Seven tips to help you plan your dream wedding
IGNORE TRENDS
Your wedding will be memorable not because you chose the colors of the year or the popular floral arrangements but because you made it unapologetically YOU! Be yourselves and make decisions that are important to you. Choose traditions, colors, music, and people who are special to you. Your wedding should be personal and reflect the two of you, not the current trends. Trends change and fade constantly, but the personal touches on your wedding day will remain important to you forever.
CHOOSE CONNECTION
Choose to work with the vendors you connect with. There are hundreds of different vendors in every category, and the ones you will work best with are the ones you can establish a connection with. Take the time to get to know your vendors. Meet them face to face before agreeing to work with them. You want to work with people who understand you and the vision for your wedding. You want vendors who will listen to you and bring your vision to life!
3. SET A BUDGET
You absolutely need to start with a budget. Consider the total cost of your wedding before you start booking anything. It will be far easier to make decisions if you know what your budget is. Set the overall budget then choose where you want to spend it. Allocate funds to each category based on priorities. This will make the process so much less stressful.
4. HIRE YOUR WEDDING PLANNER FIRST
Your wedding planner can help you find your perfect venue, excellent photographers, the right caterer, and more. A good wedding planner has a wealth of knowledge of the industry and can help you find exactly what you need at exactly the right time. The wedding planner will help you stay on track with your budget and help you prioritize what is important to you. With a wedding planner, you get peace of mind that you have someone in your corner. A person who will take care of the last minute emergencies, stand alongside you to help make the difficult decisions, and work very hard to make sure your wedding planning and celebration are as stress free as possible.
5. DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL (OR BIG) STUFF
Weddings should be special, but they don’t have to be perfect. You can plan every single detail, but there are things that will be out of your control. Like how about rain or sickness? The unexpected is bound to happen, and that is out of your control. But your reaction is in your control. Choose to roll with the unexpectedness and you will find more joy in your planning and on your wedding day. In the end, what is important is your union with your incredible partner.
6. MAKE THE MARRIAGE YOUR PRIORITY
The wedding is an incredible event marking the beginning of your lifelong partnership with your person, but it is just one day in your marriage journey. Remember that the marriage is the reason for the wedding. You are getting married because you have found the person you want to spend your life with. The person you want to disagree with; the person you can be your best and worst self with; the person who loves you through the ups and downs of life. Holding this focus through the planning process will eliminate stress and help you to keep moving forward through the hiccups.
7. ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE
Planning a wedding can be a very joyful experience. Don’t let all the details muddle your joy. Enjoy the journey. There is so much to learn about yourself and your future spouse through the process. Learn to laugh at the unexpected and walk boldly through the crazy. Enjoy meeting vendors and making new connections. Take time to reflect on the process and journal the small joys along the way. Remember to see people first and details second, and bring people alongside you who will remind you of this. There is so much joy in planning a wedding, and I don’t want you to miss it!
