When most brides talk about wedding planning, many will say that it is a very stressful. Many brides and grooms feel that is is one of the biggest projects of their life. This is because of the time, money, intricate detail required and oversupply of possibility and choices available. Not to mention the inter family and friend politics amongst other issues. Throw that all together and you have one giant project on your hands. Lets see how you can have stress free wedding planning.
How To Have Stress Free Wedding Planning
Realise Time Is On Your Side
I am about to say something crazy but… you control the day you get married. So why have a tiny time frame if you need more time to save? When people first get engaged they choose their wedding date. A true example is a friend of mine was engaged in the beginning on the year. He said they were looking at getting married on 08/08/18 as they were of Chinese background and it was considered an auspicious day.
I very politely told him that to have the wedding on that day 2 things are against him. Firstly its in the first month of wedding season so it will be busy. Secondly that date is very popular with Chinese couples that many would have booked that date months or years in advance. Not to mention having 8 months to plan everything plus suppliers already booked out months beforehand will make it hard. Set a time that will be comfortable to plan and organise everything at a pace you can manage around your life.
You Control Your Budget
Have you ever heard the saying “this wedding is over budget”. That is a choice as you control the budget. While this is obvious many brides will look at the average budget of brides in Australia and try to often bring it down to half that ($18,000) without understanding why it costs that much. They then keep to this number in their heads throughout the process. There are 2 things that can be done.
Firstly if you have started wedding planning take a look to see what you would like on your day. This will give you a more realistic budget. Understand the prices (know what’s a good / bad deal) and adjust accordingly. In some cases its just a matter of planning to have your wedding 2-3 months later to save up a little more.
Secondly accept what you are willing to spend and cut back on with the prices given. Be willing to slash in areas you originally and be ok with that.
Both options will give you more time, reduce your budget and give you a clearer mental focus on the budget and how it all works.
Its Your Wedding
You can do whatever you like. Here at Pink Caviar Events we personally feel that its the couples day and no one else. Unless you are following a specific set of customs / rituals / beliefs you can do whatever you like. Who cares if your mother-in-law liked the colour blue, its your wedding colours. Your friends and family have their opinions and that’s great, take it on board. That being said you are the captain of your wedding, you control the journey and the final destination.
Take this article back in November 2017. This bride kicked out her bridesmaid because she was pregnant. Now you may agree with her or think she was too harsh but we believe that its the couples decision for their day. Harsh as we think it is its entirely their choice.
Wedding Resources
Everyone has advice but not all advice is created equal. As we tell all our brides, you need to look for the following when it comes to wedding advice:
- Make sure its Australian (different countries will have many subtle differences). Also we use dollars but also the USA amongst other countries. Many brides come to us quoting prices from the USA but it doesn’t work that way.
- Get advice from a professional person in the wedding industry (even if its just a blog). Many blog sites use people who have never planned a wedding or if they did they planned their own and their advice doesn’t fit your criteria.
- Check out our Vlog Series Wedding Planning Advice With Stephanie Cassimatis. Where we give professional and practical advice for your wedding day that is relevant to any Australian bride.
- Speak to your Priest, Rabbi and so on. Get their advice of what is required spiritually.
Your Partner Has Your Back
When a person is planning their wedding they think they are going it alone. One person will be in charge of the wedding planning (typically the bride) and they assume all the responsibility onto themselves. The simple fact is that you are not going it alone. You partner is genuinely happy to help. It is just a matter of tapping into their skills the right way. A good example is this blog post we wrote about planning with your man or men and colours. It shows how men and women are different and to use this different to help you plan your wedding. In essence if you can get your partner to help its on of the best ways to help head towards stress free wedding planning.
Hire A professional Wedding Planner / Coordinator
Sometimes its too much, sure you can do a lot yourself but we live in a busy world. For some, planning is not their strength while for others they are too busy. Wedding planing after hours and on weekends takes up a lot of time. Using the services of a professional wedding planner or coordinator can save you lots of time, money and massively reduce wedding stress.
In Conclusion
While the above tips may be simple and obvious to some, the truth is that it’s a starting point. We hope the above advice was helpful and will leave you with some stress-free wedding planning.
Do you have any advice for stress-free wedding planning? What was your favourite suggestion? Join the discussion and let us know in the comments below 🙂
Stephanie Cassimatis is the founder and head stylist of Pink Caviar Events, a corporate event management and styling company based in Sydney, Australia. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Stephanie is known for her impeccable taste and attention to detail, as well as her ability to bring her client’s visions to life. In addition, she is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a credential that reflects her commitment to delivering high-quality events on time and within budget. Stephanie is also a respected speaker and educator, sharing her expertise and insights with aspiring event planners and designers through workshops and conferences.
