Planning a wedding is one of the most stressful aspects of getting married. Whether you want a grand wedding or an intimate day you can spend with your loved ones, you might feel weighed down by the stress. However, there are simple ways to lessen the overwhelm. Here are seven ways you can reduce wedding planning stress
1) Know Your Priorities
One of the biggest reasons why wedding planning can be so stressful is down to lack of organisation, which can leave many couples feeling overwhelmed. To ensure your wedding planning goes smoothly, it’s wise to work out with your partner what the essential vs non-essential aspects of your big day are.
By asking yourselves what your priorities are, you will discover what your ‘must haves’ really are. This will help to prioritise everything from which is the best wedding venue for you and you will allocate your budget to how you will spend your time. Doing this will make your life so much easier because you will have a clear vision for your day and all the smaller details will get worked out along the way.
2) Set A Budget
Along with creating a detailed priority list, you should also have a concrete budget for each category, such as:
- Invitation
- Catering
- Venue
- Photographer
- Groom and bridal attire
- Honeymoon
By having a budget for your entire wedding, you’ll prevent the risk of overspending. Moreover, it’s an unspoken rule to allot at least 5% of your budget for additional expenses along the way. Some of the most common surprise costs are unexpected guests, unforeseen service charges, and overtime charges. As a result, you’ll have lesser things to feel stressed about.
You can read my tips on how to avoid wedding budget stress HERE
3) Make a Done List
It’s no surprise that wedding planning involves many tasks that need to be tackled. If you go into it without proper preparations, you’ll instantly feel overwhelmed by the mountain of tasks staring you down. But unfortunately, the human thing to do is procrastinate – leading to more stress in the long run (I know this because I procrastinated about finishing this post).
For your convenience, you could invest in a simple online wedding planner to lighten the load. It typically includes worksheets, checklists, calendars, and more. They are excellent tools that will help you track your budget, progress, and timeline. Using one will ensure that your entire planning process is kept in one easy-to-access place.
Even better than having a detailed to-do list is to have a done list. It will motivate you to push through the wedding planning process if you celebrate the small wins along the way.
4) Ask for Help From Your Loved Ones
At times you might feel like you’re the only one exerting effort to prepare for your special day. However, you should realise that planning a wedding isn’t a one-person job, so it’s essential to ask for help from your loved ones.
Delegating tasks will help you stay sane. People will want to help you if you ask because they want your wedding to be ace too! This is a point that I’ve made in my 10 ways to have a relaxed wedding post here
5) Avoid Unnecessary Comparisons
Looking for wedding inspiration is a great thing to do, but it might lead you to make unhelpful comparisons to what you can do. For example, you might see a cool new wedding venue and start thinking that your venue is no longer good enough, or your wedding dress isn’t as extravagant as the one you saw on Pinterest. Comparison remains one of the most significant reasons behind dissatisfaction, and poisoning your mind with jealous thoughts will dampen the excitement about your day.
If you ever find yourself stressing over not being good enough, remember that your wedding is for you and your partner – it’s not a contest!
6) It’s OK to Take Breaks
To prevent being overpowered by the enormous number of things you must accomplish on your wedding day it’s helpful to have a weekly schedule, for example, Monday night 2 hours of planning, Wednesday night 1 hour of planning etc. Remember to give yourself specific days when you’re free to relax, hang out with friends, and focus on your well-being.
You should also have date nights with your partner, but here’s the catch – no wedding talk involved! During the wedding planning process, it’s essential to decompress with your fiance because let’s face it – the stress can strain the relationship. With this in mind, spending time together is crucial to keep the spark alive.
Check out my 5 tips for making wedding planning fun here
7) Remember The Big Picture
Lastly, remember to always keep the bigger picture in mind. When are feeling overwhelmed, think about your ‘why’. For most couples, this is the fact that they get to celebrate the start of a new life of marriage together with all the people that love and care about them the most, and that’s AWESOME.
With that in mind, when you start stressing about which table arrangements and decor, you’ll soon realise that it isn’t that big of a deal because it’s not that important. What matters most is that you enjoy your wedding day and make beautiful memories that’ll last a lifetime.
The Takeaway
There can be times when you feel stressed about wedding planning due to factors you can’t control, there are other things you can do to lighten the burden you’re carrying.
By following the tips listed above, you’ll reduce wedding planning stress considerably.