Last week we mentioned that planning your wedding was one of the most stressful things you can do. We also mentioned that the saying should be amended to include weddings with moving home and getting a new job as majorly stressful undertakings. That got us thinking about how to control stress while planning a wedding.
So, talked to some industry experts and came up with what we think are the ultimate tips for lowering your stress levels while you’re planning your wedding day. Here they are.
1. Start Gathering Ideas
Many girls begin planning their wedding around age 9. Others begin building scrapbooks, collecting ideas and inspiration shortly after. If you’re one of those, you’re already halfway there as many of the decisions are already made, as long as you can talk your other half into them.
If you’re not one of those, it pays to begin building ideas up as soon as you get the urge, as you grow a little older, or as you meet someone special. If they haven’t popped the question yet, keep those ideas to yourself else you might scare them away!
Build a scrapbook, a mood board or just begin collecting ideas of things you like. It will help immensely in the decision making process when it comes time!
2. Set a Strict Budget
This is a tough one, but reality bites, even on your wedding day. If you want a lower stress wedding, you need to set your expectations from the very beginning. Setting a strict budget will show you what you have to work with and prevent you getting too far into debt, which only adds stress.
Having a strict budget and sticking to it also narrows the list of decisions you have to make and the scope within which you have to make them. It also sets your mind for reality. There’s no point planning a Tiffany wedding on a Primark budget. Knowing that from the very beginning will prevent a lot of arguing and upset.
3. Delegate
Yes we know, easier to say than do. Delegating tasks to people you trust lowers your own workload and ensures you don’t get too stressed with your wedding planning. If you have family and close friends you can trust, they will not only enjoy helping you, but will feel valued because you asked them.
There are a thousand things that you could easily delegate to others you trust. Doing so not only gives you less to do, it also gives you the time and space to breathe and give your full focus to whatever task you have set yourself.
4. Stick to What You Know
Weddings can be a time for experimentation. New foods, new cosmetics, new treatments, new outfits and all that other good stuff. However, trying something new on the lead up to your wedding adds stress. Will the new treatment work? Will that skin damage heal before the big day? Will that false tan calm down before your wedding dress fitting? And so on.
There is nothing wrong with trying new things, but try them out well in advance, so if anything does go wrong it can be fixed before your wedding day. The thought of, or the reality of, something going wrong just before your wedding adds untold stress. Avoid it wherever possible.
5. Write Wedding Lists
Lists can be blessing or a curse depending on how many you create and how you behave around them. Done right, wedding lists are an excellent way of ensuring nothing is forgotten and that you have prepared everything in advance. That lowers stress considerably.
Knowing you have everything covered and can see in a second what needs doing and by whom, is not only great management, it’s also the lowest stress form of wedding planning.
Write a list of things to buy, things you need to arrange, book and see and do. A list of guests, allergies or special requirements and a list or itinerary for the wedding day itself. Make copies of each and share them with those who are helping out. It’s a super-effective way of planning a wedding. Just don’t let them take over!
6. Take Time Out
Wedding planning can quickly become an obsession. It can dominate your entire existence, your budget and your every waking hour. Don’t let it. Not only will it stress you out, it will also annoy your other half and possibly your friends too.
Set aside weekends, or evenings where there is strictly no wedding talk. No planning, no going to see wedding venues, no talking about themes or cakes. Just have you time. Spend it with friends, go away somewhere for the weekend and forget about your wedding for a while.
Having time off is essential to help keep stress contained and manageable. Plus, it keeps you in touch with what’s happening in your friends and family’s lives and with the world around you.
Those are some very useful ideas that can help lower your wedding stress immeasurably. Take from them what you will, but bear them in mind if you want to keep a wedding/life balance. We hope they help!