The Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show here in Orlando was absolutely wonderful. More than seven hundred brides showed up to see some of Orlando’s finest wedding vendors. There were two fashion shows and lots of cake samples. Brides in Orlando could shop for everything from gowns to wedding favors.

Susan Southerland’s Just Marry! Wedding Planning Secrets went on sale for the first time yesterday as well. The DVD was very well received. I enjoyed talking with many of the Orlando brides to hear about their wedding plans and to answer questions.

You can order your Wedding Planning Secrets DVD here.

There is so much attention spent to planning a wedding properly. You can find numerous checklists on the Internet and in magazines telling you what to do when. I think there should be more attention spent to how you spend the twenty-four hours prior to your wedding day. It is with that in mind that I came up with the following checklist:

Starting Your Wedding Day Right

1. Don’t get completely hammered the night before. Wedding weekends are a great time to celebrate and alcohol is typically a part of that celebration. I love a good martini, and sometimes, I love to have lots of them. However, the night before your wedding is not the time to over imbibe. You will feel miserable on your wedding day and you certainly won’t look your best. So, the night before, enjoy one or two, but switch to club soda at some point during the evening.
    
2. Get plenty of rest. Again, late nights are so much fun and it is so tempting to celebrate all night with your friends, but you want to be your best on your wedding day. Set a time in your mind when you need to leave to go to sleep and share that time with your friends, they will help you stick to it.
    
3. Wake up and eat breakfast. Sometimes when nerves get the best of us, we don’t feel like eating. Nerves and starvation don’t go well together. If you want to avoid fainting during your ceremony or simply avoid the miserable feeling of low blood sugar, have a nice simple breakfast and plan to eat small snacks throughout the day.
    
4. Avoid too much alcohol prior to the ceremony. First off, some officiants will not perform a wedding ceremony if they have any inkling that the bride or groom are intoxicated; even if that isn’t an issue, if you get too intoxicated too early, you will not enjoy the ceremony and reception. Also, sloppy-drunk brides are not pretty.
    
5. Do something relaxing while you wait for your ceremony time. Avoid answering emails or working. Gather your closest friends and people who don’t stress you out, and talk, listen to music, put your makeup on together. Just enjoy spending time with those who you love.
    
6. Give your cell phone to someone to hold for you. I have noticed that the bride and groom get inundated with phone calls on the wedding day. I have often wondered if guests consider that the couple is getting ready to get married. They have things to do other than worry about transportation, ceremony start times and missing socks. Let someone else deal with issues that day.
    
7. Put yourself in a positive state of mind. Shoe gets a stain — don’t worry. Flowers pale pink instead of light pink — don’t worry. Break a finger nail — don’t worry. I think you get the idea… small things just don’t matter on the wedding day. No one else will notice most minor catastrophes. Prepare to enjoy yourself and don’t let anything stress you out. I have found that wedding celebrations are disturbed not by the little mishaps that come up, but by the way those mishaps are dealt with by the bride, groom and their parents. Don’t let anything get in the way of having an amazing day.
    
8. Relax and have fun. During the months of planning your wedding, you should have been planning a celebration that reflects you and your groom. You should get ready to enjoy your favorite food, dance to your favorite music and spend time with your favorite family and friends. Let yourself relish every moment. Once you say your vows, eat, drink, dance and enjoy every moment. It will go so fast. Don’t let the fun pass you by.
    

Following some of these tips will help you look your best and start your wedding day right! After all, your wedding is the climax of months of planning… special attention and care should go toward making you look your best on the grand finale!