After the novelty of getting engaged starts to wear off, the reality of planning your wedding day can quickly start to feel overwhelming!
From budgets and timelines to unsolicited advice, we totally understand the pressure many couples face throughout the wedding planning journey. So to help you get through the process (without neglecting your relationship), we’ve rounded up our top 6 wedding planning tips for newly engaged couples below.
Bookmark this post, and revisit it whenever you need a reminder of what’s important!
Understand Each Other’s Priorities
First things first: never forget that you guys are a team. Good communication throughout the wedding planning journey will be essential to help you avoid any misunderstandings or conflicts along the way.
Before making any big decisions, sit down with your partner and discuss what the ultimate wedding looks like for both of you. To start the conversation, you might want to make separate lists of your personal priorities for the day and exchange your answers. These priorities can include everything from the overall vibe you want to create right down to specific details like entertainment, food or decor.
Ideally, you’ll want to agree on 3-5 shared priorities that will then define your wedding vision. Note: if you both have different expectations for the day, this may involve some compromising!
Have The Big Conversations Upfront
Along with discussing your shared priorities, you’ll also want to make sure you get any other big conversations out of the way as soon as possible. For example – how much are you willing to spend on your wedding? How many guests do you want to invite? Are you open to receiving financial contributions from parents or family members, and if so, how much input will they have into your day?
These questions can be tricky to navigate, but it’s important to discuss them upfront. To help you get started, read our ultimate guide to creating your wedding budget, and our top tips for narrowing down your guest list.
Expect The Unexpected
Here’s the truth: no matter how organised you might be throughout your wedding planning journey, things can (and probably will) go wrong. Maybe you’ll have to deal with a wet weather forecast, a vendor has to cancel at the last minute, or a wedding guest rocks up wearing a white dress.
While these inconveniences can feel stressful in the moment, try not to sweat the small stuff. Instead, be flexible, expect the unexpected, and remind yourself of what really matters – marrying the person you love!
Ignore Unsolicited Advice
This one is a biggie! From the moment you get engaged, you’ll likely be ambushed with questions, opinions and advice from friends and family members. Whether it’s how much you should spend on your wedding to the food you should serve on the day, this outside pressure can quickly become overwhelming.
Step back, take a breath, and remember: this is your day. Feel free to ask for advice when you genuinely want it, but don’t be afraid to ignore anything else that doesn’t serve you. We recommend having a quick response up your sleeve, like “Thanks for your input! We’ll keep that in mind” before calmly changing the subject. You can find more responses for tricky wedding planning questions here!
Similarly, try not to feel pressured by the beautifully curated images you’re seeing on Pinterest and social media, either. These images are often from weddings with extremely high budgets, or from styled photo shoots where vendors are donating their time and services.
Get Organized
Wedding planning can be fun, but without any kind of structure, it can also be consumed by stress!
Set yourselves up for a seamless wedding planning experience by getting things organised from the very beginning. Put all of your upcoming tasks into one central checklist, create a simple spreadsheet to track your budget, and set deadlines for everything that needs to be done before the day.
These days, there are countless wedding planning apps and online platforms to help you simplify the process, like digital wedding planners, wedding website builders and paperless invitations.
Maintain Your Relationship
Our final tip? Don’t let wedding planning consume your life. Make your relationship a priority by scheduling weekly date nights (where you don’t mention the “w” word) and taking wedding planning breaks when you need to.
Remember, wedding planning is temporary, but your marriage is forever. So check in with each other, spend quality time together, and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience!
