5 Steps to Take Before Planning Your Wedding
5 Steps to Take Before Planning Your Wedding
I remember how excited I was when my husband popped the question. I thought I would pop. Pun intended ;) These are the 5 key things that helped me start planning my wedding without regrets.
No. 1 - Choose a Theme
It may not seem super important, and maybe to you, it’s just a mood board you saw on Pinterest. But it’s the key to creating a wedding that you love. Many brides, myself included, love various elements of different weddings. For example, I loved the color dusty blue with white lace in a summer wedding surrounded by water. I also adored dark burgundy with fur wraps in the light snow of December. Unintentionally, I started to incorporate both themes into my wedding! It seemed disjointed and did not flow. It wasn’t until I firmly decided what I wanted and the mood of the wedding that planning started to jive and flow well.
No. 2 - Go With Your Gut
I am not at all saying don’t listen to advice! But a lot of people are going to have a lot of different opinions, and that’s okay! If you chew the meat and spit out the bones, you’ll be much less stressed by not trying to incorporate every piece of advice someone lovingly gave you. The bottom line is this - you know what is important to you, so allocate your resources to what you find important and matters to you. If the catering is more important than the venue, then spend more on catering and go with the cheaper venue!
No. 3 - Focus On the Big Things
Some things are worth spending more money on, and that’s just a fact of life. People will remember how the wedding made them feel and if the food was good. Focus on the ambiance of the wedding and make sure the food is awesome! The items I recommend spending more money on are:
1. Photography. They capture a huge day in your life to remember forever; your dad’s cousin doesn’t hit the spot.
2. Catering. Everyone will remember how the food was because honestly, that’s what most people go to weddings for. Don’t settle for the nasty subpar wedding food.
3. The Venue. Not all venues were created equal, but the best doesn’t always mean the most expensive. Find the venue that fits the vibe of your wedding and will work WITH you. You deserve to be more than just another customer. My reception was at a $300 event center that the city had, and the ambiance was gorgeous. Floor-to-ceiling windows, low wooden beams, marble floor. *chef’s kiss* Put the time in to find the perfect venue, and go for it. And look beyond a quick Google search of “wedding venues in my area.” The hidden gems that you find by digging a little deeper are priceless.
No 4. - Embrace the Process
When I was in elementary school, I loved math. It was my favorite subject. As I approached middle and high school, my older siblings always told me, “Just wait” and “You’ll hate math soon!” and they told me that so much I started to believe them! I began to hate math. Not because of math itself, but because I convinced myself it was a bad thing. That’s what it’s like to plan a wedding. Don't embrace the negativity. Throw it out. Chuck it. Say Au revoir! Done right, planning a wedding can be stress-free and fun.
No. 5 - Find Stress Relief
Honestly, part of what made my wedding day so amazing was how little stress I had. Everything was planned out and executed well because of planning. I knew I could trust things to run smoothly. Find what relieves your stress and embrace it. It is better to go through a lot of forethought and planning during the engagement so you can be confident than to lose control and be a bridezilla.
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