In the two months that I’ve been frantically planning my wedding, I’ve learned three things that I believe can help brides who are about to begin the planning process save time and frustration.
My name is Sara and I am a March 2023 bride who is in the midst of the wedding planning process. So far, the year has gone by in a whirlwind. It’s been overwhelming and strangely fun all at once? When my fiancé proposed to me, I couldn’t believe it was happening. The vibes were not there at all and I remember feeling sad because I didn’t think he would pop the question that night. Picture this, we’re on a yacht on New Year’s Eve, floating around downtown Charleston, surrounded by people with music, food, drinks, and a beautiful night sky above us. Noah and I were with his family, my soon-to-be in-laws, enjoying the night. I knew that he was going to propose soon, but I didn’t know when… and that yacht cruise did not give me any hints. Some people say that they just knew it was about to happen, but I did not have a clue. He really gaslighted me in the end, because I was expecting a Valentine’s Day proposal. I was so sad that it wasn’t happening on New Year’s Eve because it was so romantic and fun being out on the water with our family, having a great time. Anyway, he did propose to me at midnight after we kissed and everyone toasted the new year. I was so shocked and ecstatic that I was going to be his wife!
Needless to say, 2023 kicked off in full swing with a proposal and wedding planning details. Some of you reading this might be asking, why are you getting married so soon? What’s the rush? The short answer is, we just want to be married. We’re excited to begin our life together and we don’t want to drag it out with waiting and planning for more than 6 months. With that being said, I am excited to share some of my tips with you because I’ve actually had a fun time planning our wedding. It’s been stressful as hell and I’ve definitely had some hiccups along the way, but it’s been something to look forward to with planning a wedding. If you are a bride or soon-to-be bride, I hope you find these tips useful!
Quick disclaimer that I am by no means an expert. Everyone’s planning process and dreams for their wedding are different and I respect that. Let’s dive into some of the things that worked for me (or didn’t) in my planning process, what I would recommend to someone starting their planning journey, and how to go about planning a wedding.
Sit down and seriously consider what your theme or aesthetic is. Hands down, this may be one of the most challenging aspects of wedding planning. There are so many avenues and styles to consider when developing your wedding aesthetic and it can feel overwhelming to see all the options available. However, I encourage you to sit down, open Pinterest or TikTok and begin looking at ideas for wedding themes or aesthetics. The reason why I encourage you to consider your aesthetic first is because it helps you create an understanding of what you want your day to look like. Developing even a semblance of a theme can help you in selecting your venue, bridesmaid dresses, color scheme (if you have one), décor, and so much more. For example, selecting a country barn for your wedding but wanting to have a modern and elegant wedding might be hard to achieve. Don’t get me wrong. you can absolutely create a tasteful, elegant, and modern wedding in an event barn. I say this because, your venue has a style or aesthetic of its own… architecturally the building will have a style. And it is easier to choose a venue that aligns with your preferred wedding aesthetic, when you have an aesthetic in mind prior to dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s for your venue. When I first began planning, I immediately dove into searching for a venue, without a clear understanding of what my style and aesthetic that I wanted was. I did discover my aesthetic along the way, but had I figured it out earlier, it might have helped me avoid some venue tours and wasted emails.
Set boundaries with family members and friends. This one might be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s absolutely necessary. This should probably be number one on my list, but I think it’s important to figure out your theme/aesthetic and then have hard conversations with family or friends. It’s important to have conversations with family about what you want your wedding to look like. Discuss budget items, talk about who is expected to do certain items. These are hard conversations and creating boundaries and having these discussions will help tremendously down the road. I’ve watched many videos online from wedding planners that encourage brides to establish healthy boundaries with people while planning your wedding. After all, the day is supposed to be about you and your fiancé, and you want to make sure that you are content in your planning process.
Remember to breathe. This isn’t end all be all. In this day and age, there are continual blasts and notifications from apps like TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Everywhere you turn, people are telling you congratulations, they’re giving unsolicited opinions, telling you what to do and not do at your wedding, etc. Hell, even my blog that you’re currently reading is telling you what to do. I hope you know that I am telling you my unsolicited opinion with love, because weddings are hard… but they don’t need to be *that* hard. Don’t forget to take a deep breath, open a bottle of wine, and take time to yourself during this time. It’s okay to relax. Often, I feel like I have to be nonstop. Nonstop planning and going to accomplish my goals, but this is unrealistic. It’s okay to cut ourselves some slack and give ourselves grace. Everything will come together in the end.
In time, your wedding day will come and it’s going to be the best day! I can’t wait for my wedding day to come because it will mean that I am officially done with planning. The day is here, planning is done, and I can enjoy my wedding day! You’ll look back and hopefully feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that you’ve made it to this long-awaited day. I hope that these tips help you and that they are insightful for anyone beginning their planning process. I want to wish you the very best in wedding planning and in life! Good luck and thanks for reading. Please let me know in the comments below if any of these tips were helpful to you.
- xoxo
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