SAN DIEGO
Have you created your wedding checklist yet?! Well if not, don’t panic, I’m here to help! They say that getting married is one of the three most stressful things you can go through in life (the other two are buying a house and having a baby!) but wedding planning should be fun! Where did we lose sight of that? I think these days there is so much pressure because, let’s face it, weddings aren’t cheap! You want to make sure that you’re getting your dream wedding without spending a years salary on it. It’s a tough spot to be in. Unless you’re rich, and in that case you probably aren’t reading this blog post, you’re paying a wedding planner to do it for you. Wink wink.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard when it comes to wedding planning is, pick your Big 3. These are the 3 items you’re going to spend the majority of your money on, in a spared-no-expense kind of way. Then you can skimp when it comes to all the other items because they aren’t your Big 3 and you don’t really care about them that much anyway. Each bride is unique, therefore each bride’s Big 3 are going to be unique. For example, my Big 3 were Photographer, Dress, and Flowers. I’m not counting the Honeymoon in this instance because we’ve already got enough to worry about! But, it’s not a bad idea to include that since typically it’s a bigger expense and still considered part of the wedding. For my cousin her Big 3 were Venue, Dress, and Cake because those were the most important part of the wedding to her. What are your Big 3?
When it comes to planning there are tons of websites out there that can help. I recommend going to The Knot and creating your own Personal Wedding Checklist. This is where you can put down every little detail about everything from insuring the wedding ring to scheduling venue tours. Wedding Wire has a great Budget Planning tool that let’s you enter amounts for each item and then also raise the amount in one category, while simultaneously lowering it in another category. This will help make sure that your Big 3 are properly accounted for!
One of my favorite sayings is “Failing to plan is planning to fail” because it’s so true! Some people thrive in planning while others dread it. If you are the dreader fear not my friend. There are so many tools out there to help you! Try setting aside a few minutes a day to wedding plan. Whether it’s 15 minutes when you first get up in the morning, an hour during your lunch break while you scarf down some leftovers, or a night instead of binge watching the latest season on Netflix. If you give yourself a little time each day, it’s bound to not feel as overwhelming as spending an entire Saturday doing it. Use your personal wedding checklist to cross tasks off as you complete them. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and make you feel like you’re actually getting somewhere. If you get stressed out, relax. Take a break, whatever that means for you. Whether it’s getting up and going for a walk, doing Child’s Pose on your living room floor, or just taking a warm bath, allow yourself this time to step away from the planning and de-stress.
Whatever you do and however you plan, whether it’s with a wedding planner, your husband-to-be, or your bestie since 2nd grade, don’t forget the true meaning behind your big day! That’s what’s most important and will stand the test of time long after the champagne has been drank and the cake has been eaten. Remember that no one really cares what your plates look like or the flower arrangements on the table or if your linens matched the groom’s shoelaces. What they care about is being part of your special day and seeing the joy all around.
