If you’ve ever sat down to plan your wedding, you’ve probably started to feel a little overwhelmed at times. It always seems like there are just too many things to do and too many options available! As a former wedding planner and someone who has planned her own wedding too, I get it! I’ve got some expert tips for you to make sure you enjoy planning your wedding.
Featured image credit: Alex Zarodov Photography
Related: How to Plan Your Wedding at Work Without Getting Fired
Get organised
It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed and like you’re going crazy! The best way to keep on top of all your wedding planning tasks is to get organised. Make lists, create spreadsheets and save everything. While I was planning my own wedding, this is what I did:
- I had a wedding planning email address (a free Gmail one will do!) which I used for all wedding-related communications. This meant that I had all my supplier quotes and correspondence in one place and it wasn’t getting mixed up with my work emails.
- I had a master spreadsheet with everything in it. Our budget, guestlist, to-do list and a ‘brain dump’ list of things that didn’t quite fit but I knew I’d forget them if I didn’t jot them down.
- Google drive was my friend! I saved all my photos there, along with quotes from suppliers, menus, wedding stationery and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Create a timeline
I would say that the number one thing that stresses out couples about the actual planning part of the wedding is not knowing what to do and when. I highly recommend taking a look at this wedding planning checklist we’ve created and saving it somewhere!
There are some tasks which take priority when you start planning your wedding. Then there are other tasks which can wait a little bit. The trick here is to know what can wait and what can’t. This is one pretty handy way of not getting overwhelmed!
Have a wedding planning day
During the first few months of wedding planning, try not to let it take over your life. Pick one day each week, where you sit down with your Other Half and you plan your wedding together. This way, you won’t find that the wedding will start to dominate every aspect of your life. You’ll still have time to see friends, go on dates, get your work done, and have a life outside of the wedding. Of course, as you get closer to the Big Day, it makes perfect sense that you’ll spend more time planning and getting things together, and that is absolutely fine.
Enlist some professional help
There is no shame in getting some advice from the pros! Your photographer may know a great makeup artist. You may find that you’ll get a great discount if you use suppliers recommended by your venue, for example. Regardless, don’t be afraid to ask!
We think it’s a pretty great idea to get the help of a wedding planner, even if it’s only towards the end of your wedding planning journey. Perhaps a day-of coordinator is a better option for you? Knowing that you’ve got a pro on your side, who can bring it all together on the day, might be all you need to relieve the stress!
