Three of the Best Decisions For My Wedding

Photo by Rachelle Rousseau Photography

We're approaching wedding season, and I am substantially more relaxed than this time last year.  It will be a year since our wedding in August and I am happy to report that instead of mulling over flowers and seating charts, my biggest decision these days is weather or not to have that second gin and tonic (okay third, but who's counting.)  I learned a lot throughout my wedding planning process (see the post here) and now as I reflect on the entire experience, I can really pinpoint those things that I did right - decisions I made during wedding planning that made my life easier.  Eager to share the knowledge, read on to find out the three best decisions I made during our wedding that made my life much easier.

Photo by Rachelle Rousseau Photography

1. I Did My Own Makeup

I have never had my makeup done where I have enjoyed the results.  If you're anything like me (a.k.a. cray), and you have a rock solid makeup routine down then any deviation to it will drive you mad.  I actually did have a makeup trial done a few months before the wedding and, although the results were fine, I picked everything apart because it just wasn't what I was used to.  I also have very sensitive skin, and the products that the makeup artist used were very irritating - the last thing I wanted on my wedding day was a pimple so big that I could name it.  Needless to say, I cancelled the makeup artist right away, and resolved to do it myself.  In hindsight, it was a great decision because not only did I have complete control over the way that I looked, it was actually nice to get away from the madness that was the wedding morning to have a few moments by myself.  I stuck to a pretty natural palette, so the look wasn't anything dramatic, but if I could offer a few tips it would be these:

• Wear false eyelashes
• Apply way more blush, bronzer, and eye makeup than you think necessary (it will translate better on camera)
• Invest in a good makeup primer (I used the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and my makeup lasted all day.)
• Wear a slightly darker lip colour than you are used to.  I was not one to wear any lip colour at the time, so my first instinct would have been to just keep things natural - however, applying a slightly darker lip colour will give your smile definition and prevent you from looking washed out (just as a reference, the photo above looks like I'm wearing just a light gloss but in actuality the lipstick I applied was much darker.)

Photo by Rachelle Rousseau Photography

2. I Asked The Bridesmaids To Chose Their Own Dresses

I am so lucky to have four beautiful ladies to call my best friends, and who were willing to stand up for us on our wedding day.   I originally wanted to chose their dresses for them, but trying to accommodate everyone's unique figure and look is borderline impossible - I didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable!  Finally deciding to let my girls chose their own dresses not only looked completely amazing when we came all together, it eliminated a huge task off of the wedding list.  I have seen the mismatched bridesmaids look in a few weddings now, and it has always come together beautifully.  For my girls, I gave them very little criteria - I send them photos of the colour palette that I had in mind (blush pink and peach) and just asked for the dresses to be knee length or shorter and couldn't have been happier with the results.

Photo by Rachelle Rousseau Photography

3. We Did A First Look

The subject of having a first look or not (the bride and groom seeing each other before the wedding ceremony) produces a lot of strong opinions, but for me seeing my husband before our wedding ceremony was a non-negotiable.  Logistically, it worked out better for photos - we had our first look hours before the wedding ceremony, so we had plenty of time to take to the streets of downtown Toronto to have our couple and bridal party photos done.  Emotionally, it was the only way to go for me.  The moments leading up to the first look were so intense, that they left me a little stoic - once we saw each other for the first time, I really started to relax and enjoy the day!

Photo by Rachelle Rousseau Photography

I hope this can be of help to anyone who is planning their own weddings.  If you're like me, and your wedding has already passed, what were your best decisions during the planning process?

Let me know!

-Joëlle