Countdown to a Stress-Free Wedding

In honor of the New Year and your own “big to do,” we’ve created a New Year’s Countdown to help keep your wedding stress-free. We’ve come up with ten possible areas of anxiety in your wedding and how you can beat that stress.

Photo Credit: Altmix Photography

10:  Select the Right Vendor Team

Putting together the best vendor team is huge. You’ll be spending a lot of time with your vendors and should surround yourself with people you like, relate to, and enjoy being around. It can be very stressful to discover that you don’t get along with your vendors and that won’t help add any excitement to your planning. Be sure to meet each vendor before you sign a contract with them and if you aren’t feeling comfortable with them don’t hesitate to interview another vendor in that category to get the best fit for your wedding.

9:  Detailed Wedding Website

When it comes to wedding details, everyone wants to know everything. This can get a little overwhelming when the bride and groom and their families are constantly answering their guest’s questions on the wedding logistics. The easiest way to cut down on these questions is to make sure you have a detailed wedding website that your guests can easily access. Be sure to include the date, time, and location of the ceremony as well as directions and special instructions for your guests. This is also a great opportunity for personalization; let your guests know your story as a couple not to mention where you’re registered.

8: Dress

The dress is one of the most important details in many weddings and with that comes lots of opportunities for added stress. There are things you can do from the very beginning to make sure your dress experience is anything but overwhelming. Be sure to start the dress search early to allow time for it to be ordered and fittings. Before you head to the bridal shop decide on a budget and have some ideas of what details you must have in your dream dress. When getting fitted, remember that it might not fit like a glove the first time but this is normal and alterations will easily tailor it perfectly to you.

Photo credit: David Murray Weddings

7: Communicate

Just like in every aspect of life, during your wedding planning process communication is key. Communicate with your vendors, communicate with your wedding party, and most importantly communicate with your fiancé – you are going through this process together after all.  It’s easy to lose track of who knows what information but the more you share with others, the less of a burden will be on you. The more you communicate to your vendors the easier it will be for them to understand your vision and create the wedding of your dreams.

6:  Assign jobs

We understand there’s a lot to do for a wedding and if one person tries to do it all, they can get easily overwhelmed. But the great thing about a wedding is its set up with a built-in support system. There’s family, the wedding party of your closest friends, and of course your fiancé who all want you to have an amazing day and not be stressed throughout the process. Give them jobs ranging from bringing the rings to the ceremony to helping make labels for favors. They’re willing to help so why not assign them tasks that will take some pressure off you.

Photo credit: Jason Braverman

5:  Thank you notes

Writing thank you notes can seem overwhelming when you consider the growing pile of goodies arriving every day from your registry. The best way to handle this is to write each thank you as the gift arrives and here at A Big To Do Event we recommend following this thank you note rule that will help motivate you to get those thank you’s off your to-do list: After unwrapping the gift, you can’t open the box or use the present in any way until its personalized thank you note is in the mail to the sender. This way you can use that new dishware or coffee maker without having the stress of the thank you note weighing down on your shoulders.

4:  Shoes

No wedding day look is complete without the perfect pair of shoes. Gone are the days where you had to have your shoes dyed to match your gown, these days anything goes and the more fabulous, the better. However, even the perfect wedding shoes can end up causing stress on your wedding day because of the one thing as women we’re willing to sacrifice: comfort for fabulousness. To reduce this stress, be sure to give yourself plenty of time before the wedding to break in your shoes. Wear them while you vacuum, wear them to the grocery store, wear them while you watch tv. Just make sure these shoes are not going to be a big pain, literally, come wedding day.

Photo credit: Jenn Schliestett at Photojenik

3:  Coordinator

Handing over the reins on your big day is the best way to ensure you can relax and truly enjoy your wedding. We know that giving up control can be difficult but come wedding day you’re going to want someone else to oversee the setup and an experienced wedding coordinator is your best option. Here at A Big To Do Event we are passionate about making your day perfect. We want you and your guests to be able to rave for years to come about how fun and perfectly “you” the wedding was.

2:  Day-of Checklist

Wedding day is filled with lots of little things to remember. At A Big To Do Event, we love checklists so we give our brides Day-of Checklists to make sure packing for the wedding day is as easy as crossing an item off the list. We’ve shared our checklist with you here to make sure you’re on the way to a stress-free wedding.

1: Be present

The most important thing to remember to make your wedding day stress-free is to really be present. Give over control, take in every moment, have “me” time. This is your day after all and you’re going to want to remember every moment of it. Don’t let the day fly by while you’re caught up in the small stuff, be with your friends, family, and new spouse and enjoy every minute!

Photo Credit: Matt Yung Photography

Happy Planning!