It is perfectly natural for any bride-to-be to feel nervous, over-whelmed, happy, excited, scared, blah, blah, blah.  Many brides go through some of these emotions, or even all of them before they walk down the aisle.  Read these simple situations to help you work through your emotions before your walk down the aisle on your wedding day.

Butterflies in Your Stomach

You may get butterflies in your stomach at any given time from feeling nervous, excited, tired, happy…ANYTHING!  For most brides, this occurs while they’re in the bridal room thinking about how they will be walking down the aisle in moments.  A cold, carbonated drink will calm your stomach and cool your senses.
How – Make sure one of your bridesmaids are in charge of prepping your dressing room.  Make her a check-off list with bobby pins, make up, tissues…all the essentials (check out the Elegant Just-In-Case Bridal Supply Kit), but don’t forget to add a bottle of Sprite or water.
What NOT to do – Do NOT drink the whole bottle.  Going to the bathroom during your wedding ceremony is hardly any bride’s dream.  Stay away from things that may upset your stomach and stick to clear, carbonated beverages.

Breathe

You’ve heard it from your soccer coach, math tutor, and even your best friend – just breathe.  It’s the best way to cool your senses and calm your mind in a nerve-wrecking situation.  If you have time, yoga is also highly recommended the morning of your wedding.
How – Slow, deep breathing with your eyes closed and the lights dim for only 60 seconds can make an enormous improvement in reducing your anxiety, pulse rate, and even sweating!
What NOT to do – Fast, shallow breathing sends less oxygen to your brain, so ensure that you are keeping a clear mind and steady flow when breathing.

Peace and Quiet

This may seem impossible at a hectic time like 10 minutes before you’re about to walk down the aisle while your dressing room is bustling with bridesmaids and people fixing your hair while asking 100 times if you’re nervous.  A bride-to-be has plenty on her mind with several emotions flowing through her wildly.  A bustling room can create tension and overwhelm you at a fragile time.  So when you can’t handle the craziness, ask everyone to leave your room or sit in silence for 5 minutes.
How – Asking everyone to pipe down for a while doesn’t make you a bridezilla, it makes you smart and your day more pleasant. Sometimes brides even ask their best friend or sister to exit the room so that they won’t prematurely start shedding tears of joy.
What NOT to do – Try not to yell or get upset if your dressing room is too crowded or loud.  You shouldn’t be upset on your special day, so ask a friend to hush everyone up for you; after all, silence is golden.

Laugh

Before it’s time to shine in front of your friends and family, watch a funny Friends episode or YouTube video in your bridal room.  Although this may sound like odd advice, laughing relaxes your body and relieves anxiety and stress, it also starts off your smiling streak.  Laughter is truly the best medicine.
How – Since the dressing room may not have a TV, download something hilarious on your I-Pod or laptop.  Have a bridemaid test out the format a few days earlier to make sure it works so you don’t have to worry.
What NOT to do – Watching a movie or video about weddings, getting married, or male bashing is not the best thing to watch before you strut your stuff down the aisle.  Also, if you laugh too hard, you might have to take a tinkle, so be cautious of your dress.

Food for Thought

Munch on something small before your ceremony.  Your may not feel hunger at the time, but your stomach will have no problem growling while you are reciting your vows if it’s hungry.
How – A bridesmaid should bring you a granola bar or small snack that you like.  When you have so much on your mind, food may be one of the last things, but it’s something your body needs.
What NOT to do – This is not lunchtime, so don’t gorge down three Animal Style In-N-Out hamburgers with a side of fries.  It’s just another small way to ensure your special day is perfect.  Even worse, watch your dress, particularly if it’s white.  One stain can set a bride off like crazy.

This is a Cell Phone-Free Area

Brides don’t want to turn their cell phones off in case of an important call from the florist, musician, groom, blah, blah, blah.  We get it, it’s your day…so act like it!
How – Hand off your cell to one of your bridesmaids to answer it and handle any issues that may come up.  If they need your opinion, they will ask you for it.  For the most part, have them deal with any last minute occurrences.
What NOT to do – Your bridesmaids are people that you trust and love, you don’t need to know every call they are getting.  Don’t worry about the details before you walk down the aisle because everything that’s done is done.

Use the Bathroom

If you feel the slightest urge to tinkle while you are in the middle of your wedding ceremony, your concentration will swagger.  This advice is particularly important if you have a long ceremony (hint, hint to all the South Asian brides who’s wedding ceremonies can go on for hours).
How – Take the precaution to use the bathroom before you make your grand entrance.  Have a trusted woman you are not embarrassed to see you take you to the restroom and hold your dress up while you tinkle.  This sounds silly, but getting fresh urine on your dress before you are about to marry the man of your dreams is sillier.
What NOT to do – You don’t need to chug down a whole water bottle and force yourself to use the toilet.  Just sit on it and see if you need to go.  It’s nothing to get nervous about if you find yourself yearning for a bathroom break during your ceremony, try to hold it and place your attention on what is going on in your ceremony.

This advice comes from experienced brides in actualy situations an hour before their wedding ceremonies began.  If you have some advice, contact us so we can pass it on.  We hope this advice can help you keep your cool before your grand entrance.  Believe us – your entrance will be spectacular!