Hooray! You have made it to the fourth blog post in my wedding planning tips series! If you are just tuning in, this is a small series on the blog about my own wedding planning experience. I hope that my story will help inspire you and give you a few tips and tricks to tryout for your own wedding planning adventure.
We are officially four months out from our wedding date and I could not be more excited! It’s been a while since my last post (view it here), but I am happy to say that we have almost everything completely planned! My to do list keeps getting shorter by the day and I feel confident with where things are. Only 100 days folks! I’m a planner and I like to get things done, each item off the to do list is a breath of fresh air!
Five Wedding Planning Tips I’ve Picked Up
Planning early doesn’t mean you can have it all
When we became engaged I knew I wanted to push the wedding out a bit. Weddings are expensive. I knew I wanted to make our wedding unique and have a little creative fun with it. I quickly learned that while more time to plan allowed us to save for the expenses of the wedding, it didn’t make it any easier to plan.
Suddenly I had time to weigh my options on everything. Ever hear the saying that sometimes too many options can be a bad thing? It’s true. I’ve been there. I found myself spending hours searching for the lowest price on everything-like the time I spent four days searching for the perfect velvet tablecloth seller just to save $20. Or when I drove to six different Goodwills in one day to try to find matching embossed vases instead of just picking them up at the dollar store. Will the guests remember those embossed vases? No. Will I remember them? Probably not.
Here’s what I’ve learned: When a specific detail about your wedding starts to nag at you then stop. Take a step back. Take a deep breathe and ask yourself how important that detail really is. Chances are you can live without it. You can plan a wedding in four months or you can plan a wedding in two years. At the end of the day you will be married to your best friend and that’s all that matters.
Go with your gut
I am a firm believer that when you select your wedding vendors you should “click” with them. You should feel both comfortable trusting them to provide knock out service on your wedding day AND get along with them. Trust your gut! If you are just not feeling the connection or excitement it’s ok. Be honest with the vendor. Sometimes those vibes can get lost in email and a quick phone call can clear things up. Other times it just may not be a good fit.
Heres what I’ve learned: There are so many amazing wedding vendors out there! The wedding industry truly is full of creative and talented individuals who can help your wedding day come to life. If your best friend or cousin used a certain caterer or bought their dress from a high end boutique, doesn’t mean that option is a good fit for you. Trust your instinct and try not to let the opinions of others sway how you really feel.
You will need help
This has been a big one for me. I am one of those people who likes to have control over everything and I always have to have a plan. I’ve planned our wedding 90% on my own. I’ve DIY’d almost everything with help from Taylor, and I even created all of our invites, seating chart, and menus four months in advance. I call myself organized, you may call me wedding crazy…and honestly it’s probably a little of both.
Sure, you may be able to plan it all on your own, but the day of I promise you will not only need help, but you will want it! Weddings can be stressful. The last thing you want to do is be too busy running around trying to organize the reception hall and not have time to enjoy your day with family and friends.
What I’ve learned: No matter how hard you try it is impossible to do everything yourself. There are not enough hours in the day or enough of you! Having help doesn’t always mean hiring a wedding planner or day of coordinator. Rally together a few trusted family members and divide up the workload. People are more than happy to help you on your wedding day—you just have to ask!
Don’t forget to enjoy it all
Weddings are a joyous occasion. If planning is stressing you out then take a break. When someone is being negative about your day, talk it out with them. Something isn’t going your way? Time to reevaluate it. Every moment should be fun and enjoyable. If it’s not then find what’s taking the fun out of the party and change it up.
What I’ve learned: It’s easy to get so caught up in the hustle of the wedding that you forget to have fun. Sounds silly, but it’s true. It’s ok to step back and put things on the back burner so you can refocus on the day.
Something will go wrong
That’s right, I said it. No matter how hard you plan and prepare you are bound to forget something. Someone may show up late. You may have a guest show up wearing jeans or a few non RSVPers come thru. Ya know what? It’s ok. None of that matters. Truly it doesn’t.
What I’ve learned: If something goes wrong just roll with the punches. You’ve put too much time and heart into planning this day to let a little hiccup stir it up. At the end of the day you will be married to your best friend. If you ask me that’s really all that matters.
Have wedding planning tips of your own? Share them with me on Instagram! Studio 1534 offers wedding photography to Indiana and beyond. Ready to book your wedding? Contact me today.
