You made it! It’s your wedding week! The week you’ve spent months, if not years, planning for has finally arrived! This entire week will be full of last-minute details, questions, and meetings as you prepare to celebrate with your closest family and friends. If you are a bride heading into the final days leading up to your wedding, I’m sure you’ve heard a never-ending litany throughout your planning of “enjoy the day, it goes by so fast.” You don’t want the speed of the day to overshadow the love and happiness you’ll be celebrating, so give yourself more than one day to enjoy it! Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your wedding week!

1. Timelines

You have a timeline to make sure the details are lined up for your wedding day to ensure things run smoothly. Make sure you start strong and give yourself firm deadlines for the entire week of the wedding too! Schedule your last-minute meetings to be completed by Wednesday at the latest. Then pass off the details to your coordinator or another designated person in charge for the day. What a huge weightlifter! Giving yourself this firm stopping point makes sure you’re not making any stress-fueled or unnecessary changes or additions. Trust me, your head and your checkbook will thank you! When you’re thinking about the details, make sure you make plans and communicate them to anyone that may be helping to avoid scrambling around last minute. One of my favorite tips to share with my brides is to have a bag with all their details ready in the hotel room. This would include items such as your full invitation suite, jewelry, shoes, BOTH sets of rings, perfume, bouquets, etc. Make yourself – or ask your photographer for one! – a list to check off so that you can feel confident that you’ve prepared everything.

2. Pamper Yourself

You’ve spent hundreds of hours ironing out every little detail to make sure your day is perfect and runs smoothly. You deserve to be pampered for all your hard work! Make sure to schedule yourself off work for a few extra days before the wedding to squeeze in some additional appointments to treat yourself. Schedule a massage to help you relax. Squeeze in a visit to your dentist for a quick teeth cleaning. You’re going to have a LOT to smile about on your big day, you want to keep your smile sparkly and clean. Also, don’t forget to make sure your bling is looking its best too. It’ll be prominently featured in your images! And of course, all the other essentials: manicure, pedicure, stay hydrated and get lots of sleep.

One piece of caution here. Avoid trying out anything new the week leading up to your wedding. You don’t want to have any mishaps trying out a new spray tan, a bold lip color, or hair extensions! Keep your look true to you for timeless images you’ll treasure for years to come.

3. Be Present

With the crazy whirlwind of last-minute details, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush during the wedding week. It’s often one of the only times that you will have so many special people in one place at one time and the end goal is for everyone to have fun celebrating you. Just don’t lose sight of staying in the moment. Yes, you want your flowers and your decor and your dress to be perfect, but at the end of the day what really matters is celebrating the start of your marriage to one another. Take time with your fiancé to go out for a date night, be it a steak dinner or to catch a new movie, it’s a good chance to take time away together and talk about anything BUT the wedding! Remember that your love is the reason you’re here, so be present and spend time with your family and friends that took the time to be with you.

There’s nothing better than being surrounded by the love of those closest to you on your special day. I hope these tips help you to take a step back and soak it all in!