Wedding Planning 101

by Tahna Falk, Owner of StarStruck Event Planning and Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo
Welcome to one of the most wonderful, but stressful stages of your life. You’re ready to start your happily forever after, but you still have to make it through the wedding planning process. 
That means, on average, anywhere from 6 to 12 months of planning and preparation that can be stressful when you add in family dynamics, budget conflicts and staying organized. 
If planning your wedding is consuming your every waking thought, you may be jeopardizing your own health, your relationships and/or your job. If you’re obsessing over the napkin colors or wedding cake flavors, it’s time to slow down, take a deep breath and relax.
Here are some ways to help you maintain your perspective and enjoy your engagement:
Don’t feel you have to take everyone’s advice. Be gracious when someone offers their unsolicited advice and say something like “Hmmm, that’s a thought or I’ll take that under consideration or I’ll have to think about it…” Then, go ahead and continue with what you were originally planning if the advice is not something right for your wedding.
Surround yourself with positive energy. Call your best girlfriend for an impromptu lunch or night out with “no wedding talk.” If family dynamics are causing stress, address them head on. Compromise as needed, but remember this is your wedding day. 
Choose your battles. Don’t make a big deal out of every little detail. Step back and assess the situation and decide what’s truly important; find compromise where needed. 
Don’t be Superwoman. Take on less as your wedding day approaches. Don’t volunteer for any extra work assignments or decide to take on hosting a good friend’s baby shower. And, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to family and friends the month of the wedding. They are eager to help. 
Get outside and do something active; reset your mind when feeling stressed. 
Set aside quality time with your fiancé once a week. Do not use this time for wedding planning. Use it to remind each other why you love and enjoy each other’s company. This will help to minimize any neglected feelings one or both of you may have.
Schedule wedding planning tasks ahead of time and organize by dividing the tasks up and spreading them out over time. There are some great planning sheets online to help with this. Set aside time on the weekend to plan out your coming week. 
Don’t investigate every wedding planning option out there. This can be a huge time sucker and often leads to more indecisiveness. Chose a theme and color scheme for your wedding and stick with it. Decide on your overall budget first and divide out what you might want to spend with each vendor. If you are not sure what things cost, talk with a wedding planner. 
Hire professional vendors. We cannot stress this enough. There are professional vendors in every category you could want for your wedding, and you can even find professional vendors within any budget range. Professional vendors make the planning process and your actual wedding day go so much smoother. Start with referrals from friends and family. You will always want to look at reviews and talk with the vendors to make sure they are a good fit. Professional vendors can also recommend professionals in other categories. 
Appoint a go-to person and let your wedding party and close friends and family know who that point person is. This will alleviate stress for you on the day before and the day of your wedding. If anyone has any questions during those two days, they can go to that point person. 
Still feel overwhelmed? Hire a professional wedding planner. Seriously, an experienced wedding planner will guide you through the wedding planning process, keep you organized and on task, provide periodic budget updates, and alleviate so much stress for you. We can’t tell you how many times we have heard people say “I thought I did not need a wedding planner or day-of coordinator, but I’m so glad I got one and it was the best money I spent.”
Photo by Jennifer O’Neill Photography