Between budgeting and booking vendors, to tastings and seating charts, planning a wedding is most certainly one of the most stressful experiences of a young couple’s pre-married life. Here are 20 tips to help you curate the stress free wedding of your dreams.
Whenever someone asks for stress free wedding planning advice, I like to begin with this little piece of wisdom. Select the wedding elements that are most important to you, then allot your budget accordingly and book those vendors first. When you refine the key elements of your wedding day, your other details will fall into place.
Perhaps one of the most stressful aspects of any planning endeavor is money. Weddings are no different. That’s why it’s essential to research and set a realistic budget based on your wedding wants and needs. If you set reasonable cost expectations and allot your budget accordingly, you’ll find that you enjoy the wedding planning process much more.
An experienced wedding planner and coordinator is worth their weight in gold, if only for the fact that (s)he can help create a stress free wedding experience for you and your spouse. A good planner will help you manage all of your wedding details, from choosing vendors and venues to creating timelines and budgets. They create value through their unique set of industry relationships, and they also provide invaluable advice on how to handle last-minute changes or unforeseen issues that may arise during the planning process. Hiring a professional will help you relax and enjoy your special day without worrying about every detail.
Check out this post about the benefits of hiring a wedding planner and then head on over to All the Dainty Details, one of my favorite coordination and planning teams in Virginia.
An engagement session allows you and your partner to get comfortable in front of the camera and get used to posing for photos before your big day. It also gives you an opportunity to get familiar with your photographer, which will make it easier on the day of your wedding when you’re surrounded by all the wedding-related chaos.
If you’ve booked a day of coordinator (s)he should already have a handy dandy emergency kit prepared. But it never hurts to have a back up. At the very least, you can feel confident knowing that if something unexpected happens on your wedding day, you’ll be prepared to handle it.
For more info about what you should pack in your emergency kit, check out this article by the knot: Everything to Include in Your Wedding Day Emergency Kit.
Weddings can be a bit of a whirlwind, so much so that we often find ourselves forgetting some of the smaller details of the wedding day that we worked so diligently to curate. This is one of the reasons why many couples today place such importance on photographing flat lays and detail shots. If you have special details that you want photographed – heirloom items, jewelry, invitation suites, perfume, shoes, etc – make sure to gather them together and set them aside for your photographer the morning of your wedding.
Not sure what details to set aside for your photographer? Read this blog post.
This one is easy to forget, but it’s the most important detail! After all, marriage is the reason you’ve gathered to celebrate.
Nothing is more stressful than achy feet after a long walk down the aisle and a night of celebrating with friends. In addition to your fancy dress shoes, it’s nice to have a fun pair of dancing shoes so you can be comfortable greeting guests and dancing the night away at your reception.
Bustling your dress involves creating an intricate pattern of folds in the fabric of your gown so that it can be easily adjusted for dancing or other activities throughout the evening. It’s important to practice bustling the dress before your wedding day so that you know exactly how the dress should look and feel. An experienced wedding coordinator will have plenty of practice bustling a wedding dress, but it’s helpful to designate someone in your wedding party (moms and maids of honor work great for this) to help practice bustling so everything goes according to plan within your timeline.
Any time you’re working with new apparel and accessories that require a little effort to don, it’s helpful to practice. This will also provide you with a sense of any guys who need a little extra help tying the perfect Windsor knot on the big day!
A lot of stress can be avoided by simply ensuring everyone knows where they need to be and when they need to be there.
Nothing is more stressful than a last minute search for Uncle So-and-so when he’s needed for a family portrait.
There are many variables (usually outside of the hair/make-up artist’s control) that can cause hair and makeup to run behind. This is the number one reason most wedding timelines are inevitably delayed. Incorporating buffer time during hair and makeup means you may actually have some bonus time to relax before saying, “I do.”
Any time that you’re operating under a great deal of stress, it’s important not to neglect your physical and mental well-being. Indulging in self-care is a wonderful way to give relief and comfort to mind and body. Whether your idea of of self-indulgence is cuddling up with a good book, a spa day, or even just a stroll around Target with a cup of Starbucks, remember that it’s okay to take a break from the stress of wedding planning.
There’s a reason that practiced wedding coordinators focus so much of their time making ensuring their couples are well-fed and watered on wedding days. You’d be surprised how many couples get so lost in the joyous distractions of the wedding that they actually forget to tend to their own basic needs. You’ll have a much more enjoyable day if you’re paying attention to your personal needs throughout the day.
Friends and family have gathered from near and far to celebrate with you. And yet, with all the focus on the festivities, it can be easy to forget the reason for that gathering: your love. Take a moment together after you say, “I do” to enjoy one another in a more intimate setting. A romantic way to do this is planning a private dinner together during cocktail hour before you’re announced at your reception.
There’s nothing more special than seeing your future spouse for the first time on your wedding day. This intimate, emotional moment is the perfect opportunity to connect with one another and take a deep breath while your photographer captures images that you’ll treasure forever. Another added bonus? A first look allows your photographer to capture most, if not all, of your couples portraits before the ceremony starts, which frees up time for family and wedding party portraits later.
Not sure if a first look is for you? Check out this post for more information about the benefits of a first look.
Your engagement is one of the most exciting times in your relationship, and goes by fast! It won’t be long before your fiance(e) becomes your spouse. So enjoy this time! Taking breaks from planning your wedding may seem counterintuitive, but it will allow you to bask in the excitement of the upcoming event, and give you time to appreciate your partner and your relationship.
With so many details to consider and decisions to make, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s most important – your relationship. After all, it’s the reason you’re planning a wedding in the first place. Throughout the process, you’ll find it helpful to check on your partner; make sure you’re still connecting and communicating.
Too often, couples get so bogged down in the details that they forget what truly matters – their marriage. At the end of the day, something will go awry on your wedding day. But the truth is, it won’t really matter. No one is going to notice if the napkins were folded the wrong way or a bridesmaid has to safety pin her dress. What people will notice? His tears of joy as you walk down the aisle. Her smile as the ring is slipped on her finger. Foreheads leaned together during your first dance as a married couple.
For more information about how Emily Bartell Photography can help you achieve the wedding photos of your dreams, inquire today.