Not Enjoying Planning Your Wedding? Tips To Make Planning Fun Again
What? Did she just say that...? You can't say that. Yup - I said it. You do not have to enjoy planning your wedding. It is the social norm for everyone to expect women to have spent their life planning their wedding in their minds. So after a woman becomes engaged people assume she must be ecstatic about seeing all of those hypothetical plans become reality. What they don't realize is that not everyone swoons over creating floral centerpieces or has spent their school days sketching out a bridal gown. Some women do, some women don't. And that's just how it goes. This same rule applies for men - you can't just assume that people are excited about planning a wedding - most people aren't.
Not to mention that once you get past the initial planning and you are writing checks and pouring over contracts there’s a lot of pressure – from society, friends, and even family – to have the perfect wedding. Planning any big event is stressful and it’s this is one of the biggest days of your life, how could you not be losing it with stress? So - if you are engaged out there and you are simply burnt out on planing or just plain not interested in the celebration - no worries. You are not alone. It is important to remember though, that at the end of the day this is all about marrying your sweetie and everything is going to be alright.
But in the meantime, here are a few little tips to ease your mind during this stressful time. Use this quick list of simple tips to deal with planning your wedding when you're not loving the process. Which - let's face it - is probably right now.
So as a wedding planner my first word of advice is probably pretty predictable to say the least. But, it would be the elephant in the room if I didn't start here. No matter what stage you are at in the planning process, if you hit a wall never forget that you can still hire a professional planner or coordinator at any time, even if that means to help to iron out the final details.
Hire help if you need it.
No matter what stage you are at in the planning process, if you hit a wall you can still hire a professional planner or coordinator to iron out the final details. If you've tried unplugging and reconnecting with one another and you still can't seem to find the energy to talk to another wedding vendor or make another wedding-related decision, it may be time to bring in a professional. If you can't afford to hire a full-service wedding planner think about partial planning and a coordinator who can help take all the hard work you've done so far and bring it to the finish line.
Take a break. You've earned it!
Between listening to everyone's opinions and feedback about your wedding, organizing and coordinating a solid vendor list, and shopping around for all the necessary wedding attire, you've poured hours and hours into planning already. Maybe now it's time to take a little break and not think about your wedding at all for a few weeks. In order to pull this off, you'll simply need to be sure you're up-to-date on your wedding planning to-do list and that you've communicated with your vendors that you'll be out of touch for a few weeks. From there, just shut down your wedding brain and redirect your attention to the people and the hobbies you've been neglecting for months.
Explore your wedding destination.
If you're having a destination wedding, one of the best things you can do to reignite your wedding planning fire is to learn more about the area. Take this time to research everything, from the best taco spot to the best hidden beaches. Take the time to really dive into learning about the local area and remind yourself why you're bringing all of your friends and family to this far-off place. If you're doing a honeymoon, now is the time to find every fun thing you'd like to do... right it down and get planning.
Take a wedding-planning-moon.
You've all heard of honeymoons and babymoons, but maybe a pre-wedding vacation could do you two some good. Travel bans are different everywhere. But even if it is in your home, take a long weekend away from the stress of planning a wedding with your partner. Maybe you take a good long hike, or drive out to a cozy cabin in the woods, take a canoe or boat ride to a local island you want to explore. Agree to discuss zero wedding-related details for the couple of days you'll be gone and you'll surely feel totally refreshed and ready to tackle the planning again when you return. No cellphones - consider it a challenge.
Simplify.
Weddings have become full of personal touches in recent years – which is lovely, but also a lot of work! Don’t be afraid to keep things classic and traditional if that will simplify things for you. Everything does not need to be customized with your wedding date, names, or wedding colors! Think about the parts of the wedding you are excited about, whether that’s your first dance, the cake, or even your honeymoon and focus energy on the pieces that are most important to you. Bringing back into focus the things that you value most for that day helps ease stress in an instant. It’s ok if the planning process doesn’t feel like the happiest time of your life. If I’ve learned anything over the last two months, this time is difficult for almost everyone and you are most definitely not alone.You would probably be surprised how many of my clients find themselves daydreaming about an elopement instead of doing a big wedding. But once the day arrives, it is magical and full of special memories. Just take a deep breath - this all works itself out. Focus on the good. The people who love you and the reason you’re doing this. Focus on your marriage.