6 Ways to Reduce Stress on Your Wedding Day
Since wedding season is fast approaching, I thought it would be a great time to give you some of my best tips for helping to reduce stress on your wedding day.
Tip #1: Hire a planner!
I can’t reiterate this enough. I think that this is one of the best decisions that you can make to help reduce stress on your wedding day. If you ask any couple if they felt like a wedding planner was worth the money, I think they would all tell you absolutely, without a doubt “yes”! For me, I can tell the difference between my couples who hire a wedding planner versus those who don’t. Those who do are less stressed because they know that a planner is taking care of everything for them. It’s not just everything that goes into planning a wedding that they help with. The biggest part is having a planner there on the actual day of your wedding. Having a “go-to” person that can coordinate what time and where all the vendors need to be is extremely helpful. Having a planner also alleviates some of the stress for your family and friends, who would most likely be doing the jobs that a planner and their team do. This allows for friends and family to also be less stressed and enjoy the day.
Tip #2: Have a team of trusted vendors around you
OK, so this goes along with hiring a planner. Having a team of vendors that you trust and know is going to do the job that you want is a game-changer. When people ask you who you hired to help with every aspect of your wedding, you should be so proud and confident to tell them. You should always be able to finish that sentence with “ they’re amazing! I know they’re going to kill it at my wedding and I can’t wait to see everything come together!”
Tip #3: Find your vision and get off Pinterest!
If you’re an engaged couple today, you are bombarded with different styles, ideas, and hacks for every part of your wedding. When Pinterest first came on the scene, I honestly was pretty mad that it wasn’t around when we were planning our wedding. I mean, I had to rip out pages from a magazine and organize a binder to plan my wedding if you can believe that, haha. But now, I am totally OK with it! I would have been completely overwhelmed with all of the information and ideas. I know that I would have changed my mind 1 million times before our wedding day. So, my advice to you is to find what you like, find your style/vision, and then get off Pinterest! Pinterest can be a wonderful source of inspiration when used correctly. Creating a board to give your vendors/creatives an idea of what you have in mind might be incredibly helpful if you’re not good at explaining your vision. Share your board with them knowing they will bring their own creativity to your vision and then stay off of Pinterest! Did I say that enough?
Tip #4: Have a well-thought-out timeline
Timelines are my best friend on a wedding day. OK, well maybe not my best friend, but you get the idea, hehe. Sharing your timeline with your wedding party, vendors and family is an even better idea! When everybody knows where they are supposed to be, and at what time, it leaves little to no question or room for chaos and stress. It also allows you to avoid the multiple questions on the day, of what time something is happening. I love to help my couples prepare a well-thought-out timeline because I think that most people don’t realize how long things will actually take. I also try to build in some extra time in case anything is running behind. If something is running behind, we can always make up for it in other areas because of the extra time I built in.
Tip #5: Provide a family shot list
One of the most stressful parts of the day can be family photo time. Everyone is there, but no one really knows what is going on! Having a well-thought-out family shot list also goes along with having a timeline. Once I receive a shot list from my couples, I can let them know how much time we will need to allow for family photos. I love to use family photo time to introduce myself. I let your family know that you have provided me with a list of family shots that you want so I will be working from that list. I also let them know that if anyone wants other family groupings not on the couple’s list, to let me know at the reception and I will be happy to capture them. I use this time to let everyone know that they can download any images I take during this time so everyone doesn’t feel like they need to take photos of every grouping. All of this helps to eliminate everyone telling the couple what photos they should do next and also helps the couple to be less stressed and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime moment with family and friends! At the end of the day, I don’t want your whole wedding to feel like one big photoshoot. Your wedding should be about celebrating with your friends and family.
Tip #6: Go with the flow
I have seen couples go into a complete panic when they realize that they are 30 to 60 minutes behind the timeline. As I mentioned above, allowing for padding in certain areas of the timeline will certainly help with that situation. That being said, going into your wedding day with an easy-going attitude is key! More than likely something will not go according to plan and chances are you will be the only one that knows that that’s not how it was supposed to be. Your friends and family will not have any clue that something isn’t exactly how you wanted it because they are there to share in your joy of the day and not to critique every tiny detail. So don’t stress about it! If something isn’t exactly how you had it planned, guess what? At the end of the day, you’re still going to walk down the aisle and say “I do”!
