TIPS TO LIMIT WEDDING PLANNING OVERWHELM

Wedding overwhelm is real. And it can happen to any bride-to-be no matter if you’re planning a small or huge wedding. And it can happen at different stages of the wedding planning process. I think it’s fair to say that you can’t totally avoid wedding overwhelm but I can almost guarantee that with some of my helpful tips, you can eliminate or reduce a lot of it. 
 

No matter how you envision your day to be, chances are pretty good that it will require some level of work. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning your wedding for 50 people or 500 people, either way, you need a plan. 
But first, let’s sidetrack for a moment and identify some signs of wedding overwhelm.  Are you experiencing any of these?

•    Putting off your to-do list more frequently
•    You start questioning all of your decisions.
•    It’s not feeling much like fun any more. 
•    Eloping is starting to sound better and better. 
•    Pinterest has taken over your life
•    No time for the ‘Love of your Life’

If you’re not having any of these feeling right now, there’s a good chance you will. And if you are already, then that’s fine. It’s ok. There are many, many details to take into consideration, and those details can be overwhelming to think about at first.   

               "I’ve heard so many brides say they wanted to give up, but I thought 

                  I was realistic and organized enough for it not to happen to me! 

                 Boy, was I wrong!"  --- Nicky

Back when I was a hands-on wedding planner, Nicky came to me just days before her wedding. Her well-laid plans were starting to come apart and so was she. Her DJ was unresponsive to her emails; the florist wouldn’t commit to a delivery time; the delivery and release of the butterflies was uncertain. These were all little snags along the way but as the wedding drew closer they became much more overwhelming. 

Actually, Nicky was experiencing wedding overwhelm long before but didn’t want to be seen as not keeping things under control. After all, she was a successful businesswoman so she should be able to keep a wedding under control. Right? She plowed through but eventually realized she had to do something if she wanted to enjoy her wedding day with Jaxon.

For her to call me and admit she needed help, was a big step for her. That move, allowed her to get back to enjoying those moments leading up to her wedding day. But if she had gotten help with the wedding overwhelm earlier on in her planning, she might have been able to avoid some of the situations she found her self in.

As I’ve said before and you’re probably starting to realize, wedding planning involves so many to do’s and decisions that the journey to the wedding day will almost seem impossible. From choosing your bridal party to planning the menu, and all the big and little things in between, it’s going to get hectic and stressful.

Guess what? it doesn’t have to be. It can actually be very enjoyable and not a chaotic mess. Trust me. Let’s take a look into some tips on how to reduce or even eliminate some of that overwhelm. 

Map out your Wedding costs

No one ever wants to talk about the money side of their wedding but I still bang on about it. Mainly because I know how important it is to reducing your stress level. And that is what we are trying to do here, right? Trust me when I say you’re wedding planning will be much more enjoyable if you have a basic idea of what you can afford. 

Check out my blog - How to have a Debt-Free wedding to learn some tips on reducing your costs and stress levels.   

Get Organized – Make that Checklist

Get organized! How many times do you hear that when it comes to wedding planning? But how do you organize something when you don’t know the first thing about what to do? I find the best way to get organized is to search for some checklists on the Internet – there are some great apps that include everything. Check out no more than 3, pick one and work with that. 
Are you a digital or paper and pen Bride? Or maybe a combo like me? Whichever lets you get the job done, go with it. Start as soon as you have set a date. The sooner you have an idea of what you want and how you can get it, the better chance you have of staying organized and not being overwhelmed. 
  

Set Aside Time to Plan & Execute

Set aside a couple of days each week to focus on wedding planning. You and your partner should both be involved every step of the way so sit down together and plan. Make your list of things that need to be taken care of and divide it up. This eliminates confusion and allows for each of you to do what you are best at – phoning, emailing, messaging, visiting sites, etc. Then report back at an assigned time so both of you are kept up to date.  

There are many things you can do to reduce the overwhelm of wedding planning. Start with these and I have no doubt that your stress levels will be significantly reduced. There’s no magic pill but with a little work it is definitely doable.

If you are feeling the overwhelm in whatever form or whatever stage of your planning, that’s ok. But reach out so it doesn’t take over your life. 
 

Happy Planning~~~

If you are engaged and planning a wedding, I hope you found this post helpful. Also something that I am sure will be a great asset, is the opportunity to read the first 2 chapters of my book Get Wedding Ready - 6 Simple Steps to Get You Down the Aisle & Keep You Sane - absolutely free!