Are you over-thinking your wedding plans?
You got engaged months ago. Your wedding plans began simple enough; date, location, etc... It was fun. You were full of ideas, dreams, and hopes. As plans started taking shape, you started to realize the magnitude of this whole wedding thing. You began to feel a twinge of...discomfort...uncertainty...fear!
Before you start to panic and run for the hills (or Vegas!), remember the most important part of this whole thing is the marriage to the one you love. The wedding ceremony will seal the deal and the reception is to celebrate that union, so why is wedding planning making you dizzy and a little bit crazy? In the world of weddings we tend to over do it a bit. I'm not saying that you need a backyard tiny wedding to keep your sanity. In fact, you can have the big wedding you have always dreamed of with all the bells and whistles but you don't have to over-think it. So How do you do that? I have a few tips that will help put your mind at ease while you navigate your plans.
Hire professionals. This is 90% of your path to freedom from wedding planning blues. Hiring professionals who do their particular service hundreds of times a year will ensure you have someone on your side that not only knows their craft but has also encountered many different problems and situations in the past so they know how to deal with whatever is thrown at them. We know how to handle special situations and are always prepared for emergencies. I recently worked at a wedding where a fellow vendor had an issue with an allergy to the prepared meal. I have to admit I panicked for him. After a short time, the caterer presented a new meal for the guest that was allergy-free. I don't know how it happened, but he just knew how to handle it after years in the industry. We do the same in the entertainment side of things, we have encountered many hiccups and solved the problems, many times without the guests or bride and groom ever knowing there was a problem, to begin with. If you hire professionals, put your mind at ease that what you hired them to do will be done with little to no intervention on your part.
2.Make a vision plan. We all know what vision boards are, a vision plan is nothing more than a vision board with written highlights of how you want your event to go. You can look at this post in-depth of how to create your own wedding vision plan. Once you have your plan, share it with your wedding professionals and family and friends who will be helping with your plans and the day of events. If you give your baker ideas of your perfect cake along with your vision plan, they will be able to use their own talents to come up with the perfect design for you.
3. Keep a notebook, not a checklist. A small binder or spiral notebook is all you need to keep organized and on track with your wedding planning and details. when I was a bride, my first purchase was an oversized, over-priced wedding planning book, I think I used it a few times and ended up ditching it for a spiral notebook with pockets. My receipts, phone numbers, guest lists, worksheet, and even my vows were kept in my notebook. The best part of a notebook is that you can rip out pages when changes are made so that all of your information is current and up to date.
4. Delegate! One word is so liberating! I offer some convenience services in my packages. I never push anyone into purchasing these conveniences. I understand there are budgets to keep and most often a bride can find these conveniences on their own for less cost. The reason my conveniences cost more? I am doing the calculations, driving, shopping, and delivery of these items. Thus the word "convenience", I am working while you are tending to other details. If you do not want to pay vendor pricing for convenience items, find a friend or relative who will take on that task for you. Give that person guidance, and have them check in with you at a certain time to ensure it has been handled and then forget about it. Just be sure that you don't give too many tasks to one person. You will have better success if helpers have one or two tasks that are easy to accomplish.
5. No Timelines. Am I crazy? Yes, a little, but only because of timelines! I'm not saying you shouldn't have a very open and general timeline. You should know when the wedding starts when you have a hair appointment, and when you can be let into the reception hall. Feel free to print these off and give them to all interested parties. The timelines I am referring to are so strict that you can not enjoy your day. After you walk down the aisle, the only times you should be concerned with are an approximate time for the meal and the end of the reception. Everything in between the start and end of the reception should have a natural flow. If you are delayed taking pictures, if the caterer is ready 20 minutes early, or if toasts go too long, these are all possible scenarios that happen at every event and you don't want to panic and have to cut memorable events because your timeline is not in sync. Giving you hall or DJ a list of items you want to complete within your reception time will give you, your guests, and your vendors the freedom to complete these items in a more natural, free-flowing manner. I have seen such strict timelines that say "dinner starts at 6:12" and then "cake cutting at 7:02". This strict timeline never works. This was a real timeline and I can tell you that the reality didn't even come close. Don't be tempted by timelines. They are a huge source of stress!
These tips may not make you feel like wedding planning is bliss but hopefully there are some tips that you can take away stress and enjoy the process a little more. This is supposed to be a fun, joyful time in your life so make it a great memory!
