There are many wonderful aspects to planning a wedding. From purchasing attire and booking vendors and venues, to choosing décor, there often is a progression that most brides follow during this joyful, exciting time. However, adding so much planning and activity to daily life may be emotionally and mentally challenging and physically tiring. Every now and then, it is a good idea to take a step back to see where you are and what still needs to be finished. Here are 5 steps to help you determine your wedding progress.
1. Set or review your wedding planning goals. You might also include some personal goals, too! Both short-term and long-term goals will help keep you on track. Make them specific: “By the last day of this (month), I will have booked my caterer, photographer, and cake artist.” “I will lose 10 pounds by the 15th of (month).” “I will turn (specific) details over to my coordinator by (month, day), giving me 2 months to fully enjoy before our wedding.” “In two years, we will have $10,000 saved towards a down payment on our first house.”
2. Assess where you are in your planning. Are you ahead of the schedule you’ve created? If so, you might reward yourself with a “day off”, do something fun, and do no wedding planning. Are you right on schedule? If so, you’ve found the right pace for you. Good job! Keep going! Do you find yourself behind? There might be a good reason for it. Life happens and throws us curve balls. If so, dust yourself off, review what is left to do, create a new list, and forge ahead. You can do it! Just starting? The first step is to get organized. Familiarize yourself with the various tasks in planning your wedding. You might enjoy The Best Way to Start Your Wedding Planning and 5 Things to Consider as You Plan Your Wedding.
3. Break each goal down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Again, be specific: “I will call our officiant on Tuesday at 10 am.” We will meet with our caterer for a tasting and to choose our menu next Thursday, (day, month) at 6:30 pm.” “We will open a joint savings account specifically for a down payment on our home two months following our wedding, and will put a minimum of $454.55 in it each month for the next 22 months. To do so, we will put aside $15.15 per day or $113.64 each week to put into our house account.” “Exercise, (walking, dancing, or swimming) 5 days each week and portion control daily will be done to ensure losing an average of 2 1/3 pounds each week.”
4. Determine if you need help to achieve your goals. Do you need a walking buddy? Is there a class you can take? Do you need to hire help or find someone to give you advice? Can you talk with others for referrals?
5. Decide what you need to do yourself and what you can delegate. While you and your groom need to make certain decisions to make sure your wedding day is personalized and always yours, there often are people who can assist with some tasks. Who can pick up an item from the store? Who can help craft your programs, fans, favors? Who would enjoy addressing your invitations? Be willing to enlist others to help in their areas of strength. This will relieve some of the pressure and free you for the important decisions and tasks.
With these five tips in mind, you can review your planning or create a schedule to help keep all your wedding tasks on track. The key is to create reasonable goals that have a step-by-step, specific process in place to achieve them.
Happy Planning!
Cheryl and Kate