4 Tips for Staying Sane While Planning a Wedding
For those who have ever planned or are in the midst of planning a wedding, you know the copious amount of time, energy, and money that go into the process. Weddings are beautiful, momentous occasions in a person’s life, but it can be tough to stay levelheaded and not to stress over every detail. Here are four ways to keep things in a healthy perspective leading up to the big day.
Don’t sweat the small stuff
It sounds cliché, but there is no better time to remember this than during wedding planning. I went into planning with the mindset that little things could (and would) go wrong the day-of, and no matter what, it was going to be okay. When setting up for a gathering of any kind, there are so many factors involved and might result in a glitch or two along the way. Chances are, no one will notice. Having the expectation that things will not go 100% smoothly helps put things into perspective and kept Bridezilla at bay.
Delegate, delegate, delegate
If you typically like to be in charge, this is a good opportunity to practice letting go of that tendency to want to control everything. While you certainly want a say in the different aspects of your wedding, don’t be hesitant to enlist the help of trusted family members and friends. There are so many moving parts that when you can pass along a task to someone else, give them specific instructions, and know they will get it done, do it. With all that goes into making a wedding day happen, it can take a village and it’s so important to take people up on their offer to help. Friends can help setup your online wedding registry by HoneyFund, plan a shower, help gather rsvps, etc. — saves lots of time for you to focus on the bigger tasks.
Prioritize what’s important to you
Weddings have become such a huge business that it can be overwhelming to look through all of your available options. Unless you have an unlimited wedding budget (and if you do, that’s awesome!), you will have to pick and choose what’s really important to you. For example, if you spend many thousands of dollars on flowers, they will undoubtedly look amazing, but is that where you want to assign a huge chunk of your budget? If it is, then great, but if not, save that money for other things that are more meaningful to you. Pick a few “non-negotiables” with your partner that you both need to have at your wedding and prioritize your money on that. The rest of it can either be eliminated or done in a more affordable manner.
Enjoy the day and have fun!
You have done so much preparation work, and the whole reason for the celebration is to declare your love and commitment in front of your closest friends and family. There are certainly obligatory things you may have to do -- lots and lots of pictures, for example -- but once those are done, relax and take it all in. Take a few private minutes with your spouse to be fully present and recognize the significance of the day. And then party! We had a larger wedding and it was important to us to go around to each table and say hello to each guest. After that, we made a point to get out on the dance floor and celebrate!
Heather Slugaski is a clinical social worker living and working in North Carolina. You can follow Heather on Twitter @heatherlynnsw.