Planning a wedding is a lot of work. And unless you’ve done it, I don’t think people can really grasp just how much time it takes up, and how organized you have to be (especially if you’re sticking to a tight budget). But if you are planning a wedding, especially if it’s your wedding, then you definitely shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by stress. If you go to sit down and work on some more of the wedding details and you catch yourself going “I would rather be doing anything else but this”, then it’s probably time to reassess and reduce some stress. Here are 5 tips that might help bring the ease and enjoyment back into planning your big day:
Pick 3 Things
A budget is hard to keep, especially when you have so many ideas and visions for your wedding. If the budget isn’t accommodating everything you want and is causing you to freak out about how to bring your wedding to life, I suggest picking 3 things that you want to be your focal points. What are 3 things that you want to prioritize in your wedding? For some people, it’s an extravagant seating chart that people will want to get photos in front of. For many, they want their head table backdrop to be unforgettable. It can be as small an item as you want, but it will get you excited to focus on your 3 favourite features at your wedding, while also giving your budget some breathing room in other area. This is almost like a give-and-take approach when planning a wedding. Maybe drop the gold cutlery and get classic silver so that the extra money can help add a chandelier above the dance floor.
Start a Pinterest board
One of the biggest struggles brides face is what they envision their decor to look like. There are colour schemes to consider, different styles of candles, artificial or real florals, and the list goes on. One of the first things I tell brides to do is a start a Pinterest board! Once they have a few things they like on a board (could be as simple as a ceremony arch they saw that they thought looked pretty), then Pinterest will begin to suggest similar ideas.
Without even realizing it, brides have subconciously created an entire board surrounding a certain aesthetic. You begin to notice all the colours have lots of greenery but not many florals, or they all incorporate taper candles and tiny votives. I am a firm believer that Pinterest is one of the biggest stress-reducing tools you can have when planning a wedding.
Hire a Planner
No, this isn’t me trying to get you to spend more money. But by hiring a professional, they are capable of taking care of everything. Whether you just need support on the day of the wedding, or if you need help from start to finish, having someone whose sole responsibility is to make your wedding come to life is one of the best investments. Wedding designers, decorators, planners, and coordinators spend at least 40 hours a week pouring over wedding trends and details.
Truthfully, this is one of the most common things I hear brides say they regret not investing in. Trying to manage the timeline, the correspondence, organization, and other small details can take the fun out of getting married and cause an overload of stress. If your budget can afford it, give yourself the opportunity to enjoy the fun parts of wedding plan and leave the small stuff to a professional.
Talk to the Professionals
Every professional in the event industry wants to help. If you have questions or want suggestions relating to the services they offer, don’t hesitate to ask them for their opinion. Event professionals are constantly studying and evolving their knowledge to adapt to growing trends or needs for weddings. If you ask them a question, they can provide a knowledge and reliable answer for you. We’re here to help, so relieve some stress by letting us.
Rent, don’t buy
Okay, I get why people like to buy their items. You can get them for cheap and know exactly what you have for your wedding. But I also find that a lot of wedding stress can come from trying to make sure you have of each item, such as enough table numbers or cylinder vases. And when the wedding is finished, what do you do with everything after? Sure you can sell to other brides, but that might take a while and could potentially take up a lot of storage space that you would rather use for something else.
Rental companies are great because they can instantly reserve the correct quantities for you. On top of that, majority rental companies don’t want you to wash or clean anything. They will take everything back after the wedding and do the clean up themselves. That alone will reduce so much post-wedding stress for you when you are trying to clean up after your wedding.
There you have it folks, there are 5 tips that I suggest considering to help reduce some of the wedding planning stress. Remember, the big day is about who you are spending it with, not about how it looks or how big the party is.
Do you have other ways to reduce stress that aren’t on this list? Let me know below! And don’t forget, if you like what you see, you can subscribe and receive updates every time there’s something new to see.
Have a fabulous day – Jess xx
