From making checklists, booking vendors and choosing your wedding party, there are lots of items that need to be planned out in an orderly fashion up until you say those two magical words – “I Do.”
We know that brides handling their own wedding planning can feel overwhelmed and stressed at times, so we’re here to help!
By following the stress-free tips listed below, you can focus more on enjoying your wedding planning, rather than stressing about it.
Tip #1: Set Your Budget Early And Stick To It!
Fact: Weddings are EXPENSIVE! Just like any other big event, you might find yourself wanting to add all sorts of things you did not plan for in your initial set budget.
It cannot be stressed enough that setting a budget and sticking to it is so important when it comes to wedding planning. If you think you will have “wish list” items closer to the big day, alot for those items in the budget from the start. If you end up overspending on must-have items, you must be flexible and cut back on other things. Knowing that certain things must be paid for will help in curbing excessive spending and exceeding the set budget.
Tip #2: You’ll Have The Time Of Your Life (As Long As You Set A Timeline)
Besides establishing a budget, developing a timeline is the most important thing in regards to wedding planning. Many websites like The Knot, WeddingWire, and others all provide checklists with timelines so you can easily develop and map out a timeline that works with your schedule.
Tip #3: Find The Best Wedding Planning Tools That Work For You
Besides wedding checklists budgets and timelines online, there is a plethora of event planning apps that can help in the wedding planning process. It’s completely up to you which apps you use but be sure to find the best method to track your expenses throughout the process to prevent unwanted surprises later on.
Tip #4: Make Decisions About The Important Details
Once a budget and timeline has been established, now is the time to decide on the major details. The size of the wedding will help to determine how realistic a budget is, so create your guest list and stick as close to it as possible. Once your guest list has been completed, move on to finding and selecting a venue, wedding date and theme.
Tip #5: It’s All In The Design So Design With Quality
When it comes to the design of signs, invitations, programs and save the dates, it is important to reach out to multiple professional designers to find the fit that represents both you and your groom.
Tip #6: Be Smart When Choosing Your Vendors
The vendors you hire become part of the team creating the experience that will be your wedding day so it is extremely important to hire those who have a reputation for being reliable, and are insured. Once you have chosen to hire a vendor, be sure to schedule follow-up meetings and go over what the expectations are for your big day.
Tip #7: Be Good To Your Guests
In the craziness of wedding planning, one thing to keep in mind is to go the extra mile for anyone and everyone involved in helping to make your big day special. Whether it be personalized party favors, or welcome bags for the wedding guests from out of town, there are many ways to show your appreciation to friends, family, and vendors.
Tip #8: Don’t Forget To Relax
Let’s face it: Wedding planning can get very overwhelming with so many vendors and checklists, taking time to relax is important for your sanity. As an added suggestion, it is highly recommended that brides hire a day-of coordinator to pick up where they left off with their planning so they can truly enjoy their wedding day and not worry about logistics.
Tip #9: Anticipate That There Will Be Challenges
No matter how detailed you are in your planning, accept that no wedding ever comes off perfectly. Expect that something may not go exactly as planned, and when it does, you can be prepared to have your day-of coordinator deal with it, or let it roll off your back. Accept that many little items tend to appear on the wedding day you may not expect, such as missing centerpieces, broken zippers on dresses, not knowing where a vendor should be located at the venue, etc. It’s important to keep your cool at all times, and have a back-up plan to your back-up plan.
Tip #10: It’s Your Day! Stop And Take It All In
Take a few minutes to relax, and enjoy the accomplishment of planning an emotional and fun-filled memory in your lives! Events take a huge amount of time, sweat and work to be pulled off, and weddings are no exception. Take into consideration all of the hard work it took to get to this big day and enjoy it!
