First of all, congratulations on your engagement! This is an exciting time in your life as you move from girlfriend or boyfriend status to fiancé! Once the initial bliss wears off though, it's time to get serious about wedding planning... Contrary to what you may think, there are some aspects of wedding planning that are not that fun.
We advise that you take the pressure off yourself early and go about wedding planning like it's a job. You can then indulge in the fun and happy moments as they arise, because there will be many of those too! Here are some ways to help you enjoy the wedding planning process.
GET ORGANIZED
Keeping your wedding affairs in order will help everything else fall into place and reduce your stress. Even if you have hired a wedding planner, you still need to be organized so that you know what's going on too. Purchase a large 3-ring binder and dividers so that you can keep vendor paperwork and planning ideas organized.
Make tabs for everything such as venue, photography, catering, flowers, etc. then put any associated paperwork, contracts, or ideas in them. You can also use your computer for organizing everything too, but be sure to make frequent backups! Our free online wedding budget calculator and wedding planning calendar are both excellent ways to help keep you on budget and on schedule.
Also, set up a free account with Pinterest to organize your design ideas and share your boards with your wedding professionals. This way they can get a feel for the style and mood you are looking to recreate at your wedding.
FOCUS ON THE BIG PICTURE
The fact is, that if you leave your wedding married, you've technically had a successful wedding! Remember that wedding planning is basically preparation for a party.
Decide early on in the planning process what is important to both of you to include and exclude in your wedding. For example, if having a live band is more trouble and expense than it's worth, simply don't have one! Don't get caught in the mental trap of comparing yourself to other people or your experiences at other recent weddings.
Just because a friend's wedding was over-the-top, does not mean that your less extravagant wedding will be any less successful or meaningful for those involved. Focus on making your wedding day a reflection of you and your esthetics as a couple, not someone else's.
DELEGATE TASKS TO OTHERS
The first step to successful delegating is to know what it is you want to delegate! Decide what is important to you personally as a couple, and what you both like to do and will actually commit to doing. Be honest with yourselves here! If there are wedding planning areas that have to be done but you just can't get motivated or excited about doing them at all, it's definitely time to ask for some outside help.
If you know that a particular family member is great at crafting, they should be the first person you ask to help you with your favors or decorations. If you've already received offers of help, cease those people! Show them your list of remaining tasks and let them decide what they want to do. Once they've decided, communicate very clearly what you want this person to do and when it needs to be completed.
Unless it is their gift to you, be sure to cover any costs associated with completing the task. Remember too, that thanking your helpers is very important and shows that you value their time and effort helping you. A gift card or lunch is a wonderful gesture.
MAKE A PARTY OUT OF IT!
Another way to make wedding planning more fun is to involve others in a party-like atmosphere. Weddings that have a lot of do-it-yourself (DIY) projects are perfect for this type of gathering. You could throw a wine and cheese party, coffee and chocolate event or pizza party in which you provide goodies in return for their help in making your wedding favors or handmade invitations, etc.
This makes the planning process an opportunity to connect and have fun with friends and relatives while you get to check yet another item off your to-do list!
JUST BREATH...
Relaxing comes naturally to some people, but for others, wedding planning can be rather overwhelming and stressful at times. If you are the type of person who worries about every detail and can't stop picturing in your mind everything that could go wrong on your wedding day, then you need to take some active steps to learn to relax.
Things you could try are breathing exercises or simply scheduling some regular times (dates) with your partner where you do not discuss the wedding at all. Catch a movie or have a picnic in the park, for example.
Getting plenty of exercise is proven to reduce stress levels and meditation, yoga or a trip to the spa will do wonders too! No matter what drama you're facing or how overwhelmed you may feel right now, marrying the person you love is the really the most important thing you have to worry about on your wedding day. Everything else is secondary.