When planning your wedding day, many people first think about the reception or the ceremony, but a huge component to your wedding is where and when you are getting ready in the morning. There are many options for the time, location, and who should all be involved, and it’s important to remember how this first part of your wedding day really can set the tone for you and your future spouse to start on the right foot. The location itself comes with pros and cons, so we can run through which is going to be the best fit for you.

Who is Included

You really have more options with who is all included in your getting ready timing in the morning than you might expect! Most people will have two different locations for each partner to get ready with their wedding party members and their parents, but you can include other aunts or friends that you want if you really want a larger party! Typically, it’s probably better to keep it small so it’s less chaotic and more chill. Some people will also include their pets so they can get some photos with their furry friends in the morning!

Time

Typically, the getting ready portion happens pretty early in the morning. Depending on if you’re doing a first look and what time your ceremony is, you probably can start any time between 5am-10am. If you’re having a later ceremony and no first look, this could definitely get pushed into the afternoon, but keep in mind how much sunlight you will have for the later photos and festivities.

Location

Hotel

Likely the most common option is to have two hotel suites/rooms or conference rooms dedicated to each partner. If you’re doing hair and makeup, you’ll have to make sure you have enough space for all of their equipment as well as when your photo/video team arrives. If your wedding is offsite, you’ll need to factor in any travel time that is needed for you to get to your ceremony. This also generally means that you will want some kind of transportation to have all of your wedding party in one place. You’ll also need to do it in trips if you’re not planning your first look in the hotel!

2. Your/Your Parent’s Home

Another popular option is to have your getting ready spaces being either your own home or your parents’ homes. This is convenient because you don’t have to pay to use this space, but having enough space dedicated to hair/makeup, outfits, and everything else you need with also having natural light can take a lot of work to set up. Additionally, there might not actually be enough space for all of the people you are getting ready with to stay the night before, so you will have to have them travel in earlier to get to hair and makeup on time. These options also are likely further away from your ceremony location, so you’ll have to factor in the travel time for this as well.

3. Your Venue

Sometimes, your venue will have enough space and lighting where you can use their wedding suite to get ready as well! This is very convenient if you aren’t planning on going offsite for photos before the ceremony, but some people like having multiple locations for their photo gallery just so there is a little more variety. If the space they have is large enough and allows you to start the rental that early, it is definitely nice to take advantage of the space you’re already paying for!

You’ll have to consider all of these things to ensure you have set a great tone for the start of your wedding day! After you weigh your options for what is going to work best for you, make sure to check out this blog post to know what you need to do to prepare the getting ready space itself for the morning of the wedding to be as smooth as possible. If you’re looking for some extra help to figure out your logistics, we can definitely help you out here too!