It doesn’t matter whether you’ve hired a wedding planner to coordinate the entire event, or whether you’re multi-tasking it yourself, brides tend to try and have a hand in every element of their Big Day. However, on the day of the wedding, there are a few things that you SHOULD NOT be doing under any circumstance.

We don’t care how tempted you are, step away from the 15 no-nos.

1. The Gym

We’re as much for a workout as any healthy girl, but the morning of the wedding is not the time to be doing high-intensity cardio or lifting heavy weights. Not only could you break a nail or give yourself a nasty bruise, but you don’t want your muscles aching so much that you can’t tear up the dance floor later that night.

2. The New Foundation

Today is not the day to try out the new foundation you’ve picked up from Sephora. Stick to your faithful beauty products, or take the professional makeup artist’s advice.

3. The Tricky Lingerie

Insider tip: you’re going to need to use the bathroom regularly on the wedding day and it’s going to be hard enough to use the loo with your couture gown; don’t add extra hassle by wearing complex lingerie that takes four assistants and a hack saw to remove.

4. The Tight Schedule

Things are going to run late, it’s inevitable. Don’t overcommit yourself on the day with a back-to-back schedule.

5. The Car

If you have to leave the hotel to go to hair or nail appointments, ask a bridesmaid or relative to drive you. The last thing you need is to be stressed out by traffic on the morning of the wedding.

6. The Bombonieres

Bombonieres are time-consuming and fiddly and it’s not a job the bride should be doing on the wedding day. Delegate all the ribbon-tying and placing on the tables to a relative or close friend.

Image from Tricia and Phillip’s wedding. Photography by Lauren Michelle

7. The Superbride

Don’t pressure yourself to be a superbride who’s across every little detail. Take a step back, trust the professionals and let yourself enjoy the day.

8. The Champagne

A few glasses of bubbly is fine, in fact, we encourage it; but many brides tend to overdrink. The Big Day is a culmination of months of stress and nerves and it’s natural to want to down an entire bottle, but this is a recipe for disaster. You want to remember your wedding day fondly and vomiting on the dancefloor is not a good start.

9. The Empty Plate

Brides, if your plate is empty on the wedding day, there is something SERIOUSLY wrong. Don’t forget to eat and enjoy all the wedding cake you can.

10. The High-Maintenance Guest

There will be at least one distant relative who tries to pull you away and chat about how their teenage daughter is going with her exams and talk about the dog she had to put down a few years ago. Politely explain that you’ve got to make the rounds and don’t feel like you need to spend the entire day with them.

11. Anything that Could Stain

Red wine, melted chocolate, tomato sauce and pasta, to name a few. If you’re going to indulge in messy food, be super careful!

12. Wear New Shoes

Your wedding shoes need to worn in before the Big Day, otherwise you’re going to get a few nasty blisters.

13. Wear Heels at All

If your feet are hurting throughout the day, don’t feel like you need to put up with the pain! Get one of your bridesmaids to have a cute pair of flats for you to change into whenever you need (most people won’t even be able to tell that you’ve taken the heels off). If you can’t stand the though of heels, why wear them at all? There’s so many gorgeous sandals and ballet flats available.

14. Give out Your Mobile Number

On the day of your wedding, you do not want to be helping guests with directions or managing last-minute RSVPs. Give out the number of a family member who can look after this for you, or better yet, hand them your mobile phone so you don’t have to worry about it!

15. Be Quiet

If the photographer isn’t getting the shots you want or if the DJ hasn’t played your favourite song, don’t sit quietly in the corner. This is your day, say something.

Image from Sharis and Martin’s wedding. Photography by Duke Photography

Main image from Erin and Boris’ wedding. Photography by Joseph Koprek