10 Tips For a Perfect Stress Free Wedding Day!

Worried about how your wedding is going to play out?  Every couple's nightmare is that something will go wrong.  Worrying only compounds the problem.  Here are time proven tips to make sure everything goes according to plan.  

                                                              

Schedule the wedding at a time that fits into both of your schedules.  If you are in the midst of studying for exams, moving, graduating, changing jobs or any other life changing times, schedule the date for a less stressful time. 

Make a wedding budget and work within your budget.  Money is a major stressor in wedding planning. If you know in advance you can cover what you NEED, you won't need to juggle things around and alter your wedding plans. 

Shop for your vendors the same way you shop for your wedding dress.   There are good vendors and there are unreliable vendors.  Check references and interview them BEFORE you put down a deposit.  A good vendor will take your wedding as seriously as you do and will do what is necessary without being prodded. 

Don't make any spur of the moment decisions.    Acting on impulse is sure to derail plans.  

Once you make a decision, move on.   Second guessing yourself will make you crazy and is a waste of time and energy.  Trust in yourself and your decision.  If you LOVED the dress when you ordered it, you will still love it on your wedding day. 

Surround yourself with a good support system.     Your family and friends can be a HUGE help during the wedding planning process and the wedding day itself.   Extra hands to help and emotional support are major!

Get organized.   Buy an wedding organizer or software that will keep you on track and keep you organized.  An organized wedding saves tons of time and stress.  

Check, recheck and double check with your vendors to make sure you are on the same page.

A monthly phone call will ease your mind and you can check out their progress.  Two weeks before the wedding, call all your vendors to finalize all details. 

Keep your wedding party in the loop so they know what is expected of them.   Give them a time line of the wedding week so they can make arrangements in their own life to be at rehearsal, etc.  Don't assume they KNOW or are available, let them know in advance.

Don't make any sudden changes to your appearance right before the wedding.   Practice that hairdo, practice the wedding day makeup so there are no surprises that day.  I cut my hair right before the wedding and my headpiece didn't fit or look good with my new 'do.   Also, crash dieting before the wedding will mean your dress will need additional alterations and you could get sick or look unwell on your wedding day.  Also avoid over tanning on the tanning beds...it doesn't photograph well. 

Weddings: Keeping It Real

There is too much fantasy and hype involved in wedding
planning. Maybe its all the media crap touting
weddings that cost in the 6 to 7 figures. Or its the
celebrities having over the top weddings. Or maybe its
the Disney fantasy weddings that is turning the
Princess/Prince Charming from all the fairy tale
movies into a real life money making cash cow.
Or maybe its all the brides who spend hours
comparing notes on the online wedding boards.
Or maybe its the competition between friends
and family as to who can have the best wedding.
Regardless of who planted the idea, a wedding
out of control is a train wreck in the making.

Its time to keep it real. Keeping it real means
having the wedding that YOU can afford.
Bottom line: The wedding is a party to celebrate
the union of two people in marriage. Its a party,
its not a show to put you or your parents in financial
ruin. Its not a competition.

Keeping it real means being realistic in your
expectations of your wedding. You can't replicate
a celebrities wedding without a lot of cash. Besides,
they get a lot of freebies for their weddings. They
sell the pictures to the press and recoup their
costs.

Tips to keep your wedding real:

Have the wedding you can afford.
If you can't afford a big blowout, then have a small
group of select family and friends and do so within
your budget. Think outside the box, a garden wedding
with a barbeque reception, a wedding at sunset on
the beach with dinner.

Personalize your wedding your way.
Put small touches on the wedding that show your
style as a couple. Maybe its an unusual color scheme,
maybe its the food you serve. Maybe you grew all
the flowers in your backyard. Or you made little snack
gift baskets for your out of town guests. The personalized
touches you add to your wedding take it from
ordinary to rocking. I've attended small weddings and
walked away more touched than the most expensive
country club wedding.

Stop thinking of what you CAN'T afford and start
thinking about what you CAN afford!
If you can't afford an open bar, stop beating yourself
up. You don't owe anyone a drunken time. Look for
alternatives. Put a bottle of wine on each table and when
its gone, its gone. Oh, well.
If you can't afford the exotic orchids, who is going to know
if you use pretty in season flowers? It may actually turn
out nicer than you imagined.
If you can't afford the couture wedding dress, there are all
sortsof great wedding gowns in lower price ranges. As long as
it flatters your figure and feels comfortable, who will
know you paid less than the $4,000 couture gown you
can't justify in your budget. And here's a secret: Most
wedding gown companies make bridesmaid dresses. You
can get a similar looking dress in their bridesmaid line
without a train and for a lot less money. And guess what?
The quality is nearly identical.

Eliminate the extras you don't need:
There are things you need for a wedding,
namely a bride, groom, marriage license and
an officiant. The rest is just gravy.
Choose the gravy carefully. Do you really NEED
favors? Do you really NEED a band at the reception
or will a DJ do the job? Do you really need a sit
down dinner or can I have a less expensive buffet?

Concentrate more on the marriage and less on the
wedding planning.
I see brides who never mention their fiance. They can
tell you exactly every detail of their wedding. It makes
me believe that they are in love with the idea of having
a wedding, rather than getting married. Sure, the guys
get into having a wedding, too. But keep the focus
where it belongs.

Keep things in perspective and keep a sense of humor.
If some little thing goes wrong, don't go all Bridezilla and blow
it all out of proportion. Thing can and will go wrong, I've never
seen a perfect wedding. But you know what? No one ever
knew!

Keep your sense of humor and laugh often. Your friends and
family will appreciate it and so will you. Because once the
wedding is over, and real life smacks you in the face, its
good to laugh!