Keeping the Stress Level Low

Keeping the Stress Level Low
by: Johanna Docena

The worst thing that could happen to any bride on her wedding day is have a nervous breakdown! A wedding is certainly one of the most significant events in any person’s life. But it doesn’t mean that one has to spend each and very waking hour worrying about it. Here are some tips on how to minimize the stress when planning your wedding.

1. Get all the help you can get. If your budget allows, hire a wedding planner. There is no one that could help you best than someone who knows the ins and outs of planning a wedding. However, if you do not have the money to spare, seek help from family and friends. Make sure that you assign important tasks especially during the day of the wedding and that you assign them ahead of time.

2. Be organized. Write down all your TO DOs and assign each one a target completion date. Be realistic with the timelines. Allow some buffer when assigning your target date. Keep the list current. Mark the tasks that get completed and add new ones that come up. And avoid making major changes to your plan a couple of months before the wedding

3. As much as possible avoid straying from your schedule. Allow yourself plenty of time to complete each of the tasks.

4. Prioritize! Do the most important things first – select a date and an alternate date, select a wedding planner, make the necessary ceremony and reception venue reservations. The earlier these things are completed the better.

5. Set a budget and stick to it. Resist the urge to overspend and avoid making unnecessary splurges.

6. Select your vendors well. Get recommendations from family, friends and co-workers. Pick vendors that have been in the business for a good number of years and those with good track records.

7. Agree on the details and the terms with your vendors and put them in writing. Changes should be discussed and agreed to and reflected in the document.

8. Choose your battles wisely. And if possible, have your wedding planner fight your battles for you.

9. Take some time off from the preparation. Go on a night out with the girls, have a romantic dinner with your fiancée, go to the spa and the salon, do some shopping. In short, do something to help you relax and recharge.

10. Call each of the vendors a couple of days before the wedding to review with them the important details, the date, the time and the location. If you do not have a wedding planner, assign someone to be in-charge of coordinating with the vendors on the day of the wedding. Give him/her a copy of vendor’s contact information to bring to the wedding.

11. Probably the most important advice we could give a bride – DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF! Learn to compromise. Sometimes things don’t go the way you want to.

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