(6 min read)
Everyone knows that planning a special event causes stress. Weddings top the list of stressful events to plan because there are high expectations, big emotions and lots of details. A wedding does not have to be stressful; however, with any special, once-in-a-lifetime event, there will be stress. The key is to keep it low and manageable. No one wants to arrive at his or her wedding day frazzled, exhausted and ready for it to be over.
When we work with clients on planning and creating their dream wedding and/or reception, our goal is to make it unique, beautiful and as stress-free as possible. Here are our tips for brides and grooms to enjoy a low-stress wedding.
· Prioritize
· Hire & delegate
· Plan
· Set deadlines
· Track progress
Prioritize
Don’t wait to make a list of the most important things to incorporate into your special day. There’s a good chance you’ve got a Pinterest board and Instagram folder full of wedding ideas that you love. Which ones matter most to you? Discuss with your fiancé the top 5 most important things in your wedding for each of you. Determine how to allocate your budget within those items. This is the perfect opportunity to work on communication, cooperation and compromise.
Communicate your needs and desires for your wedding day. If flowers are at the top of your list, make sure that flowers are on your priority list as a budget allocation. If great food with a specific menu is on your fiancé’s list, make sure that is on the priority list.
Work together to create a list of your combined top 5 priorities and determine how to split the budget among those items. There will be other areas that you spend money apart from your top 5 items, but the idea is to make sure the most important things are included and made a priority.
Compromise will be necessary unless your budget is without limits. Listen to each other well and extend grace. Once your priority list is created, you will be able to easily address the next steps in planning your special wedding day.
Hire & delegate
Based on your priority list, begin to hire for specific tasks related to your wedding. Keep in mind that allocating budget to hiring for specific things is beneficial and will enable bride and groom to enjoy the process more with lower stress. The most common things to hire out when planning a wedding include a wedding planner or coordinator, florist, photographer and event venue.
Beyond hiring a great team to execute your wedding, it’s important to delegate to people you know and trust certain jobs. The roles of maid of honor and best man come with specific tasks attached. Ask the people you’ve selected for these places of honor to assist you in things they are able to help with.
The specific role of the maid of honor encompasses many tasks that will lighten the load of the bride. The MOH will accompany the bride shopping for her dress, contact all bridesmaids and keep them informed of upcoming events, be available to answer wedding-related questions when needed, plan the bachelorette party, assist at showers to track gifts received and speak at the wedding reception. Additionally, the MOH should be prepared with items that might be necessary on the wedding day while the bridal party is preparing for the wedding. The role of MOH is basically an extra-special personal assistant. She already knows the bride very well and is willing to help as needed whenever possible to take the load off of the bride.
The role of the best man is similar to the MOH. The best man will assist with attire selections for all groomsmen, planning the bachelor party, coordinating the grooms gift, holding onto the wedding rings on the day of the wedding, and serving as the main point of contact for the groomsmen.
Delegating tasks to these positions of honor whom you know and trust can be really helpful in lowering stress as you plan your wedding.
Plan
Regular planning meetings with your wedding coordinator, fiancé and any other key team members is essential. These meetings can happen as often as you’d like, but really should take place every 4-6 weeks to keep things moving on schedule. In these planning meetings, you will develop a list of tasks to complete as you move through the months of preparation in advance of your wedding. Planning will remind you all that you’ve accomplished along the way, so make sure to make time for it.
Set deadlines
In keeping with your planning meetings, you will set deadlines for specific things that will keep your wedding planning on track. Deadlines keep the many pieces more manageable. Rather than saving too many tasks to complete in the future, you will complete them in a reasonable amount of time that will allow you to enjoy the process rather than feel stress about all you have to get done.
Track progress
A broad-scope checklist helps you visualize all that you’ve accomplished on the road to your wedding day. Think of it as the ultimate “to-do” list for weddings. Checking off each box as you accomplish one task or goal will help you see how much is done rather than focusing on “how much there is left to get done.”
At Royal Affairs Ballroom, we partner with brides and grooms to make your wedding and/or reception as low-stress as possible. Our goal is to lighten your load as we work together to plan your special day. We have learned many tips along the way as we have planned hundreds of weddings and special events, and we love sharing them with brides and grooms so you can truly relax and enjoy your special day. Our package pricing includes many things that other venues do not include and makes it easy to focus on the items that are most important to you. Call one of our expert team members today. We can’t wait to meet you!