12 Tips For Low-Stress Wedding Planning

You just got engaged! You’re excited, you tell everyone. Immediately you’re besieged with questions. Now you’re dreading the wedding planning. If running off and eloping isn’t an option, here are 12 tips to help get you through to the big day without a lot of stress:

1. Set a Long Engagement
The easiest way to fend off the barrage of questions is to tell everyone you’re planning a long engagement. Anything less than 1 year counts as short in wedding terms, and will set off an immediate frenzy of people trying to convince you that you’d better start making decisions right away!

2. Write a 'Must-Invite' List
Every wedding planning decision is based on the number of guests you will have attending. Figuring out your “must invite” list is the first step. No point wasting time researching venues or getting quotes from providers with imaginary guest numbers.

3. Beware of Money with Strings Attached
Large weddings are expensive. If you have 200 guests, all of a sudden that $3 chair cover rental just cost you $600. But if any family members offer to help pay for the wedding, be very careful about what strings may be attached. When someone else pays, they have an interest in seeing their money's well spent. They may use it as a license to demand things are done the way they want. Think carefully about whether you want to deal with their requests before you accept their offer.

4. Marry in the Off-Season
Aren’t weddings on warm spring days lovely? Of course. That’s why everyone plans weddings for the same time. In peak season, everything is more expensive, and everyone from caterers to receptions halls to photographers are booked far in advance. Go for low season instead. There’s less stress, less competition and cheaper prices.

5. Hold the Ceremony & Reception Indoors
Outdoor weddings are absolutely beautiful – if the weather is perfect. In addition to worrying about the elements, you also need to consider the cost and difficulty of sound systems, tents, portable chairs, and maybe even outdoor toilets. If you plan the entire event indoors, you won’t spend the week leading up to your event stressed out over dire weather predictions.

6. Establish Neutral Ground
Everyone arguing over where, when & how you’re getting married? Stand on neutral ground. Your mom is insisting on red roses, his mom is arguing for white roses. Compromise and say you’ll carry a mixed bouquet of both, or sidestep the problem by announcing that you picked purple lilies and invent a romantic story about why they are meaningful to you.

7. A Surprise Wedding
Bypass all the arguing and the opinionating altogether. Invite everyone to an “engagement” party. When they get there – surprise! – it’s actually your wedding. Friends of mine planned a surprise wedding, and it worked out perfectly.

8. Assign Tasks to Meddlers
Anyone driving you nuts with their opinions? Pick a few tasks that aren’t particularly meaningful to you (Coordinating napkin & chair colours? Comparing 10 different limo services?) and let the meddlers know they could really help by taking charge of those tasks. This will keep them happily distracted, and reduce your workload, too.

9. RSVP via E-mail
E-mail RSVPs are faster and easier. They allow you the opportunity to answer guests' questions, and there’s no risk of an RSVP sitting forgotten in the bottom of a purse. Plus, you'll save money on stamps and envelopes! You can always include a phone number for the few guests who do not have computers.

10. Put Off the Seating Chart
It can take hours of agonizing to figure out who should sit where and with whom. But in the last weeks before the wedding, it’s guaranteed several guests will cancel and a few new ones will get added on, which will make a mess of the seating chart you wrote up months ago. Another seating tip: pair each person or couple up with one other person or couple they’ll get along with. Don’t worry about matching the whole table.

11. Charitable Donations for Bombonieres
Bombonieres are the little ‘thank you’ gifts or party favours for wedding guests. Trying to find something nice and meaningful that’s not expensive is tricky. Avoid the problem and do a good deed: Many charitable organizations will give you attractive thank you cards to put on place settings which tell your guests you’ve made a donation in their name.

12. It's Your Day
And above all, remember: Despite what anyone may say, you don’t have to follow any of the traditional wedding customs.

By Beth Young

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I asked dane a question regarding wedding photography and here is his answer!
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