I’m just going to come out and say it. Mr. Whale and I will be spending the night before our wedding together. But shhhh! Don’t tell our parents. 
Some of you might be surprised to hear this, because you already know we’re not doing a first look. But our reasons for not doing a first look have nothing to do with tradition or bad luck. We just don’t want to see each other before the ceremony. But you know what we do want? A good night’s sleep before the wedding.
This is me when I’m too excited to sleep:
GIF via lolthatsme.tumblr.com
This is what I wish would happen every night when I get into bed:
GIF via disneyallday.tumblr.com / From Monsters, Inc.
I am going to be the biggest ball of nerves the night before. I’m terrified that I won’t sleep at all. Just to give you an idea of how excessively antsy I get, let me remind you that I only slept about two hours before our engagement photos. The engagement photos…seriously, who gets so nervous for those that they can’t sleep? During the weekend I went dress shopping, I didn’t sleep more than four hours any of the three nights…I was just too darn excited about my dress.
So…it will be an absolute miracle if I sleep before my wedding day. And the only way that miracle will occur is if Mr. Whale is by my side the whole night. I can’t explain it, but I sleep better when he is in the bed. I know some people get a little twinge of excitement about getting an entire bed to themselves if their significant other is gone for the night. I am definitely not one of those people.
Even knowing this, I contemplated sleeping apart just for the sake of tradition (and for my parents’ sanity). But then I realized that tradition is sometimes just a bad idea. Rules were made to be broken, right? So I approached Mr. Whale and said, “How would you feel about spending the night together on the night before our wedding?” His response? ”Of course we’re spending the night together. What else would we do?”
I guess we solved that problem.
What are/were your sleeping arrangements on the night before your wedding?
Mr. Buffalo and I stayed together the night before too! So did my MOH and her Hubby. I think it’s becoming more common and it’s not weird at all! I think it’s all personal preference.
I am 100% in agreement with this. I am an anxious sleeper typically, there is NO way I will be able to sleep without the FI calming me down!
we are spending the night together, it’s the same thing, where else would we be?
We slept apart at our hotel, had breakfast together (and threw in some last minute dance practice), and then went our separate ways – we didn’t do a first look. It worked out perfectly for us. 
I wish we’d spent the night before together. I was so nervous and the only time I was calm was when I had some alone time with Mr. T at our rehearsal dinner. I think it would’ve done a lot of good for my nerves to have spent more time together.
I’m sleeping at my grandparent’s house (well ok my parents live there now since my grandparents passed away but it will ALWAYS be Granny and Papa’s house) with my sister and niece SLUMBER PARTY!!!!! 
I wish we’d done that. I barely slept at all, I’m sad to say. I think I slept about twenty minutes an hour for six or so hours? The thing is for me, I was still way too excited even AFTER the wedding and did not sleep a WINK the night of our wedding, either. I slept hard the next night, though! But I get what you mean. When we got engaged, I think I didn’t sleep for two whole days I was too excited.
We are definitely spending the night before our wedding together! I am going to be so nervous and I just sleep so much better next to him. We will probably have breakfast together with our families and then go our separate ways until our “first look.” So exciting – I can’t wait!
Because I had 2 weddings (to the same man! He’s French and I’m American, so we got married in France, with a civil wedding, and then “again” in the US, for the religious ceremony) I got to do both. The first time in France, we spent the night apart, and even though I spent it with my sister, it was torture! I was much happier and well rested when we spent the night together!
We are sleeping apart (nothing to do with tradition or not) which I love because to me it adds a bit of excitement for me to see him the next day on our wedding. He is having his bach party the night before (he is not a drinker so no hangover the next day) at our place so the girls and I reserved a suite at a hotel (yay sleepover) which works because it doubles as our getting ready space the next day. I know that either sleeping next to him or not, I will be super excited and anxious that I will get little sleep.
My sister and I are sharing a bed together the night before my wedding. Her and I shared a bed as kids, and then when she got married her and I shared a bed then too. It was always us getting stuck in a bed with each other when we went on vacations without her husband.
I asked her if she wanted to, for old times sake and because she’s my best friend ever. She readily agreed. We’ll probably stay up for most of the night giggling about my wedding day like we used to do when we were kids.
Oh yeah we are definitely sleeping together for exactly this reason. We are doing a first look too, but it is super important to me to have someone to calm me down.
We will be spending the night together, then getting up and having a cup of coffee together. That is the perfect start to our special day!
I’m planning on staying at the hotel near our venue with my bridesmaids. My MOH lives 400 miles away, and I don’t see my other bridesmaids all that often either because of distance and how busy we all are. I think it will be fun to have a low-key girls night and all be together the next morning when I turn into a bundle of nerves and excitement! I’m thinking a light breakfast and mimosas!
Sleeping in the same bed is the best chance we have to get a good night’s sleep. Not only that but we’re tentatively planning to spend the night at home even if it means a bit of a drive, we’ll see.
MrCPT and I slept in the same bed together the night before our wedding too. In fact, we spent the morning together and then around 10:30 we split ways to get ready. It was perfect for us. (and we’ve lived together for 9 years at this point so it only made sense)
My First Wedding (circa 1980), I went the traditional route… spending the night at my Parent’s Home while my Groom spent the night at the Hotel we had booked for his family and OOT Guests.
Lol, to be honest, there wasn’t a lot of choice for me back then… my Parent’s (and his) would not have had it any other way… despite the fact that we were living together anyhow.
I have to say, I liked the “excitement” that it built for the next day… our Good Night Kiss and last moments as single-people were sooo precious… as was the look on his face the second I walked down the aisle (first time he saw me)
This time round…
When I first started planning… I thought I wanted to replicate that a bit… staying apart, me in the Hotel we were booking for the Wedding Night, and he at our Condo.
Lol, but fate intervened… and we ended up not marrying in our original Destination (Myrtle Beach).
Because, lucky for us, Mr TTR was able to swing more time off from work (thank you Lord)… so we ended up having our Elopement / Destination Wedding in Key West instead… waaaay more romantic… not to mention warmer !!
(80 F vs 50 F… and so much better for a Beach Wedding which was our original vision… and what we knew we wanted all along)
As we were in Key West, it wasn’t feasible to take 2 Hotel Rooms (super expensive as it was for our Honeymoon Suite)… so in the end we stayed together the whole time.
It really was great… having him around I think made me less stressed / nervous (lol, YES even an old broad like me can get butterflies on the BIG DAY).
As our Wedding was scheduled for late afternoon, we were able to enjoy each other’s company for a good part of the day.
We slept in a tad… had coffee on our balcony overlooking the Straits of Florida (gorgeous)… and went out to a Cuban Cafe for a Late Breakfast.
After which, I went and got my hair & make up done… and we met back in our Suite to get dressed and sip Champagne (the GOOD Stuff).
Lol, he even zipped me into my dress, and did up my necklace. It was a very sweet time.
Then we were off to the Beach for our Ceremony. He helped me get into the car etc… and people stopped and said “Hey are you guys getting married ?”… to which he replied “YES we are… this here is my wonderful Bride… doesn’t she look terrific !!”
He was just sooo fantastic… I wouldn’t trade those memories for the world.
So ya, no regrets whatsoever !!
I think this is so smart, you know what will work best for you and it won’t take away from the specialness of the day. I thought I would not be able to sleep the night before because I always have issues sleeping, but I was so exhausted from all the work leading up to the wedding, I passed out.
Im pretty sure we’ll sleep together too – it’s the best chance of a good night’s sleep. I’m just worried that I’ll be so excited that I won’t let him sleep!
I think if it works for you go for it! It is more important that you have a good nights sleep before your wedding than follow a silly tradition! p.s. I am totally on the same page as you – I sleep much better with my fiance by my side.
Miss Blue Whale, College Park, MD Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Graduate Student Engagement Date: March 10, 2012 Wedding Date: May 2013 Venue: Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GA About Me: I love bright colors, glitter, sugar, cheese, tiny animals, talking in silly accents, dancing, and all things music. I love to plan things, but when it comes time to execute the plans, I tend to panic. My friends tell me that I remind them of a mix between a cartoon character and a Disney Princess. Mr. Blue Whale and I are Southerners at heart, but we’ve been transplanted to the East Coast for school. We both love barbecues, star-gazing, bonfires, music, making up nonsense words, and generally being silly. Our wedding will be a fun-filled destination wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will most certainly feature bright colors, '80s music, and glitter.
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