5 Tips For The Overwhelmed Bride
Are you planning your wedding and feeling overwhelmed? There are so many details to keep track of and decisions to make! Between the venue, menu, and seating chart, there are hundreds of details to keep straight. After nearly 10 years of working with weddings, I have put together 5 tips for the overwhelmed bride.
1 — Communicate Your Expectations Clearly
When planning a wedding, there are so many details and visions in your head that you have to communicate to others. You can't assume your vendors know the vision that is so clear in your head. The key is making sure that when you are talking with your wedding coordinator, DJ, photographer, and so on, that you clearly not only let them know what you want, but also what your expectations are for them. Even if it is in an email form, write out in bullet notes everything you are expecting when you hire them, leave no desire untold. That way, you won't have to worry about it later on.
2 — Delegate
This one is especially for the brides who micromanage things... DELEGATE! Not just on your wedding day, even though no one wants to be the bride that is frantically running around making sure the cake is in the right place, but throughout your planning process. Anything that you can give to others to do, DO IT.
When I got married, I had two wedding coordinators and my sister in law, and adopted mother, and bridesmaids who all were ready to help. I delegated everything. Being a wedding coordinator myself, I wrote up how I wanted everything, from my seating charts to how I wanted the decorations packed up after the reception ended. I gave everyone their own task list and told them exactly how I wanted things. And guess what? I had a stress free wedding day... well almost, because I still had to get married!
3 — Turn Off Your Phone
Turn it off. The week before my wedding, I sent out final checklists to all of my planners and venders and in the email I told them that under no circumstances were they to contact me till after the wedding. I left my wedding coordinator's email and my adopted mother's information and told them that any and all questions were to be taken to them. The key is to find the person you trust and leave them to make decisions for you the week of your wedding. What did I do the week of my wedding? I packed up with my bridesmaids and relaxed by a resort pool. My phone was on silent and I didn't check a single email. Relax the week of your wedding because you will need it.
4 — Hire Help
If you are reading this and thinking, "Well that is great for you, McKenna. You had a team of helpers. But I have no one in my family that I can trust to make decisions for me on the biggest day of my life!"
My answer is this, hire help. You can't do this on your own.
I am a huge advocate for wedding coordinators, and not just because I am one. before I started coordinating weddings I thought people who hired them were crazy! But I hadn't coordinated one until I was absolutely certain that everyone needs a wedding coordinator. Not just for the bride's sake, but also for the bride's family. If the bride isn't the one running around making sure everything is right, then it will be the mother of the bride. Think about how you want your wedding day. Do you want everyone close to you running around making sure things are ready, or do you wants everyone calm and gathering around to love and enjoy the memories with you?
Hire as much help as you can—even for set up and cleanup. You won't regret it, I promise.
5 — Make A List
With all of the details to decide and keep track of, you can feel overwhelmed about where to start and what to do next. Make a list! Start with the biggest things, venue, photographer, menu, musicians, then work your way through the other details next.
Make weekly lists of things to do and tackle at least two things on that list per day. You don't have to do everything all at once.
Stay organized. Follow your list. Talk with your wedding coordinator. Ask others who have done this before to read your lists and see if they have things to add. Enjoy your planning process.
Make a list and check it twice!
And there it is! 5 Tips for the Overwhelmed Bride. Planning a wedding is a lot of work, but is so worth it on your wedding day. If you are in the weeds of wedding planning right now, reach out! I would love to help make your wedding day as special as you are.