After your partner pops the big question, the first instinct might be to ask yourself, “Will I be able to plan my dream wedding in time?” But that’s where we come in. We’re here to talk you through some great ideas, and offer the tools you need so that you can fully embrace the moments leading up to the big day.
Wedding planning can be made easy with the right organizational skills. To keep everything on track before the big day, keep a checklist of important wedding tasks and rank them in order of priority. Also, keep your partner in the loop and practice healthy, effective communication as you accomplish the tasks one by one. This will help you make decisions that are best for you both and be a great step toward a happy married life.
From picking the perfect venue, live band, decor, and dress, each detail counts. So do thorough research online before you start making the visits. It’s best to be flexible with the dates to book the venue and vendors in time and make it easy for guests to attend. And if it’s within your budget, hiring a wedding planner at the initial stage can also ease the wedding planning process and give you access to an extensive vendor list.
You can use this extra time to make decisions about your wedding registry and how to make your options truly unlimited to accommodate guests across various budgets, which will ultimately make you and your partner happy. Take advantage of such features using platforms like MyRegistry, which lets you add gifts from any store and sync any store registry you already have onto one.
So now, let’s look at a few suggestions to narrow down the steps until the day of your nuptials and make the process go as smoothly as possible.
6 Tips to Simplify Your Wedding Ceremony
1. Plan Ahead
The key to having a stress-free wedding day is to plan ahead. A timeline spanning 12-15 months can make the planning process a breeze and help you get into the nitty-gritty of all details. Create a timeline of all of the tasks that need to be carried out and prioritize them accordingly. Chalk out the most important details first – the venue, catering, photographer, and entertainment – after which the remaining focus will only be on the smaller tasks. Also, ensure that you don’t get hung up on every last detail – it’s important to remember that this day is about you, so you must celebrate the in-between moments with your loved ones.
2. Create a Universal Registry
As the wedding planning process kicks into high gear, couples can get carried away in the daily hustle and bustle, leaving the most fun and anticipated part of getting married until later. But we’re here to tell you otherwise. To plan a registry that aligns with the lifestyle you and your partner envision, you can forgo a regular registry altogether. Rather, go for a universal wedding registry checklist – one that encapsulates every store under the sun and puts it in one convenient spot that is easily accessible to your guests with just a few clicks. In addition to a comprehensive list of both big box and local retailers, couples also have the option to register for cash funds, which allows their loved ones to contribute towards experiences, honeymoon funds, and charitable donations that are close to your heart.
3. Cut Down the Guest List
The finest way to simplify your wedding day is to keep it short and sweet. Having a smaller ceremony saves your wallet and makes the wedding planning process much more doable. With this, you don’t have to get carried away with a long guest list or book multiple vendors. Instead, you can go all out and pick a non-traditional venue while enjoying a hassle-free celebration. This will also help you spend more time with the numbered guests and create memories.
4. Hire a Wedding Planner
Hiring the right wedding planner is one of the best and most important decisions to make for your wedding. If you have the budget, a wedding planner will play a huge role in planning the exact wedding you and your partner have dreamed about. From sharing their knowledge of the market, sharing access to exclusive vendors, helping with the budget, and filling the gaps between your wishlist and the actual setting – a wedding planner can do it all with a swish of their wand.
5. Choose a Venue With In-House Services
Choosing a venue offering in-house catering, photography, live music, and decorations can simplify your wedding planning process. By choosing this, you don’t have to coordinate with multiple vendors, as the venue will solidify your vision alone and smooth out the issues before it reaches you or your guests. You will be provided with designated staff members to assist you through all the happenings so you can make time to enjoy your big day.
6. Delegate Tasks
Planning a wedding is no easy feat, and while your instincts tell you to do every last bit – break down a few of those responsibilities and share them with your near and dear ones. Be it the airport pickups and dropoffs, collecting items from different vendors such as flowers, dresses, dry cleaning, or handling some on-the-day of the ceremony tasks, delegate these small, concrete tasks based on before, during, and after the party. It’ll help you take a load off in moments of tension and spend some extra time with your guests.
Final Thoughts
It goes without saying that a ‘dream’ wedding need not have everything. You can take the extra fluff off the table if it doesn’t concern you and your partner. Also, it’s best to take time off in between to practice self-care, which will be the perfect excuse to look your best while also de-stress. The clock may be ticking, but the above tips should help you keep things under control as you make progress with your checklist. And don’t forget to have fun, since it’s your special day.
