So you are engaged, marrying the love of your life, and digging into wedding planning. Once the engagement high wears off you start doing some research – “How do I plan a wedding?”. That’s when the anxiety and overwhelm starts to seep in, right? Then you start to research venues and other wedding vendors and realize that wedding planning wasn’t as fun as you thought it would be.
We are no strangers to the difficulty and stress planning a wedding can cause. Some people absolutely love wedding planning – and others do not. And both are okay. Here are some telltale symptoms of wedding planning overwhelm you need to look out for:
- Your wedding party is stressing you out
- You go weeks without answering vendor emails
- ou dread when friends/family bring up the wedding
- You aren’t looking forward to the wedding day anymore
So if you start to see any of these symptoms rising up throughout your engagement, it’s time to call in some help. Here are some solutions to wedding planning overwhelm that will (hopefully) reduce your stress surrounding the big day:
#1 – Hire a Planner
I know we are biased, but hear me out. A wedding planner comes alongside you and guide all of the logistics, design, and production details of your wedding planning process. It’s our job to curate a planning timeline, handle your vendor communication, and keep your engagement as stress free as we can. So if you have been doing this all on your own and you have the budget to hire a partial or full service wedding planner – DO IT. We promise you won’t regret it. At the very minimum, hire a coordinator that is available to answer any questions along the way and will tie up all of the details in the two months leading up to the wedding day.
# 2 – Get Organized
If you don’t have the budget to hire a full service or partial service wedding planner, get organized in the planning process. Talk to your coordinator about the steps to plan a wedding and what vendors you should focus on first. Better yet, ask if they have a checklist they can give you (we give all of our clients our signature planning process timeline – regardless of service level) so you can stay on track. Create a system for yourself – whether that is a shared folder that all wedding docs go into or a separate wedding email you check once a day – make a system that works for you, not against you.
# 3 – Assemble Your Team
You should not be planning this thing alone. You are becoming a lifelong team with your partner. They should be just as involved in wedding planning as you are. No excuses! Your partner might not be into design or florals, so maybe they can head up the bar and catering inquiries and proposals. Find a way to split the work evenly to reduce resentment.
In addition to your partner, consider any friends or family members that you would enjoy receiving help from. They can help you research vendors or talk through design choices so you don’t feel so alone. Make a little date night out of it if you have to!
# 4 – Take Breaks
Wedding planning tends to take over your life if you let it! Set boundaries around planning (like you aren’t going to doom scroll on Pinterest until 1 AM) and plan your progress in sprints. If you have a long enough engagement, plan week long breaks throughout the planning process so your brain can take a breather.
# 5 – Keep Dating
This might be surprising – but don’t forget to keep dating your partner! You two need to be united under stress and not divided. Remember to continue investing in your relationship – that’s the whole reason the wedding is even happening. Don’t get so caught up in wedding planning that you neglect the most important relationship in your life: your future spouse.
So go try that new restaurant, meet up with your friends at a bar, or hike when the weather is nice. And make wedding planning talk off limits while you are at it. 🙂
Just a little reminder and affirmation for you:
it is okay if you are not enjoying planning your wedding
There – we said it! The idea that you have been dreaming of planning a wedding your entire life (Like your ultimate life goal was marriage and marriage alone? No thanks!) is totally outdated. We know you have a career, social calendar, and personal relationships to maintain. Fitting all of the tasks that come with planning a wedding into your already tight schedule can feel nearly impossible. Hopefully a few of these tips will help you reduce planning overwhelm. Plus, if you are in the market for a wedding planning team that will give you these tips and tricks all the time – reach out to us!
Happy Planning,
Shelby Kirchner
Owner & Head Planner
Plan On It Events & Design
info@planonitatx.com
Feeling overwhelmed and a bit in over your head? We would love to help! Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you and your partner plan a wedding your guests will be raving about!
We are Austin based wedding planners for the modern, relaxed couple who wants to enjoy their engagement and wedding planning experience. We specialize in full weekend weddings that are centered on a high guest experience.
VENDOR DREAM TEAM:
Venue: The Preserve at Canyon Lake // @thepreserveatcanyonlake
Planning: Plan On It Events and Design // @planoniteventsanddesign
Photo/Video: HoneygemCollective // @honeygemcreative
Florals: The Farmer & I Florals // @thefarmerandi
Catering: Absolutely Delicious Catering // @absolutelydeliciouscatering
HMUA: LUX Beauty & Bridal // @luxbeautyandbridal
Day of Stationery + Signage: LBV Design House // @lbvdesignhouse
DJ/Photo Booth: Premier Entertainment Austin // @thepremieraustindjs
Cake: Iced Cakes ATX // @icedcakesatx
Rentals: Premiere Events // @premiereeventstx
Linens: BBJ La Tavola // @bbjlatavola
Exit Car: Comal Classics // @comalclassics
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