"I definitely underestimated how stressful wedding planning is. I’m not going to sugarcoat it."

From beautiful banquet halls to princess-like gowns, the stressful behind-the-scenes of wedding planning can sometimes be kept secret until it’s your turn.

Luckily, recent bride Holly Carpenter isn’t gatekeeping the lessons she learned as she prepared to marry her longtime partner, Jamie Hunt.

The influencer planned two weddings: one legal ceremony in Dublin in May and a destination wedding in France in September, giving her plenty of knowledge, experience, and wisdom to impart on couples as they step into their roles as wedding planners.

“I definitely underestimated how stressful wedding planning is. I'm not going to sugarcoat it,” she admitted to Her.ie.

However, she did share what kept her on track and shared some advice based on her experience as a bride.

Holly's bridal beauty tips

Given Holly’s online presence and expertise in beauty, this was one area of questioning we prioritised during the interview. 

She says she spent the “whole year” on the lead up to her wedding, trialing new products to find the ones that worked best for her.

One product that Holly hailed as her ‘Holy Grail’ when marrying in France (in 30+ degree weather) was the Airbrush Flawless Finish compact powder by Charlotte Tilbury. 

Not only did it help with oil control, but it was one she could use repeatedly without overloading her bridal makeup.

“I was really worried about being shiny for all my pictures because it was about 31 degrees, so I had it [Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Compact powder] in my bag and was able to lightly top up throughout the day without it going cakey.”

And while many brides will focus on nailing the hair, skin, and beauty for their wedding day, Holly says not to forget about their hands.

She says one of her regrets is not focusing more on cuticle and hand care for her legal wedding in May.

"When I looked at the close-up shots of my hands holding my bouquet, I really regret not topping up with a bit of hand cream and cuticle oil because the photographers are going to zoom in so much to your rings and your flowers that it's actually such a close-up shot of your nails. 

“So, cuticle oil and hand cream before your photos is a must."

The wedding dress mistakes to avoid

While Holly fell in love with the first wedding dress she tried on, she would advise all brides to book their alterations straight away when they choose their dress.

“You have to book in your alterations appointments for months and months away because they all book out really far in advance, which I didn't know,” Holly shared.

“The alteration made such a difference to the dress. She added so many things, a little bit of padding to the cups and a little ribbon to pull the waist in more on the dress. All these touches just elevated it so much more.”

She had her alterations done with AL Bridal Couture on Main Street, Dundrum, after it was recommended to her by friends. 

For destination weddings, she warns brides-to-be to book an extra seat on the flight for their gown.

“I didn't even realise that I was going to have to book an extra seat on the flight to France for my dress,” Holly confessed.

“When so many brides get on the flight and people are cramming all their luggage into the overhead, I've heard horror stories of people's dresses getting destroyed because there's not really adequate space for a dress."

Choosing the right bridal party

While Holly found the planning “very stressful”, particularly for her destination wedding, she says having the right bridal party makes all the difference.  

“I wouldn't say rush into picking who your bridal party is. At the start of your engagement, you'll see the friends who are really invested and really willing to help.

“You do have to lean on them a lot when you get closer to it. It's a big decision when you're picking your bridesmaids,” she added.

“That's one piece of advice I have. Anything I needed or any moments that I had where I was really wobbly, they were just really keeping me on track.”

We caught up with Holly as she celebrated one year as a brand ambassador for Voco the Club.