I know this may sound like an unusual topic, but you might be surprised how many times I’ve seen a bride step away from the crowd on her wedding day and breathe a sigh of relief! Having hundreds of people from all areas of your life come together in ONE room for one purpose — celebrating YOU — well, that’s insanely special and momentous… and, dare I say, overwhelming. Everyone wants to talk to you, hug you, snap a picture and congratulate you… and who can blame them?! But if you’re an introvert that thrives on alone time and can only handle crowds in short spurts, well then today’s post is for you.

There are three main sections to your wedding: the preparation, the ceremony and the reception. Taking some time during each of “sections” will hopefully help you ENJOY your day instead of leave you feeling drained! Here’s how:

• Have Either a First Look or a First Look No Peek

  I know there’s a big push right now to do First Looks and I’m going to be honest: from a photographer’s perspective, First Looks are awesome. They relieve a lot of pressure to rush through pictures, give us more time to work our magic and still provide a romantic, personal moment for you and your groom. However, I would never, ever want to change the way a bride has always imagined her wedding day or dreamed of when her groom sees her for the first time! While there are a list of perks to scheduling in a First Look (don’t worry, we’ll talk about them when you’re at that stage of planning), there are also perks to waiting to see your groom as well, so it ultimately comes down to what you know will bring you the most joy on your wedding day. If you’re one that wants to save your first sight of each other for the aisle, then opting for a First Look No Peek may be the perfect choice. It does add time to your timeline (just like having a First Look will), but it also gives you the chance to have some one-on-one time with your groom when nerves are running high. You can hold hands, pray, laugh about the events that have already gone differently as planned, and return to your preparation rooms feeling refreshed and ready to continue on with the events of the day.

• Take Some Time Between the Ceremony and Reception

  If you opted for a First Look, all your formal portraits with family will already have been finished by the time your ceremony starts, usually all of your bridal party pictures will be finished and at least half of your bride and groom pictures will be completed as well! This means you can either go straight from the ceremony to the reception OR you can sneak away for a small pocket of time and let it soak in that you’re MARRIED (say what?!). We can either get some more bride and groom pictures during this time (the energy between you two immediately following the ceremony photographs like a dream!) or you can just take a moment to yourselves until you’re ready to have the celebration begin as you’re announced into your reception as husband and wife!

• Step Aside During Your Reception and Just Watch

  After months and months of planning, it’s surreal when the day finally arrives… if you get the chance, take a moment to excuse yourself and simply watch from a distance as all of your guests enjoy the culmination of everything you’ve prepared for this day. Everything goes by like a blur, so “slow time down with weight of full attention” (thanks, Ann Voskamp for forever framing sentences in the most poetic way possible). Memorize the moment and tuck it away to revisit in your mind’s eye for years to come.

I hope you introverts found this post helpful! If you consider yourself a hardcore introvert and have tips for ways other introverts can ENJOY their wedding day instead of feeling overstretched, I’m SURE they’d love to hear from you, so comment below!