Wedding Wednesday- What to Pack For Your Big Day
This week I am going on a very special vacation with Doug's family. We are headed to the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, the incredibly special resort in Mexico where Doug and I were married. I am so excited to go back to a place filled with so many happy memories. It will certainly be a bit different than the last time we were there! About 95 friends and family members different.
While I was packing for our vacation this week I couldn't help but think about what it was like packing for our wedding. Packing for a destination wedding was certainly a major task. I think we had five suitcases between the two of us! To be fair, my dresses and veil took up an entire one, as did my shoes for all the various wardrobe changes I had during our wedding week. Hey, you only get married once!
Whether you are having a destination wedding like I did or a wedding closer to home, chances are their will be some packing involved. Even if you are just spending the eve of your wedding away from home there are a few essentials that will make the experience much healthier for you, inside and out!
Green Juice
I may sound like a broken record, but green juice really is my not-so-secret weapon for great health, tons of energy, and glowing skin- all things one wants to have on their wedding day! I never, ever leave home without it (except when I am traveling somewhere I know I can get my hands on some). For my wedding I packed a small cooler of frozen green juice in my suitcase and was so grateful to have it to sip on each morning. It kept me feeling great and filled with energy throughout my entire wedding day. Now when I travel I have my friend Christian Henderson from Pure Nutrition press and freeze some of her amazing green juice for me. Such a luxury to have pre-frozen juice delivered to my door!
A Few Healthy Snacks
No matter how far you are traveling for you wedding it is always important to have healthy snacks at the ready. The days leading up to your wedding will be incredibly busy and you may not have much time to sit down and enjoy many full meals (although you should make time if at all possible!) For my wedding I found it very comforting to have a few of my favorite snacks such as Go Raw Super Cookies, Emmy's Macaroons, Sea Tangle Snacks, and Larabar's on hand.
Makeup Essentials
Chances are you are having your makeup professionally done for your wedding. Even so, it is important to bring your favorite makeup essentials along (no need to shlep your whole makeup kit!) For me, having my everyday basics with me meant I could look like a blushing bride not only at my actual wedding but throughout the entire weekend. My can't leave home without them basics include:
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer ( for that bridal glow)
RMS Beauty Lip Shine in Sublime ( for just been kissed lips)
RMS Beauty Un-Coverup (for that perfect, fresh, even bridal skin everyone craves)
Nvey Eco Erase Concealer (to cover up any dark circles, or un- bride like blemishes)
Nvey Eco Volumising Mascara (the BEST natural mascara out there! Just be weary of wedding tears, this is not waterproof- only the toxic ones are!)
Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Desired Glow ( blushing bride anyone?)
Eco Tools by Alicia Silverstone Pencil Case (made of natural hemp and cotton this adorable case from one of my favorite natural brush makers fits all my essentials and brushes perfectly!)
Lotion and Potions
Your wedding is no time to use the toiletries provided by the hotel, or what is sitting around your parent's house. This is your big day and you should look your best! I always travel with my Tata Harper skincare (note the sample size mask- perfect fro travel, and Rahua Voluminous Hairspray (a girls needs some bounce to her hair). Also important to have with you are any vitamins and supplements you take daily. I always make sure I have my holy trinity of B12 (hard to get enough with a plant based diet), probiotics (for happy intestinal flora and good digestion), and a multivitamin (just to make sure all my bases are covered).
Getting Ready Garb
What you wear to get ready for your wedding is important. Not only do you want to be comfortable while getting your hair and makeup done, buy you want to look cute! Remember, whatever you wear the day of your wedding will likely be photographed. I don't know any bride who wants her wedding album to feature pictures of her in a ratty t-shirt while getting dolled up. While getting ready for my wedding I wore a super cute yet comfy robe with my new moniker embroidered on the back. My bridesmaids all had matching robes with their names embroidered on them. It made for some cute photos!
Vows
You can get married without a dress, without makeup, without a fancy party, without a band. In the end a wedding is about you and your beloved standing up in front of those you love and making a promise of committment to each other. Whether you write your own vows, or use any number of the standard ones available make sure you have them ready to go well before the big day- this is not a time to wing it! For our wedding Doug and I wrote our own vows out on notecards that now live in a very special scrapbook. I was so relived I had written my vows out and practiced them well before our wedding, the day was already so emotional that feeling unprepared would have been overwhelming.
Whether your wedding is in your hometown or far from home I hope these tips were helpful!
