Dealing with Wedding Stress

With all the decisions, phone calls, and appointments that must be made and kept while planning a wedding, many couples find themselves overwhelmed, irritable, and stressed out. Planning for a wedding is definitely no easy task.

The following are some tips to help couples alleviate their wedding stress:

Plan early
Weddings should be planned at least a year in advance. Do not wait until the last minute to make arrangements, book reservations, or purchase items. The longer one waits, the less likely dates, venues, and items will be available. Rushed orders also add additional unnecessary expense to the wedding budget.

Get organized
A wedding planner is a must have item to stay organized. Wedding planners are designed to keep business cards, notes, important phone numbers and dates, fabric samples, color swatches, pamphlets and brochures, and a “to do” list organized and easily accessible.

Ask for help
Do not be afraid to assign tasks or miscellaneous duties to responsible family and friends. If someone in the family has good penmanship, ask them to help address and mail the wedding invitations. If someone is home during the day and can make a few phone calls to various wedding vendors, schedule appointments, or order supplies, ask them to do so. If there is a chef or baker in the family, ask them to cater the reception or bake the wedding cake for you. Ask the maid of honor to schedule fittings and make sure everyone shows up for them.

Hire a wedding coordinator
Many couples consider hiring a wedding coordinator to handle all the details of the wedding. This is a good idea, especially for couples who have very busy schedules, a limited amount of time, and for those couples who don't really know where to begin when planning their wedding.

Create a wedding budget
A lot of wedding stress comes from worrying about expenses and how they will be paid for. When planning a wedding, it is very important to create a wedding budget and stick to it. When couples know exactly what their monthly earnings and expenses are and how much they can afford to spend on different elements of their wedding, it makes it that much easier to make decisions and keep from having a large wedding debt to pay off.