Plan Your Way to a Perfect Wedding!

You’re engaged! Congratulations! With the man of your dreams becoming your lifelong better half, walking on clouds and dancing from room to room must be a daily occurrence. However, once in a while, the reality of planning for the big day will strike! The to-do list seems endless and appointments with vendors blend into one never-ending meeting.

I was married this past June 2nd, and, during the preceding months, I experienced the planning blues. While I never stopped looking forward to the wedding day, stress did take over from time to time.

Because of this, there was nothing I valued more than advice from veteran brides. Every time I hit a roadblock, I ran to my mom and friends for their soothing words and assurances that everything was going to be okay. So, I hope to give you a little advice, and a reminder that, though life is hectic right now, everything will fall into place and your wedding day will be wonderful!

Budgeting
Creating a budget is necessary to make sure everything runs smoothly during the upcoming months. Before anything else, my family, fiancé, and I sat down and talked about it. Though it is not a fun chat, it is a vital first step.

Once we settled on the overall figure, we ranked the various aspects of the big day in order of importance. My fiancé, Cameron, and I decided that our top three necessities were photography, venue and food. By taking this step, I learned I was okay with doing my own hair and make-up as long as I had a brilliant photographer to capture the beauty of the day!

Remember, sticking to your budget is very important - nothing causes more stress than spending money you don’t have!

Talking to Your Vendors
Vendors want to make your dreams come true, but can only do so if they know what you’re looking for!

Initially, when spoke to vendors, I was very shy and didn’t clearly express my opinion. I was scared that if I disagreed with a vendor I’d hurt their feelings, or make them not want to work with me. While talking about this with my mom, she told me that was silly! The vendors were there to help me. They were working with me to help my dreams come true, not theirs!

On the other hand, remember that your vendors are human beings. While they are there to serve you and to help make your day special, they deserve your respect and appreciation too!

Resources
With the wonder of the Internet, there are hundreds of resources that will make planning a little less stressful. Here are a few that I found most helpful:

TheKnot: This website has just about everything you need to know in order to plan your wedding. From vendor ratings, to the latest craze in cake design, it’s all on this one site. Plus, it has a budgeting tool that will help you stay on track, and an RSVP tool to organize your guests!

Pinterest: This popular site helped me keep all my ideas in one place. By creating a “wedding” board, I was able to collect inspiring images and several DIY projects I implemented into my own wedding. Gathering these items in one place made it an easy way to keep track of how we wanted our day to look.

Wedding Blogs: I found these blogs much more helpful than wedding magazines! Because they are updated several times a day with real weddings, photo shoots, and DIY projects, I was able to gather many more ideas than I would with one magazine. Some of my favorites are Green Wedding Shoes, Ruffled, Once Wed, and 100 Layer Cake.

Remember, It’s Only One Day
Now, I don’t want to downplay the importance of your wedding day! It’s the day you’ve been dreaming about for years. It’s the day when, as a couple, you become one! It’s special, it’s important, it’s HUGE! However, don’t forget that there is life after the “I do’s.”

While deciding between a buffet or a sit down dinner is important, it is no more important than the years you and your spouse will be spending together once the wedding bells have rung. Don’t let the details overshadow what is really important: you’re spending the rest of your life with the person you love more than anyone in the world. Enjoy it!

Yes, planning is stressful; I’ll be the first to agree with that. But, there is so much fun to be had during this time as well! Planning with your fiancé, family, and bridesmaids doesn’t have to be all fried nerves. Have fun exploring wedding blogs; get creative with your Pinterest board; have a craft night with your girls and create favors for your guests! And remember, when this is all over, you’ll be married!