13 items to bring on your wedding day

to avoid murphy’s law taking over your perfect day, i do recommend you come prepared with 13 essential  items [ aside from the obvious such as your dress, shoes and jewelry]. have a few bridesmaids or your maid of honor help with the list to ensure everything makes it to your big day

1) bobby pins

you never know when you will need an extra or two

2) hair spray:

hair is usually done hours before pictures and nobody wants a fly-away photo-bombing them. having some extra hairspray will no doubt come in handy for those last minute touch ups.

3) aerosol deodorant:

with lots of people in a room + heat tools + emotions, things can get a little warm. keep feeling (and smelling) fresh with aerosol deodorant that is shareable. (you never have to make skin contact). this would go great in a bathroom basket as well.

4) band-aids:

the biggest mistake most girls make is buying a new pair of shoes to wear with a wedding or bridesmaid dress and wearing them for the first time on the big day. b r e a k     t h e m     i n but for those that forget, bought the shoes at the last minute or merely didn’t have the time, have those band-aids ready to go! let nothing come between you and that dance floor! your feet will thank you.

5) tissues:

well, because things get emotional.

6) cell phone charger

when you have a full day of primping, prepping and instagramming, this becomes a necessity. extension cords, external battery packs, all are handy in the bridesmaid or groomsmen quarters.

7) advil

 you never know when two advil will save the day! the single packets work  best. these can also be left in both the men’s and women’s restroom for any guests to use as needed.

8) safety pins

dancing happens and bustles rip. you’re not alone. just grab a safety pin or two and keep the night going strong! this is also handy to keep in the women’s restroom for any janet jackson dress mishaps that occur throughout the evening.

9) mints

no one likes talking to the person with smelly breathe. keep it bay with a box of altoids or mints.

10) champagne

because you have to celebrate with a little bubbly!

11) oil blotting sheets

these come in handy around picture time. they are a great last minute touchup to ensure you look flawless.

12) speakers

if wherever you decide to get ready does not have a speaker, ask a bridesmaid to pack one along with their bag. pack the charger, just in case, too. a dead speaker won’t do anyone much good. you can call your venue, hotel, etc to check on their music playing capabilities beforehand.

13) mini-sewing kit

because life happens.

tip* with so many girls and make up brushes all in one space, be sure to pack your belongings in an easy to use bag. especially for the bride if leaving for a honeymoon the very next day. things can get hectic while trying to stick to a timeline, so staying organized and having everyone stay on top of their own belongings will pay off at the end of the night.

a snippet into my big day of

there’s no denying it, planning your dream wedding is a lot of work. by the time you’ve decided between the white shimmer linen or the extra white shimmer linen, 3 decision deadlines have passed you by. it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. the best piece of advice i received was this, once a decision is made, stick with it. you could go back and forth all day long and with the help of pintrest and everyone else’s opinion, every decision you make is second guessed. just remember, you do you. and once you decide on something because it’s how you would like it, stick with it. clearly, that’s easier said than done, but a good goal [and time saver] to keep in mind.

one of the most exciting parts of the planning process is planning the morning of your big day. the timeline of hair, make-up and transportation can be a beating, but deciding on getting ready outfits and getting ready playlists can be such a blast! music is always a must for me. it sets the tone and gets the party going. i had my best friend work on a playlist a couple months leading up to the big day and she did not disappoint. we had pump up songs with a fun mix of throwbacks that got every girl in the room singing along. you can never go wrong with a good throwback.

with music duty off my plate, i searched local stores and websites for the perfect outfit to get ready in. i may have over-searched because i ended up finding two. after making so many decisions i decided this was one decision i was going to forego. so, i chose both.

me and the girls had a slumber party the night before and i was so thankful to have them there. in my head we were going to stay up all night long and jump on the bed while dancing to music in our cute pj’s, but in reality we chatted, spent some unforgettable quality time together and got a good nights rest. we all had a long day coming up!

our morning started with hair. to make things a little easier and speedier with 12 bridesmaids, i rented out blo bar. for our morning outfit choice, i chose oversize shirts that are incredibly soft and comfortable and asked all the girls to wear white jeans. it turned out perfect. the shirts were monogrammed with each girls’ initials and complemented the jeans perfectly. not mention, everyone was comfy and was able to change clothes without ruining their hair. [button up shirts are awesome for this!]

from hair, we went back to our hotel for lunch, then to our venue for make up. this is where outfit number two came in. after finding my white romper, there was no turning back for me. i knew i had to wear it. then i found the most perfect black rompers that complimented my white bridal romper. there was no doubt in my mind about choosing both looks. i don’t exactly recommend it, but no regrets. to my knowledge the day ran smoothly. if there were any hiccups, i didn’t know about them and quite frankly don’t think i want to know about them 🙂

shop getting ready outfits

shop sleepwear outfits [with the girls]

 

xoxo | jasmine

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       choosing your bridesmaids can be tough. you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or have anyone feel left out, but the decision has to be made. once that decision is made, you have the fun task of choosing the dress for your bridesmaids. for some, this may see daunting. for others, it’s a blast! i used three simple steps to help ease my decision process and ultimately found the perfect dress.

my husband and i both looked at our lives and felt beyond blessed to be surrounded by such incredible people. if it were up to us, everyone we loved would have been by our sides as we said “i do.” of course, that’s not how it actually goes.. but i guess on your wedding day you really can do whatever you please :).

 my biggest deciding factor was, “who do i trust to call when i need advice or just need to vent?” once i asked myself that question, the answer was clear as day. i chose my best friends, the girls i enjoy spending time with [this is very important as you will be spending lots of time with them], and the girls that know me best. i wrote down a dream list if you will, to compare numbers with my husband’s groomsmen dream list [fiancé at the time]. when we both showed our lists, our numbers were identical. my dream list consisted of 12 girls, and his dream list consisted of 12 men. it turned out being one of the easiest wedding decision we had to make.

once numbers were decided, the next big decision was, “what do they wear?” i wanted an all white wedding with touches or natural greenery and gold. i wanted the bridesmaid dresses to go with the theme. i spent countless hours searching for gold dresses and sequined dresses [it was a NYE wedding!] but nothing screamed out my name. i even considered adding a touch of maroon and pink to the mix [still think that color palette is just breathtaking] but all white, gold and natural greenery was still my number 1 choice. my back up plan, which i was trying to avoid, was to have the girls where white dress – which i’m not opposed to, but  h e l l o, it was my wedding day. all white would have been beautiful, but there is something special about standing out for your new husband on your special day.

instead, i started looking at more neutral palettes. i searched for quite sometime until i stumbled upon the dress. it was perfect. it was whimsical and dreamy, flirty but classy and exactly what i had been looking for. i had an idea of what i wanted when i started my search. i wanted it to be fairytale-like and flowly. i was cautious about complimenting every different body-type, i wanted the dresses to be fun but leave some to the imagination if you know what i mean… there were multiple dresses that would fit the bill, but i knew this was the one.

just to rain on my parade, the dress was being discontinued and had only a few sizes left. i had 12 bridesmaids. 12. i knew by the time i had them all order the dress on their own, the dress would have been sold out. which would have meant i was back to square one. so, i naturally did what any crazed and sleep-deprived bride-to-be would do. i ordered 27 dresses. i wanted to make sure everyone had the size that made them most comfortable, so i stayed up all night guessing what size would fit who best, buying 2, sometimes 3 dresses just to make sure at least one of them would fit. totally normal, right?

in end the end, the dresses could not have been more perfect. everyone had a dress that fit them perfectly and each one of the girls looked absolutely stunning as they confidently walked down the aisle and stood by my side.

my 3 biggest determining factors were

1) ask yourself, “is this dress something i would wear?”

if it is, then that tells you the dress is your style. as the bride, you are the one that decided on your theme, your dress, your decor, your venue, your everything… because it was all a part of your style. so trust your judgement. if it passes step one, then you are more than likely right on target.

2) ask yourself, “is this dress something i would buy?”

not because of its style, we cleared that up with step one. step two is based solely on cost. weddings add up fast for both the bride and the wedding party. if you are asking your bridesmaids to purchase a dress [which is completely normal and very common– to all you brides who purchase your bridesmaids dresses for your girls, you go girl!] would you spend the amount of money on the dress that you are asking your bridesmaids to spend? i recommend setting a maximum amount prior to even beginning your search. most online stores will allow you to categorize by price. make this a priority. your girl squad will appreciate it so much.

3) does this dress have the potential for any “oopsies”

one thing to keep in mind is that everyone has a different body-type. for me, having 12 bridesmaids, i had to make sure the dress was okay for girls of all letters of the alphabet… you catch my drift? i also wanted to make sure that it was a comfortable dress that made everyone feel as radiant as they looked. i didn’t want anyone having any restrictions or hesitations breaking it down on the dance floor, all the while avoiding any “oopsie” janet jackson moments. the one shoulder was perfect for what i was looking for. it added a little extra support without taking away the flirty and fun look of the dress.

if you need any help finding the perfect dress, shoot me an e-mail. i would love to help!! hello@jasmineelias.com

shop bridesmaid dresses

x o | j a s m i n e

photography by: chelseaqwhite

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