Top 10 Wedding Planning Tips
Are you planning a wedding? Wedding planning can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Take the time to work with your partner and your wedding vendors to establish a clear vision and set priorities.
Here are 10 wedding planning tips — updated for COVID-19!
1 Don’t waste time
The earlier you start planning, the better—and the less stressful your planning will be. Developing a clear, focused plan for your wedding before you start the process can help you keep up with the many tasks you’ll have to complete.
COVID-19 UPDATE: Many wedding vendors are experiencing unprecedented demand while weddings have been rescheduled from the previous season, so reach out to your must-have wedding vendors early and get them booked. Saturdays are usually taken first, so if they’re not available, consider a Friday or Sunday wedding for greater availability of vendors.
2 Be creative
Your wedding is about you and your fiancé and the love story you share. The details of your day should reflect the details of your relationship and who you are. Find inspiration in your favorite things and the time you’ve spent together and use those personal details to make your wedding uniquely you.
3 Prioritize your budget
You can’t do much planning until you have a firm grasp on how much you can spend. Break down your budget and know how much you can spend in each category before you spend thousands on your dream reception venue. What is most important to you? The food? The photography? The decor? Start by making a list of your highest priorities, then set your budget accordingly.
4 Don’t invite everyone you know
Seriously. Your guest list will help determine your venue and catering costs. Trimming down your guest list will be a hard decision, but it’s yours and your partner’s alone, so don’t let family members guilt-trip you into inviting people you’d rather not. Want to really simplify it? Have a destination wedding. Your guests will self-select who is willing to invest the time and resources to attend your wedding. Guarantee your best friend will make it, but not your second roommate from college.
5 Keep it close
When choosing your location, think about the distance from your guests. Keeping your wedding more centrally located will allow more people to attend.
6 Get organized
Create a three-ring binder to keep track of vendor contracts, budget details, and even inspiration images from magazines and online. Or a Dropbox folder that your partner has access to. Having all of your wedding info in one place will keep you from misplacing important documents.
7 Ask lots of questions
The vendors you choose should be experts in their field, so don’t be afraid to ask them questions and tell them exactly what you want for your big day. They’ll help you understand what will work with your budget and give you their own unique vision and ideas.
8 Follow the rules
Ask both your ceremony and reception venues for a list of restrictions. For example, some churches don’t allow flash photography. Know what you can and can’t do before making plans for setup and décor.
9 Keep your partner involved
This is their wedding day too, so make sure he or she has a say in the planning. Go over major decisions together and be willing to compromise. It’s a great time to learn the lesson of “choosing your battles.”
10 Avoid overwhelm
Take your wedding tasks one at a time, so you don’t get buried. Focus your time, energy, and most of your budget on your most important priorities. You’ll feel less stressed if you’re not obsessing over every single detail. In the end, it’s about the whole wedding and not the sum of the parts.
