In this eighth article in our series on wedding planning we're going to be covering the time from the day before to the wedding day itself.

At this point in time it's hard to believe that almost 1 year ago you started planning all this. You would think that the day before there wouldn't be anything to do. Oddly, the last 2 days, the day before your wedding and the day of your wedding are probably the two most hectic days of the whole year.

The first piece of advice anyone will give you on this day is to relax. But that is easier said than done. Waiting for the big day to arrive when it's only a day away is sometimes harder than getting through the actual day itself. That's why it's good that there's still a few things left to do this day.

For starters, you should have a manicure and pedicure done. You've got enough to do the day of the wedding so have this done today. Get plenty of rest for the rehearsal dinner. Try not to eat too much during the day, which many people do from nerves. The last thing you want to do is get all filled up and make yourself sick. When you attend the rehearsal, try to relax. Remember, it's only a rehearsal. Any glitches that come up will be ironed out then and will most likely not be repeated on the day of the wedding.

Make sure you give the ushers your guest list the day before the wedding. Any special people that will need to be seated and where (bride's side, groom's side) should be given to them in advance so as to avoid any awkward scenes. The last thing you want an usher doing is coming up to your Aunt Matilda and asking her "bride or groom?" Your ushers should know who everybody is ahead of time. Hand out photos if you have to.

Also, make any last minute phone calls that you need to make. Go over your whole list of things that you should have been keeping since day one. Go over each item one at a time and cross off everything that has been taken care of. If there is something you're not sure of, make a phone call, whether it be the clergyman or the reception hall or the caterer. Make sure your stylist knows that you're coming for your makeover the next day. She should have this written in her appointment book but you don't want to leave anything to chance.

Finally, on the day before, get a good night's sleep. You want to be rested the day before your wedding because your wedding day itself is going to be a test of endurance with all that will be going on.

In our last article in this series we're going to cover the wedding day itself. This is probably going to be the most important and memorable day of your whole life. As hard as this is going to be to do with all that is going on that day, try to take in every moment of it and savor it. With luck it will be the last time you ever have a day like this.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Weddings
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