How to beat wedding planning overwhelm
Bottles of fizz and sparkling rings meet piles of paperwork and invoice spreadsheets. Along with your exciting engagement comes to a rather large task – planning the day you will marry the love of your life! It’s no secret that there’s a lot to do, but that doesn’t mean it needs to feel overwhelming. Having played a part in celebrations of all shapes and sizes working in London wedding photography, here are a few hints to help you keep everything under control and beat wedding planning overwhelm.
1. Invest in a wedding planner
Whether your budget stretches to a living, breathing planning professional, you choose to use a planning app, or simply a beautifully bound paper version, some form of a planner will help keep everything in one place.
Most paper planners provide guest list trackers and timelines, as well as plenty of room to collate ideas. These are brilliant tools to have in the early stages. Use them for direction in small doses so your wedding starts to materialise without you feeling overwhelmed.
Planners also have invaluable sections for on the day, like a chapter for supplier contacts. Trust me, when your mum is trying to reach the florist or the venue coordinator wants to check what sound set-up is required, being able to hand over the details at the turn of the page will be a weight off your shoulders, so you can continue being pampered undisturbed.
If you go down the hiring a professional route, there is a wide range of options from full planner to on the day coordinator who will support you with managing the tasks and on the day timeline (more to come on the options available soon!)
2. Take a step back from the planning
There are a hundred tiny details that quickly swamp your to-do list when planning. And while I love a dose of styled shoots as much as the next person, too many ideas can leave you in a muddle. When you start wedding planning, your mind will be brimming with inspiration and within a few months, your scrapbook and Pinterest boards will be bursting at the seams.
Book your venue and prepare to get ruthless! The setting for your celebration will inspire the style of your day, so you can curate ideas that complement the venue and give the rest the cut. With only the most enchanting ideas left standing, you’ll feel poised and ready to go forwards and create your dream day, knowing exactly what to do to get there.
3. Stick to your timeline rather than let the overwhelm take over
Wherever you are in your planning, it’s not too late to implement a timeline. If you’re right at the beginning of the journey, map out tasks from now until the big day. Finding your venue, your London wedding photography and dress should be some of the first (and most fun) elements to tackle. Let yourself think about the finishing touches a little later.
If you have 12 months until the wedding, get your venue and London wedding photography booked now and save the dates in the post. With nine months to go, it’s time to check out your entertainment options. At six months, find your florist and cake designers. Have your guest list finalised with three months to go and pop your invites in the post. Then, aim to have all the RSVPs back with a month to go, just in time to confirm catering plans and create your seating chart.
4. Don’t forget your wedding budget
One of the most overwhelming parts of planning is keeping your costs in check. No one wants to be worried about money as their big day draws close. So, have honest conversations with anyone who’s contributing from the outset and keep a regular eye on your savings account.
You’ll often find that your wedding payments come in bursts. There’ll be a flurry of deposits early on and final balances the month before the big one. Ask your suppliers for a timeline of money due and check if you can spread the cost with monthly payments. This will help you ensure the money is there when you need it, so no last-minute panics occur.
It’s also a good idea to build in a bit of a buffer or contingency plan from the start, so should there be add-ons on services you hadn’t originally planned for, then you don’t get stuck.
5. Relax and take time out from wedding planning
Wedding planning can, given the opportunity, completely take over your life. There is no need to let stress rule the roost. Nothing is more important than taking care of yourself and each other. Your wedding is one day of the rest of your lives together with many more opportunities for showing each other how much you love each other. Make sure you have plenty of whole days off from wedding planning. Go out on romantic dates where you don’t mention the big day, and enjoy your time together. It’s key to recognise what’s important and to take each step of the journey at a time.
Feeling ready to tackle your wedding plans head-on? Discover more about my wedding photography and I’ll join you on the journey to your best day.
Thanks for popping by
Fee x
PS. WATCH THIS SPACE…I am busy putting together an awesome blog post sharing top tips from my past couples about being organised when planning your wedding day and beat wedding planning overwhelm. Loads of great advice from real couples! It will be ready to share soon, so keep an eye out. To see more wedding planning top tips head over to my wedding planning guide.
