How to Plan Your Wedding Without Stressing Out

Congrats! You’re engaged! Love is in the air, you are on cloud 9 and there is much to be excited over!

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Many couples dive into wedding planning with both feet first and while that does add to wild, crazy happiness you are both feeling, I for one advise couples to hang on just a minute before jumping into the wedding planning process without a plan or even any thought behind it. For one, you don’t want to make any impulsive decisions or get into a debate with your hunny right off the bat over a simple detail that has no immediate relevance in the beginning stages of planning. And secondly, who in their right mind needs or wants to welcome STRESS to the party?? No one!

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Believe me when I say that there is a method to our madness and that is why we, wedding planners, exist! Having a solid system in place is KEY! Wedding planning should be a fun, joyous experience. Not a daunting task! This is your chance to have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.

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What if I told you that you can plan the wedding of your dreams, stay cool in the process and pull it all off without being stressed to the max?? It can be done! I know first hand personally how to do this and I have helped many other couples do the same thing

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➡Fun Fact: Did you know? I have NEVER worked with a ‘Bridezilla’! Not one of the brides I have worked with felt stressed out, frazzled nor turned into a crazy person during our time working together. Amazing isn’t it?!? I wholeheartedly believe this is because I have the skill set and ability to help keep my brides calm, even when the heat is on by assuring them that everything WILL work out in the end!

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Have Open Communication

Communication is also key to washing away unwanted wedding planning stress. Make sure you are taking the time to sit down with your fiancé and go over any updates, discuss upcoming tasks that need to be completed and set up a game plan to get things done.

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You both want to be on the same page and also in the loop with each other so setting aside this time, whether it be every other week or once a month is vital for strong lines of communication.

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While it is important to be discussing wedding planning with each other consistently, it is equally as important to take a break from all of the excitement and being immersed with details. Wedding planning is very time consuming and can take away from other activities you enjoy.

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Consider setting aside a specific day/time where there is no wedding planning talk allowed. Spend that time doing something you both enjoy! Maybe a walk in the park or a lazy brunch? Or plan a once a month date night where wedding talk is off limits? You will thank yourselves for the break and you will be able to come back to the topic refreshed and ready to work!

Be Organized!

I cannot stress this enough! Especially if you are doing most of the planning yourselves. There is a lot to it, many things to think of and hey, let’s take a step back into reality here, this is most likely the biggest party you have ever planned. Don’t think you can just wing-it and neatly put the pieces together like a puzzle. It doesn’t work like that and you will find yourself ready to pull your hair out in no time!

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There are so many helpful tools out there to help you stay organized while planning your wedding. You are living in a prime time to be planning your wedding!

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For those who like to roll it old school like me and prefer good old pen and paper, I highly suggest putting together a wedding binder to help keep all of your info, business cards you receive and pamphlets, photos, ideas, etc. Check out Pinterest and wedding planning websites for free Printable’s, timelines and lists to help keep you organized.

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If you are tech-savvy, there are oodles and oodles of programs out there, apps for your phones and online tools to help you along during wedding planning. Right at your fingertips!

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Some of my favorite apps are: .

❤️ Appy Couple-Design a website to share wedding day details, manage rsvp's, message with guests, share photos, etc. .

❤️ Wedding Countdown- Counts down to the big day with you! .

❤️ Wedding Wire--This links with your wedding Wire account to help with planning on the go! .

❤️ The DIY Wedding Planner--All the links to the best wedding websites and resources. Your wedding planning search engine! .

❤️ Evernote--take notes, make lists, snap photos across multiple devices that sync up keeping everyone informed and up to date. .

❤️ Mint--Budget tracking tool .

❤️ WedPics--Great app to share with guests so that they can upload all their photos from your big day into one place.

Delegate! Ask for Help!

To me, delegating means giving the responsibility of completing a task to someone you trust, whether that be a friend, family member or someone you hire as a wedding professional!

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As I’ve mentioned, there are many components to wedding planning and unless you are Wonder Woman, like me, chances are you are going to need an extra set of hands or two to help you along with the planning process.

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Your friends, family, co-workers and people you haven’t seen in years will be coming out of the wood work to offer their help to you during wedding planning. Take their help!! There are plenty of things you an give them to do that can open up your time to do something you cant delegate. Have them help with stuffing envelopes, tracking RSVP’s, running errands, putting together welcome bags for out of town guests. These are all great tasks to hand off!

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Hiring wedding pros you can trust is mega important! These are the people who will help pull together your wedding day vision. Ask for referrals, read reviews and meet with them in person, if possible. Know who you will be working with before making the commitment. The right vendors can help take the stress out of planning and will be there to take some of the weight off your shoulders.

Be Mindful, Be Flexible & Practice Self Care

Being mindful about what you have coming up during wedding planning will help keep you cool as a cucumber! Remember, you are juggling LIFE on top of planning a wedding. Give yourself some grace! Things WILL get a little crazy here and there but if you can be more aware and plan ahead, it will help make the process go smoother. For instance, sitting down and reviewing your budget may be a stressful task for you both. It must be done so instead of doing it after a long day’s work, where you are exhausted, maybe plan to head over to a quiet coffee shop on a weekend when you are both more alert and ready to be productive.

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Practicing self-care is something I talk about daily, not just in wedding planning. Having healthy habits, exercising and taking care of your mind and body will not only help you radiate amazing-ness on your wedding day but you will FEEL incredible too! You want to look healthy AND happy on your wedding day, not burnt out and frazzled. Take the time to pamper yourself throughout the process. Take a spa day! Set aside time to read each night, spoil yourself with a bubble bath or spend time doing an activity you enjoy.

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When I say be flexible, I’m not talking about being physically flexible. I’m talking about being flexible in the sense that during wedding planning, a problem may present itself that will ruffle your feathers. Instead of getting upset that your wedding is now ruined (its NOT!), get ready for Plan B and be ok with it! If Option A is no longer an option, accept it for what it is and move on, don’t look back as it will just upset you. Get motivated and come up with a solution that will be the perfect alternative! There are always other options that will work.

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At the end of the day, you are marrying the love of your life and that is what matters most! When you feel stress creeping up, remind yourself of this and keep it top of mind.