immersed in each moment as it unfolds? As Maui wedding planners, we know what it takes for our couples to unwind ahead of their wedding day. Below are four of our top tips that you can take into practice for your wedding.

1. Let go of Logistics

It’s nearly impossible to fully enjoy your wedding day and maintain a sense of calm if you are the point person for everything. A phone full of notifications with questions from family members or even vendors is not the way to stay present when your wedding day arrives. Hiring trusted, experienced wedding professionals will allow you to let go of logistics.

Throughout the wedding planning process, you’ll want to seek out and contract wedding pros who understand your vision and are excited about bringing it to life. Above all, a knowledgeable wedding planner will coordinate your wedding day timeline, your other wedding vendors, and your guests. This will leave you free from fielding a flurry of calls and text messages.

When you are spending those precious pre-wedding ceremony moments getting dressed or having your hair & makeup done with your photographer present, the last thing you’ll want to do is have conversations about arrivals, setup, or breakdown.

How to be Present and Hire a Wedding Planner

2. Enjoy the Experience

This is for our type-A nearlyweds: you have to learn to give up control just a little bit. It’s possible that your wedding day will not be nearly as perfect as you’ve dreamt it to be. It’s also possible that there will be things out of your control, or elements that have gone awry. Your bar setup might be running late, your flowers might be stuck in traffic, or the DJ booth might be moved to a location that wasn’t discussed.

Enjoy your beautiful wedding day, regardless of these minor mix-ups. Above all, embrace the imperfections. You don’t want to look back on your wedding day for years to come and be reminded of a feeling of irritation.

The rest of your lives together will be spent reflecting on your anniversary or the hilarious moments that unfolded on the dance floor. Looking back on your wedding photos should be filled with joy and delight. Not recalling what may or may not have gone according to plan.

3. Focus on Intentional Moments

If there’s one thing we love when working with our couples on their wedding day timeline, it’s adding in intentional, private moments. Your wedding day is filled with a multitude of events. This includes getting ready, your ceremony, portraits, cocktail hour, reception, and so on. If you truly want to freeze time and spend the majority of your wedding day side by side, soaking it up together, you’ll have to make space for the intentional, private moments. Our couples choose to do this in whatever way feels comfortable to them. One of our couples spent time together getting tattoos! Here are a few of our favorite ways to add intentional moments to your wedding day:

First Look
First Touch
Private Vows
Gift or Letter Exchange
Cocktails Together After Vows (with or without snacks!)
Portraits Together While Changing into Reception Attire
Last Dance

Private Moments at Your Wedding, Intentional Moments at Your Wedding

4. Mindfulness

Above all, when your wedding day arrives, you have to protect your peace. Having a sense of inner calm will allow you to be present and immersed in each moment every step of the way. Some nearlyweds like to start the day with mindfulness. This practice looks different for everyone, and we say do whatever works for you. Whether it’s a brisk walk (together or separate), yoga, journaling, a workout, or another activity that protects your peace, find time for it the morning of your wedding. Allowing yourself this space and recognition before the festivities of your timeline will keep you wholly centered on the importance of your day, enjoying it all.