So your dream has finally come true, and you are going to marry the love of your life. It’s about time you say ‘I do’ – the two magical words you always wanted to say. First, congrats! Because I know getting married is one of the most important moments of life, and thinking about it can give anyone butterflies in the stomach.
But with these colorful butterflies also come dark clouds of anxiety, stress, too-much thinking, and tension. And it’s normal! Anyone can feel stressed out while planning a wedding because with the wedding comes so many details, things-to-do, plans to align, and confusions that it gets hard to hold on to the string of sanity. On top of all that, you want everything to be perfect. After all, it is your big day, so from venue selection and dress to flower arrangement, you want everything on-point. So if you are also feeling your guts churning, it’s okay – everyone goes through this pre-wedding anxiety phase.
The good thing is that with a pinch of planning and a handful of smart moves; you can make your wedding more fun and less stressful. Sounds impossible? Well, I have come up with a few viable tips to make your journey to the big day the most memorable period of life that is free of any hassle, mistakes, and stress. Can’t guarantee about a few hiccups because these tips will pull down your stress, not excitement. So enjoy.
Here we go:
● Select a Realistic Date
The first rule to cut your wedding stress is to come up with a realistic date. Even if you can’t wait to get married, and you are eagerly waiting to say ‘I do,’ still set a realistic timeline. Don’t rush things because haste can really make waste in this matter. Let’s say that you are not planning a super-duper marriage event and want a small gathering in your backyard. Still, you need time for essential documentation, checking the availability of your important family members and friends, and looking out other important stuff.
So if you want to be a spring bride and you have only fifteen days until spring turns into summer, it doesn’t mean that you should start chasing these fifteen days. You will ruin your big day by doing this. Be realistic and put your emotions aside. Look at the bigger picture and set a timeline that you can achieve without jumbling up things.
● Hire an Experienced Wedding Planner
If you are not some kind of I-will-do-it-own-my-own kind of person, then booking a good wedding planner will cut down your hassle to half. You wouldn’t have to move from place to place searching for a venue while your head is busy thinking of the name of the guests you have to invite. That’s where a good and experienced wedding planner can help you.
From deciding the theme, choosing the venue, and thinking about the best possible food within budget – in fact, a wedding planner handles all the management expects of the wedding. It gives you plenty of time and piece-of-mind to think of other essential things like: what should you wear?
And this point takes us to our next tip…
● Trust in the Advice of Dress Designer
You want to wear the best dress at your wedding that anyone in this world has never worn before (let’s admit we all want this deep inside!). But you are confused and dazed about the choice. Questions are pricking your mind, and you don’t know what to select?
Brides are entrapped in questions, like: Tail gown? Slim fit? Shoulder down laced tea-length? Full sleeves trumpet? Grooms are confused about: Bow or tie? Three piece or two piece? Subtle colors or vibrant? It is not easy to come out of the maze of such questions, significantly when you know that this moment is one of its kind.
So the best solution to this problem is: trust in the advice of the dress designer. For instance, if you live in LA, search the best Los Angeles Bridal Salon and consult them. Tell them your wedding theme, and they will come up with the best advice based on your figure and outlook. Designers know their stuff, and they have been doing this for years. Shed off your worries and let experts do their work!
● Book a Professional Photographer; not the Boy Next Door
Your wedding day is incomplete without photographs that are like your memory buckets. Later, you can dive into this bucket to cherish and recall the beautiful moments of your wedding. Heartwarming photos with your family, quirky photos of bridesmaids and groomsmen, memorable moments when you take vows, and couple photoshoot – all these moments complete your day.
But what if the photographer is non-professional or amateur? Emm... your memory bucket will remain empty or get filled with pictures that are too poor to see twice. You don’t want to face either of the situations, right? That’s why booking a professional photographer is essential because it will cut down your anxiety related to: what if the photographer doesn’t show up on time?
The best way is to ask for recommendations because it will save you from experiments and land you on a safe choice. The other way is to look out for genuine online reviews. See what people are saying about their experience with a photographer. Read comments and focus on little details that people drop related to their experience. Take your time before choosing the right pick if you really want to capture the best of your best time!
●Keep Your Budget In Check
It isn’t difficult to break your bank when you want everything perfect and extravagant. But you know going out of your budget and spending without keeping a check of your savings brings a lot of stress. It comes up with consequences that you have to face for a long time if you end up taking a loan.
You don’t need to be frugal to save your budget. Being smart can also do the trick. For example, you can book the venue on dates when rates are usually down, shop around a bit to compare prices of things and take advantage of sales. Do whatever it takes to stay within a set budget if you want to save yourself from the stress of running out of the money – that is inevitable if you spend your savings without any check.
● Plan Out Things With a Broader Picture
Ever heard about last-minute disasters? Well, marriages are the perfect places to see this in reality. No matter how much you prepare for different situations, most of the time, you end up facing the bouncer of miss-communication, miss-management, and confusion.
For example, if you have an outdoor wedding, that’s great. But what if it starts raining? Always keep plan B and C for such situations so that you can enjoy your wedding without any hustle and tussle. Naturally, things can go wrong during such events because there is so much in the loop. The worst happens when you are not pre-prepared to handle such situations. So don’t plan things with a narrow focus. Think of every possible aspect to eliminate the possibility of a disaster.
● Distribute Tasks to Streamline Things
You can’t handle each and everything on your own. I understand that you want to be a central player in every task. But practically, it is not possible. Even if you end up handling everything yourself, let’s admit that not all things will be perfect. So it is better to distribute different tasks to different people so that you don’t have to move around with the stress of a long list of things-to-do.
If your friends, cousins, and siblings want to lend a hand, accept their offer. Even if they don’t offer help on their own, you can ask yourself. After all, relations are to help each other when needed. So now is the right time to ask for their favor. But make sure that you assign tasks to the people who can handle them. Like, don’t ask your friend to manage décor if he has nothing to do with aesthetics. To find the right people with the required skill sets, believe in them, and let them do their work.
Conclusion
No one claims that wedding planning and preparation is easy, and it will be a piece of cake for you. It will be a hard and tough job. Besides a few hiccups, you might also have to deal with a lot of stress. But managing things the right way can save you from a mental breakdown and save your D-Day from becoming a mess. Once you get the key to handling things, you will enjoy every single moment leading you towards your wedding day. Remember that these moments will not come again, so enjoy them as much as you can!
Alex is a professional writer and digital marketing expert