Planning a wedding can be exciting as well as being overwhelming and stressful. You’re overly ecstatic to marry the love of your life, but you’re also likely torn between colour palettes and seating arrangements and choosing the perfect venue.
Keep in mind your not the only bride that has these feelings. There are so many decisions to make and between work, spending time with friends and family and planning a wedding. I can definitely understand how you might feel like pulling out your hair at times. Let me assure it’s ok, we don’t want you to turn into a bridezilla or a groomzilla if he’s heavily involved.
So, I am going to give you some tips to help you plan a stress-free wedding so that you can enjoy every moment of your engagement.
1. Hire a wedding planner or a Month-Of Coordinator
believe me when I say, they will take so much off of your plate so you can just relax and enjoy the moment. I know with my clients I pretty much handle everything and I Cc them on every email from vendors.....and if there is a problem I personally take care of it so they don’t have to worry about.
2. Stop worrying about things you cant control
You can, however, prepare in advance especially if your ceremony or reception is outdoors. Ask your rental company to put an extra tent on reserve, (They may charge you a small percentage of the total cost, but it buys you peace of mind.) You can also reserve stand-up fans if you’re worried about a heat wave, and make sure you have plenty of cold beverages available for your guest if it’s blazing hot outside. You can work with your venue on this. Just make sure you have a contingency plan for everything thats going through your head that could possibly go wrong. It will definitely give you peace of mind.
3. Do not fill your schedule, keep some time clear for you.
It’s tempting to plan a big brunch or line up manicures, pedicures, hair, and a bikini wax on the morning of the wedding, spread it out over a few days and try not to do too much. (Stick to the absolute necessities on your wedding day like hair and makeup.) “Your wedding day will fly by faster than you could ever imagine. If you have too many activities, you won’t have space to take in the real once-in-a-lifetime moments.
4. There is no need to “check in” on your venue beforehand.
It’s tempting on the day of to peek in (or drive by) the reception site while everyone is setting up. Don’t do that. “Brides want to see all of their planning and vision come to fruition, of course. But my advice is to wait for the big reveal, when the candlelight, the beautiful linens, the great band can really tell the story,” Not only is the payoff not as sweet if you’re checking on lighting and flowers all day; you’ll just make yourself crazy seeing a half-finished hall.
5. Have someone you trust learn how to bustle your dress.
Don’t rely on a safety pin and a prayer. Have a friend, MOH, bridesmaid or relative go with you to a fitting to learn how to bustle your train, if you have one, and make sure that person practices and sticks around post-ceremony to button you into shape.
6. Make some time for you and your new husband.
This is very important, well crucial. “You need to make a date with your new spouse during the reception, even if it’s just 5 or 10 minutes. Sneak away to a secret spot, just to have time to take everything in together. If your ceremony and reception are at the same site, take a few moments to hang out in a dressing room. Or, if you’re driving from a church to the reception, go alone rather than riding with the whole wedding party.
7. Get a just-for-you-two meal.
No one wants to be chasing down wait staff. Ask your caterer or a friend to have a plate or hors d’oeuvres and some celebratory beverages prepped and ready for you immediately after the ceremony, so you can snack while taking photos. If your reception is a buffet rather than a seated dinner, have a “mini meal” with your husband (also counts as alone time!). “Give your caterer plenty of notice to plan a little nosh just after post-ceremony pictures. Have a great cocktail, sample your food, and then you’ll be all set to talk and dance without having to worry that you don’t have a carb base to survive the rest of the evening.”
8. Assign someone to get everyone together for pictures.
Do not waste 15 minutes of your cocktail hour trying to corral all five of your college roommates for a picture. Designate someone ahead of time, a family member or close friend who is familiar with everyone and....even more important isn’t shy, to get people together. Consider picking two people......one who knows the family, one who’s up on all of your besties.....so you cover every group.
9. Have someone collect items you would like to keep as a remembrance of your big day.
Guess what you won’t remember to grab on your way out of the ceremony? A clean copy of the program. Ask a friend to collect all of the special paper goods—a few extra programs, some monogrammed napkins, a copy of the menu that doesn’t have Bearnaise sauce dripped on it. For bonus points, collect duplicate sets for your mother and mother-in-law. They’ll be happy to have those items.
10. Stay close to your spouse.
Sure, you need to talk to your high school English teacher while he chats with his dad’s business partner. But don’t stay apart too long. Link arms. Be cheesy. This is not the night to showcase your ability to mingle independently like you would at a cocktail party, You risk having totally different memories of this important event, and you make it impossible for your photographer to capture you together!”
11. Remember the important things
You know what we’re about to say: You can’t control everything. Zippers will break, flower girls will cry, and depending on we’re you are having your ceremony it might even rain but the only thing that matters is the marriage, not the height of the centerpieces. “As the bride, you drive the mood. It won’t matter if the storm of the century is sweeping through—if you’re all smiles and thrilled to be marrying the love of your life, the guests will have fun, too.”