Your wedding day will be incredible. But not everything will go according to plan, here’s how to deal with it.
No person can deny that wedding planning is stressful. And even on your wedding day, it can be hard to avoid the worry and the pressure. Whether you’re planning a super grand celebration with hundreds of guests, or an intimate gathering with a few close friends. There will always be planning involved, and the possibility of your carefully placed house of cards coming crashing down.
According to a Zola survey of 500 engaged or newly-wed couples, 96 percent of them were stressed about their wedding, and the planning process. It’s no surprise. Balancing work, relationships, and general life stuff with the planning schedule of a wedding is tough.
The good news is, there are ways to stop the stress getting to you. Tricks you can use to lighten the mental load, and help you plan the best wedding ever! Today I’m going to share my hard-earned advice and attempt to steer you towards a stress-free path, one that might actually be enjoyable!
How to Avoid Wedding Planning Stress & Anxiety
Be Open About Financials
The most common cause of inner stress, and stress between couples when wedding planning, is money. For newly-weds making their first foray into the world of weddings, the figures quoted for certain things can come as quite a shock. And when items on your wedding budget spreadsheet start to pile up, so can your anxiety levels.
To combat this stress, you must be both open from the start, and do your research together. If you, or your family, cannot afford certain items your partner wants, or the overall wedding they want – you must be honest. Holding back now will only hurt harder in the future. And if they are the right person for you, they should understand that you cannot give more than you have.
Set a budget together, and stick to it. There will always be extra things that’ll come out of nowhere that you’ll need to pay for. But by having a solid budget, with a 5-10% contingency on top, you should be able to deal with any surprises.
What Are Your Priorities
Before you even start searching for wedding photographers near me, or looking at local wedding venues, sit down together and sketch out what really matters to you both. Flowers, catering, transport, entertainment, venue, number of guests etc. Chat about it all over a bottle of wine, and take notes of what each other wants for the wedding. Keeping that list at hand while wedding planning will help no end in stopping you veering away from what you both really want.
Be OK with Not Everything Going to Plan
It might rain on your wedding day. And for most couples, that is not ideal. But what’s important to remember is that the weather does not define your day. And that, actually, some of the most fun shots I’ve ever taken as a wedding photographer have been in the rain. Bridesmaids dancing around with umbrellas, kissing couples standing in the rain – there are so many ways you can turn bad weather, into the best wedding images!
Besides the rain, there will be little things that don’t go to plan, or happen as you imagined. But that’s ok. Everyone is having a wonderful time. You’ve just married the love of your life. Everything is good.
When things get hard before, and during your wedding, it’s important to take a moment, and re-focus. Imperfection is inevitable, what you need to do is embrace it.
Delegate Tasks to Friends & Professionals
There is zero shame in seeking assistance. While there is nothing wrong with being self-sufficient, assigning responsibilities to your wedding party, family, or professionals will help to keep you sane.
It can feel impossible to relinquish control, but by doing so, you’ll be relieving yourself of so much pressure. While also making those around you feel blessed with the responsibility of playing a role in your celebrations. And if you can afford it, a wedding planner can create your dream big day, without any of the drama you might encounter if you planned it yourself.
I hope to have helped you today, or maybe given you a few stress-reducing tools for the future. It would be an honour to go one step further, and actually be a part of your big day! As a wedding photographer based in Kitchener, I have shot over 300 weddings, across the world. And every photograph I have taken has been with the upmost care for the couple, and enormous pride at being able to capture a timeless memory for them.
You are welcome to browse my various portfolios, and if you like what you see, please take a look at my pricing where you’ll find a breakdown of my investment packages. For any questions, or queries about my services, feel free to get in touch via my contact page.
