Top Hints for a Stress-Free Wedding

Your wedding should be an event that generates great joy. The goal is for everything to be perfect, for every moment to flow smoothly, and for every detail to be just as you envision it. However, events don't always go as planned. Taking note of a few hints for planning a stress-free wedding may help you avoid some of the pitfalls of planning the perfect wedding day.

Create a list of things that are the most important.

Creating a list of the most important details is the first "to do" item in the planning process. Your most important items may be finding a fabulous dress, planning a great menu, or locating the perfect cake designer. Once you have designated your top priorities, the rest of the planning will begin to fall into place, and the fun can begin.

Listing your priorities will also help keep the wedding budget in control. Cool and trendy items can catch one's eye and lead to impulse spending rather than priority spending. If the dress, food, and cake are the most important items, then it's easier to view other details as just that - details.

Involve the groom as much as he wants to be involved.

Some grooms want to be involved with all the plans. Others rarely make suggestions. Discuss how much and what parts are important to him. Make decisions in those areas together. It's important to keep in mind that in any relationship, one partner does certain things better than the other.

Follow a wedding planning timeline guide to stay organized.

Wedding planning books, bridal magazines, and wedding planning websites have timeline guides. Timelines that are broken into three-month segments list tasks to do nine to twelve months prior to the wedding, six to nine months prior to the wedding, and so forth. The timeline allows for focusing on certain tasks during a certain period and prevents the couple from being overwhelmed. Also, a tabbed notebook can be used to stay organized with sections for vendor contracts, inspirations, and ideast which are useful when meeting with vendors.

Consider how to handle ideas and suggestions from other well-meaning family members.

Don't try to please everyone, but don't exclude them completely if they want to be helpful. The key is balance. Balance your vision with the family's eagerness to help.

Ask others to help with the plans and on the wedding day.

Consider having someone, whether a professional or a friend, to help with the planning, coordinate vendor recommendations, or take care of things that can be overlooked like food for the wedding party at the church, transferring flowers from the church to the reception, or last minute tasks that may arise. If a friend is used, he or she should know your style. This person needs to be on the couple's side when coordinating details, finding vendors, and helping make decisions.

Anticipate that every guest invited will reply with a yes.

When choosing your venue site, it's important to make sure that the site will be large enough to accommodate all of the guests. If those helping you plan want to invite more guests than the venue will hold, then you must consider changing to a larger venue. If budget is an issue, you may want to tell those helping you that you need to keep the guest list small.

Prepare an emergency kit for the big wedding day.

Most of the items needed to handle small emergencies are inexpensive and will fit into a small tote bag. Include bobby pins, a small comb and brush, a travel-size bottle of hairspray, a nail file, dental floss, extra earring backs, safety pins, a roll of Scotch tape, double-sided tape, small scissors, mints, eye drops, a travel-size perfume, needle and thread for mending, extra buttons, and your favorite over-the-counter pain reliever. Additionally, always have clear bandaids in case you get a blister. A Tide-to-Go pen will get stains out in case of the dreaded spill, and white chalk will cover marks on a white gown.

Last, but not least, relax, have fun, and enjoy your day!

Remember, a stress-free wedding does not necessarily mean that every detail is perfect. A perfect wedding is one where the bride and groom are relaxed and happy, taking the "glitches" in stride, and most importantly, remembering what really matters: two people found each other and are starting a life together.