5 Tips For a Stress Free Wedding
A Go-To Cheat Sheet for Stress-Free Brides on Their Big Day
By now, you’ve probably read through blogs and articles that appear to be seemingly endless strings of text. And usually, when you’ve finally found what you’re looking for, it makes up a mere paragraph that’s of little or no use to you.
To speed things along, I thought I’d provide you with a no-nonsense info sheet on things that’ll make your big day less stressful, on-time, and a heck of a lot easier to manage.
Herewith, a go-to cheat sheet for stress-free brides on their big day.
1. Hire A Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator
Bottom line: You don’t want to be your own wedding planner or the day-of planner, nor do you want your mom to take on that responsibility either. Regardless, you will want someone (preferably an outsider professional) to be your designated wedding planner or day-of planner.
Why? Essentially, you don’t know what you don’t know. Being your own wedding planner or having your mom do all the planning is a massive responsibility, especially on the day.
The designated planner or day-of planner will orchestrate the catering, the event, the timeline etc. and this should come from one person who knows what’s what, and can get it all done for you without stressing you out. A professional can take all of these responsibilities off of your hands, giving you and your family and friends the opportunity to simply enjoy.
2. Consider Having a First Look
Bottom line: A first look is a great way in which to relieve tension, remove jittering butterflies, and to be able to spend as much time with your friends and family as possible.
Why? Because a wedding day is all about spending time with loved ones, it’s only naturally that the bride and groom would want to do just that.
And while it’s more traditional not to have a first look, by doing so, you could have your formal wedding photos taken before the ceremony. This will free up a lot of time after the ceremony, so that you can spend time with your friends and family during cocktail hour.
Also, if you don’t have a first look, your timeline may have a kind of domino effect in that, you’re going to have your formal photos after the ceremony whilst your guests are enjoying cocktail hour. After the photos, you’re then going to want to join in on the fun which could lead to one of two things:
A delay in your timeline: Cocktail hour may go on for a longer period of time.
Not enough time to do everything: If you choose to do your mingling during dinner, it means that you may not have enough time to have dinner or to spend special alone time with your partner.
3. Limit Your Locations
Bottom line: Choose one location to get ready and to get married. When the bride and groom choose to get ready at different locations, the ceremony is at a third location, and perhaps the reception at a fourth, there are major opportunities for everything to be delayed. This could then cause chaos in your timeline and ultimately, for your big day.
Why? A wedding day involves a handful, if not more, of people who all need to work together to pull off a perfectly-orchestrated event. If one aspect of a wedding is delayed in some way, it causes a domino effect for things that need to happen.
For example, the ceremony, being served dinner, the photographs… all of these things need to happen. And when you’re pressed for time, it creates a ton of stress not only for you, but all of the other people involved in the planning process.
If you choose to have more than one location for getting ready, the ceremony etc. you could also run into a slew of issues that can cause delays such as a car breaking down, traffic, getting lost etc.
Additionally, if you and the wedding party are running around throughout the day, some of your wedding team (like the wedding photographer and videographer) would need to follow you around. This means paying more as they’ll have to spend extra time driving from A to B to C and back. That’s a lot of extra money simply to drive around.
If you’re prone to stress, choosing one location for both bride and groom to get ready, and to have the ceremony at the same location means less worry and a simpler timeline.
4. Know When You Are Putting Your Dress On
Bottom line: One of the most important activities that should be on-time is when you put on your dress. Your mom should be 100 percent ready to go (dressed, make-up and hair done, etc.) before you put on your dress.
Why? To minimize stress and to keep the flow of the wedding timeline on-schedule, getting your dress on when you’re scheduled to is absolutely pivotal.
For example, if you have your first look at 2 p.m. and you’re set to get into your dress at 1:15 p.m. you’re giving yourself some wiggle room to take your time, relax, not stress, and to even sit down and have a breather or a drink of water beforehand. If there isn’t a set time to put your wedding dress on, it can cause a ripple effect.
When it comes to your mom, she should be one of the first, if not thee first, in the make up and hair process. If you’re planning to put on your dress at 1:15 p.m. then mom should be good to go by 12.45 p.m. This is to ensure that your mom can also have a more relaxed timeline, be there to support you, and be ready when it’s time to have your photos taken.
5. Hire Professionals Who Work Well in a Team
Bottom line: You need to make sure that, whether your professionals know each other or not, they can work well within a team in order to orchestrate your timeline and needs perfectly without any hitches.
Why? Essentially, you’re taking a handful of professionals and asking them to make your dream day happen effortlessly. But realistically, your professionals may not know each other, which could inhibit everything running smoothly if they’re not good at working within team.
It’s highly recommended that you research your chosen professionals to see whether they are communicative, friendly, and flexible as well as having the ability to negotiate and give up what they’re wanting to do for the greater good.
The last thing you want is your photographer yelling because they’re not ready for the first look, creating tension and even tears.
Not only that, but you’ll of course want to hire them for their skills and ability too, making these the two most important things to look out for when hiring professionals.
Do yourself a favor and spend that extra bit of money to make sure all of your chosen professionals are not only talented but also play well within a team. This can make a huge impact on your big day, and will be money well-spent.
With these five tips, you can reduce stress and create a wedding day that runs smoothly and effortlessly, which is the ultimate goal (besides joining souls with the one you love, of course).
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, everything you need to know about having a stress-free wedding.
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