1. Don’t get bogged down in the details
One of the most important things to remember while planning your wedding is to keep perspective. Yes – this is supposed to be the biggest day of your life and it feels as though the pressure is on to throw the mother of all parties, but you won’t be able to achieve this (and keep your sanity intact) if you’re stressing yourself out with micro-managing every last unnecessary detail.
You want your decor to look fabulous, but nobody is going to notice if the ribbon around your napkins is not the same exact shade as the bridesmaids’ dresses. While focussing on getting a few key elements absolutely right can make your day more memorable, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself how much does this really matter? Get things into proportion and keep the big picture in mind.
2. Hire excellent service providers
The best service providers are not always the most expensive ones, and come your wedding day, you’ll thank yourself for choosing these key-players wisely. If you book reliable, experienced people they’ll do all the thinking for you and take care of the details you hadn’t even considered. Ask your wedding venue to recommend suppliers that they trust and who have worked at your venue before such as DJs, cake bakers and photographers.
Don’t be tempted to take on too much yourself or to make use of family and friends to do these jobs. They’re probably not the experts and, even if they are, they won’t be able to completely enjoy your precious moments with you. In addition, it may be stressful for you when you lose an element of control as they’ll essentially be doing you a favour.
3. Let go and trust
Having chosen excellent service providers, put your trust in them. Communicate what you want (because lack of direction is also difficult) and then allow them to do their jobs. The same goes with tasks assigned to friends and family members. You can’t be totally in control of every single thing on your wedding day, and trying to be will make you (and those you have entrusted) stressed and unhappy. Given a more relaxed reign, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what your suppliers, friends and family come up with.
4. Plan your timing well
Put together a realistic schedule of events ahead of time, preferably before you finalise your ceremony start time. Consult your wedding venue and photographer as their input will be crucial. Your photographer will take into account the time required for them to do their job in the best light, while your venue will know how long service of each course typically takes.
Ahead of your big day, make sure your MC, photographer and venue are all equipped with an updated copy and ask one of your bridesmaids to keep an eye on the clock so you don’t have to. This way you’ll be able to make sure that you and your guests have time to enjoy all of the important moments without getting either rushed or bored and hungry.
5. Remember what the day is actually about
With all of the excitement and stress involved with wedding planning, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose of all of this amongst the Pinterest boards and fabric swatches. Above all, this day is about marrying the one you love, showing your commitment to each other and the world, and celebrating this rite of passage with all of your nearest and dearest. It’s about sharing your whole future together. Keep this in mind always and you’ll know that your wedding is bound to be a huge success. At the end of the day you’ll be married to your love. That definitely beats any other aspect of your wedding.
To get in control of your wedding, download our venue information pack here.