The
Wedding Planning Guide
8 TIPS FOR STRESSING LESS
June through early October is a popular time for wedding celebrations. For each couple, the wedding day
should be a personal and special experience—whether you choose to plan a big bash, an intimate and
modest ceremony, or turn it into a “secret” occasion. Make your big day reflect your personality and your
relationship with your loved one. In other words, don’t let social peer pressure or what you may see on
TV dictate what you should or shouldn’t do for your own wedding. But life-changing events don’t come
without a bit of stress, and it’s expected to feel a little overwhelmed at one point or another. Here are eight
quick tips to help you stress less and make your wedding a dream come true.
1. Prioritize. Decide what is most important, and then go
from there. This will ensure that your must-haves make
it into the wedding first, before all of the minor details.
Of course this will depend on your personal needs and
desires, but these top priorities might include the type of
ceremony, certain special guests, the perfect venue, or the
dress you’ve been pining over for the last five years. 5. Connect. Utilize your network for close-to-home,
personalized help. Do you have a family member who’s
an amazing seamstress? Ask if she could help with dress
alterations. Do you have a coworker with a great eye for
design? Maybe he can create your invitations! Use the
skills of your family, friends, coworkers, and other connec-
tions to simplify your to-do list.
2. Budget. Figure out your budget and stick to it. If you
don’t have a budget to work with, you won’t have a point
of reference for judging how much you can spend on the
photographer, flowers, venue, decorations, catering, etc.
And to help avoid stress, consider assigning about 5 per-
cent of your budget to “just in case,” for those unforeseen
expenses. 6. Delegate. You don’t need to do everything yourself,
so delegate some responsibilities. This takes some stress
off of you and provides a more pleasant planning expe-
rience overall. Of course, be sure to delegate to people
you can trust, like dependable family members and close
friends. And remember that in some cases, you might need
to delegate to professionals.
3. Simplify. Get rid of the unnecessary. Use your priorities
list to determine what needs to stay and what can go. The
wedding dress? That’s essential. The hand-stenciled place
cards for each wedding guest? Maybe not. Simplify all you
can to make sure you can devote your best efforts to the
things that matter most. 7. De-stress. Don’t let stress get in the way of planning
your special day. There’s a lot to plan and organize, but if
you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to take a step
back and reevaluate. Assess what could be simplified or
delegated. And don’t lose sight of what’s most important
about your wedding: you’re marrying the love of your life!
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of
life by ourselves alone—we find it with another.”
–Thomas Merton
4. Be realistic. Set realistic expectations and deadlines.
There’s no doubt that you want your wedding day to be
special, and it will be. But it likely won’t be perfect! Be
realistic when setting your expectations and deadlines so
you don’t overwork and overstress yourself striving for
perfection, only to end up disappointed. Being realistic
also allows your helpers—family, friends, vendors, etc.
—to provide satisfactory solutions.
32 / SUMMER 2017 LIVING MAGAZINE
8. Enjoy. This is your wedding! Make it an enjoyable
experience. Have fun along the way with the planning,
and when the big day arrives, enjoy it! All of the planning
is done at that point, and you should enjoy your day with
your new spouse and your loved ones.