Oh my goodness, double the excitement!
Two of the most nerve-wracking events of your life, never mind at the same time! It’s easy to understand as a pregnant bride that you are feeling stressed out about planning a wedding.
Here’s what to expect when you’re expecting.
Start with your dress
Preparation is key when picking out your wedding dress.
If you have only just found out the great news that you are expecting, here are our top tips to make the process as stress-free as possible.
Take some advice from your dress maker they have done this before...
Opt for breathable, light materials such as chiffon and voile. Especially during the hot summer months where you will feel sticky.
Call the bridal shop before your fitting and tell them your news. This will allow time to pull dresses and have them ready for you.
Leave room in the bust area of your dress to allow for changes in your bra size.
If you are worried about your bump looking big in your wedding photographs, clever tricks such as a large bouquet or posing straight forward can save the day.
Your venue
Let your venue coordinator know, they can arrange a special non alcoholic drink for you. This way you won’t feel left out of the celebrations during the speeches and toasts. If your pregnancy is early on and you haven’t shared the happy news with guests, this is a great way to hide that you aren’t drinking.
Also, if you are feeling nauseous during any stage of the festivities just blame it on your excitement or nerves from the previous months building up. Your menu can easily be altered without guests noticing, more crackers on your antipasto platter, fresh fruit and your favourite nibbles available at all times.
Stay hydrated, eat often and take breaks when ever you need, your venue coordinator can always grab you a snack or find a quiet spot to rest. Even if its just a 5 min break to sit and breath.
Include Baby Bump
You no longer need to hide your bump at your nuptials, break all the old wedding traditions and embrace your new bundle of joy. Increasingly popular over the last few years is the big baby reveal trend. Let your new husband announce your exciting to news in his speech. If you have already announced your pregnancy to family and friends, you might want use your wedding to also announce the sex of your baby.
Speak with your photographer beforehand to let them in on the big surprise and organise capturing your guests faces during the reveal. These will make some pretty epic wedding pictures.
Photo provided by DianaM Photography
Photo provided by DianaM Photography
We spoke to DianaM Photography who had this advice to give:
Brides! Enjoy this very rare opportunity on your special day to wear that beautiful dress and embrace the miracle that is pregnancy! Wear that maternal glow with pride, hold your partners hand and take in the day as parents and newlyweds!
Top tips!
- Make sure to have rest breaks every hour and drink some water to keep you hydrated! Especially in summer months.
- Remember to take a seat and rest during your reception, take that time to rest your feet!
- choose flat shoes over high heels if you can or have an alternative for those times your feet get sore.
- Have a designated person that has anti sickness tablets at hand incase you feel unwell during the day.
- Always listen to your body. We all know it’s your special day but your health is also very important!
Choose shoes wisely
Wearing skyscraper heels is a challenge on a normal day. Never mind when there’s a life growing inside of you! Take care of your tootsies by wearing ballet pumps, flip flops or comfortable converse on your wedding day. Your feet will thank you in the long-run. It will also help ease aches and pains in your back.
Remember, just because you are pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your day. Make sure your partner and bridesmaids rally around to reduce your stress levels, after all that’s what they are for!
Ok what if its not you that's pregnant?
Mine was 9 months pregnant....
Finding out that one of your bridal party will be pregnant at your wedding is another reason to celebrate! Your friend will be experiencing one of the most joyous events of her life. Wedding planning is a time when lots of memories crop up with your best friends. Snogging boys at the local disco, sharing math homework, shopping trips, drinking wine together at weekends, holidays, tears and giggles; the list is endless. Now it’s almost time for your wedding and you are relying on your bridesmaids to be there for you. A few things to consider if you will have a pregnant bridesmaid: Dress fittings (the obvious one!). If your bridesmaid is pregnant, consider how pregnant your bridesmaid will be at the time of your wedding and order the bridesmaid dress accordingly!
The hen party… Your pregnant bridesmaid (or new Mum) may not be the last to bed at 6am after dancing all night on a table. Just bear in mind that her energy levels and party animal characteristics may not be what they used to be! Then again they might!
New Parents
Planning your wedding day you will of course, want to include your new child.—but this becomes tricky if your babe is little more than a bundle.
incorporating a newborn (12 months or less) into your big day take a bit if planning.
Have someone you‘re confident with look after your baby for the day. Pack their sleep over bag, extra diapers and a few changes of clothing. Best advice, dress them once they arrive at the venue.
If your baby can't walk, let the good times roll instead. Just have someone pull him or her down the aisle in a wagon. You could also have the rings tied around the baby's wrist or feet with a bow. Then, when the couple goes to get the rings off, they each pull in order to untie the rings together. That makes for a sweet, symbolic moment." Any parent will tell you that even newborns have a distinct personality. "It's about tuning into your kid to make sure they're comfortable,"
Are they going to be okay at the center of attention? Being held up at the front—by a godparent or bridesmaid—with the rest of the bridal party during the ceremony? You can always just have grandma hold them in the front row."
At a wedding, there's so much stimulation for kids," They're surrounded by tons of people. Their scheduled routine is all out of whack. This nanny or babysitter can always be ready to take them if they need to be fed or calmed down or whatever it is."
Toddlers can be clingy at the best of times, your wedding is no exception. They probably wont understand and definitely wont care, give them time and space.
We recommend shooting all photos with the kids first and bringing some keys to keep their attention. "Shiny things get those bright eyes and that excitement face to come out." And again, have your babysitter or nanny there to pass the baby off back and forth."
ALWAYS pack a baby emergency bag—similar to the idea of a bridesmaid survival kit—though the items and their reasonings might be slightly different. "Little babies do spit up and have diaper explosions, so bring a second or even third outfit as back-up clothing," says Nickel. "Then have the usual baby stuff—lots of extra food, hats, and sunscreen if the weather is something the baby's not used to, and maybe a blanket if it's cold. And did I say snacks? Definitely have snacks. Maybe not so different from the bridesmaids' needs after all
We asked new mum and recent bride Sasha Finn for some advice:
Have a list and check it twice!
I had a list of everything I needed to organise but multiple people told me to write a list of photos I wanted, and I didn’t. And that’s my biggest regret. There were so many photos I wanted that I was just too busy to get, and time goes so fast on the day!
Also, hire a babysitter for the getting ready process if they are apart of your bridal party. We didn’t, and 4 kids to dress, do their hair, feed, etc. was crazy!
The four cuties below belong to Lochlan and Sasha along with their maid of honour Emma and Sasha's brother Sean This was a truly family affair.
