When you think about your wedding day, having a stress free morning is part of the plan. But unless you take some time to think the morning out, chances are your focus is in other places.

You may be thinking about your first look, walking down the aisle or getting through your vows while all of your family and friends are there to witness it.

Your morning is going to set up your day for success and it’s important to put some thought in to it.

The following are my 7 tips on how to have a stress free morning on your wedding day. Some may feel obvious, but you’d be surprised how often these simple things are overlooked.

When working with a professional, you’ll get a schedule and have amazing artists that are fun to be with, do amazing work AND stay on time.

However there is a lot to still get done that is all on YOU to have planned ahead of time.

As a seasoned makeup artist, these are my 7 tips on how to have a stress free morning on your wedding day.

1. Food.
   • Breakfast, snacks and lunch should be planned and assigned to someone to be in charge of. Your excitement/nerves might trick you to think you’re not hungry BUT don’t make the mistake of not eating. Your adrenaline is going to be in high gear and needs as much fuel to burn as possible. Staying ahead of your hunger is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
   • **Bonus points if you order food for your artists, they will most likely be hungry the entire morning**
2. Hydrate & Caffeinate.
   • Drink plenty of water. If you are a coffee/tea drinker, this is a great opportunity to have your favorite drink. In my opinion, waiting until early afternoon for your first mimosa is a smart plan. (No judgment if you decide otherwise.)
3. Steam your dresses the day before.
   • Most people wait to steam until the day of. HOWEVER, the main problem with this is no one should be steaming after they have their makeup or hair done. Get this chore out of the way the day before with a steaming party.

4. Don’t stress on an early start

Most brides don’t realize how early you need to start, especially if you’ve never been in a wedding before. If you have a large party, your morning will most likely be early. 6am,/7am isn’t uncommon. In fact, I’ve even had a 3:30am arrival before (not ideal). You can either embrace the early morning, or see if having additional artists added works within your budget. You’ll probably wake up early from excitement. You might as well hang with your favorite people getting ready and having breakfast together. 😉

5. Have everything for your vendors organized and easily able to find.

Once your vendors start arriving (1-1.5 hours before your first look) things start to get… busy.

Time starts to go fast and searching for everything your photographer/videographer needs takes time if it’s not prepped. This can cause in the moment stress pulling you away from something you want to be enjoying. Have these items prepped and organized.

6. Don’t sweat the things that go “wrong”.

These are the type of details that make the best stories. It’s best to just move on quickly and keep enjoying your day. No one will ever know if something did or didn’t happen. They are there to celebrate YOU and your significant other.

7. When getting your makeup and hair done, go second to last as the bride.

I’ve done 100’s of weddings and this is THE trick to stay stress free on your wedding day. Once your vendors start to arrive things get busy. Being in the makeup chair trying to coordinate everyone with everything is next to impossible. I started implementing my brides going second to last years ago and it has been a GAME CHANGER!

Trust me, having some time before you get into your dress is THE BEST TIP to a stress free morning!

Ultimately just remember your wedding day is going to be one of the best days of your life. All of your favorite people are in one place to celebrate YOU.

These are just 7 tips I’ve collected over time that will help keep your wedding day morning stress free.

Happy Wedding planning!

Makeup & Hair: Meagan Brown

Event Planner: Laurel Street Events

Venue: San Diego Botanical Garden

Florists: Ophelia Floral Co

Photography by Brogen Jessup Wedding Photography

12 REASONS WHY YOU’RE BREAKING OUT AND WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE!

Do you have random blemishes & breakouts?
Unless you’re blessed by the skin gods, we all do!
Under the impression that breakouts were suppose to stop once we hit our twenties?
I think we all did.
There are MANY causes to why you could be having a major break out, but here are some of the most common that get overlooked.

Here are 12 reasons why you’re breaking out and what you can change.

• – Touching your face. This is sometimes a subconscious motion you don’t even realize your doing. It can easily lead to breakouts especially if you’re acne-prone.

• – Dirty Brushes (Especially FOUNDATION/concealing brushes!) Liquids and creams harbor bacteria within a brush. Use clean fingers to blend instead.
• – Towels (Switch to paper towels) I use VIVA paper towels They are smooth, absorbent and break off in the half sizes.
• – New medications- This can be easily overlooked because when taking a new medication. New chemicals in your body can easily take care of one problem while creating another.
• – Not cleansing your skin properly (Using harsh cleansers/exfoliants on breakouts) I recommend gentle milk cleansers for ALL skin types. This milk cleanser from fresh will dissolve makeup and dirt from the skin without stripping it’s hydration.
• – Not washing your skin in the morning. Toxins are being released through the night. If you are not washing your face in the morning you’re doing yourself a disservice.
• – Powder puffs/ powder compacts- If you have a small blemish and use your powder puff to add coverage, it now harbors that same bacteria and may be spreading it on the rest of your face.
• – Pregnancy/ hormonal changes
• – Dirty Pillowcases. Flip your pillow over, turn it inside out and switch it out. Bacteria transfers and can be easily held in Cotton. Flip & switch out your pillow case, especially if you tend to sleep on your sides.
• – The order of how you conceal. Conceal blemishes LAST! Once you touch that blemish with a brush or your fingers, you are spreading it to the next place you go to conceal.
• – Backed up Colon. AKA not pooping enough. There are many ways to add probiotics into your routine. Find a way that is best for you.
• – Starting your makeup without washing your hands. Think about it, your hands touch MANY things, ALWAYS wash before starting your makeup.

What are the top 3 reasons you may be breaking out AND what are you going to change?