It’s well known that despite being a happy occasion, planning a wedding can be both costly and stressful.
However, following a few useful tips can ease the pain and ensure the day is as you dreamed. Here are a few things you can do to make the process easier.
- Set a Budget Early
Setting a budget is the single most important aspect of wedding planning. Every decision made will follow on from this and to a large extent dictated by it. It also helps set expectations early. It’s a bit like buying a car. If you know from the offset you can afford a Ford then you won’t go looking for a Ferrari. Once the budget is set, it is vital that you stick to it otherwise you can easily overspend by thousands (no exaggeration).
However, staying in budget isn’t the only benefit. To be able to set a budget, you need to know what the elements of a wedding are. This can range from the obvious, such as the venue hire, to the small, such as table place cards. Having to set a budget helps you create that all important ‘to do list’ as well as allowing you to budget appropriately to ensure you can achieve it.
- Avoid the Quest for Perfection
This is a curse that plagues brides and grooms-to-be during the planning stages. The way weddings are depicted in bridal magazines and television programmes, and the effort that goes into wedding planning, puts the focus on having the perfect day. Things will go wrong on your wedding day, and that is ok. Remember, the wedding is just the beginning; it’s the marriage that’s important. Therefore, when planning a wedding focus on the big items first. If you get them right, then you’re 90% of the way there. So, if that means serving tempura prawns rather than battered calamari, so be it.
- Stay United
The saying “united we stand, divided we fall” has never been more apt than when planning a wedding. Family and friendship politics are inevitable, and the only way to swim through the mud is to stick together. This means ensuring that at all stages you and your partner are on the same page and agree with the decisions being made. This makes it easy to bat away any problems before they get any bigger. A good way to do this is to have weekly wedding meetings where you can discuss the prior week’s achievements and any upcoming plans. It’s also a good time to air any issues that may have arisen.
A wedding is a large event, and this can be daunting at first. It is important to remember that this is a happy event and just the start of your life together. Staying united, avoiding perfection and budgeting properly can help you achieve the best wedding for the least stress.