The planning part of a wedding starts from the moment the proposal gets a “yes”. As much as it is a fun day, a sentimental occasion, and a highly anticipated day, successfully pulling off a wedding is like a full-force military operation.
Therefore, your first call to action is to make a comprehensive list, and then delegate tasks. You know who is going to play what role in your wedding party; you know whom you can generally count on, and whom you can’t for that matter.
Play to people’s strengths; don’t ask people to do things you know they won’t enjoy doing (except making a speech of course — they’ll have to get a grip and power through those few minutes for you), and, if you don’t know, ask. People will tell you what they like and are willing to do, and usually what they like doing they take great pride in and do well.
Adversely, know people’s weaknesses and don’t give them tasks that you know they can’t handle. If your best friend is creative but not great with money, have her create the wedding favours but go with her to buy the materials. If your soon-to-be brother-in-law thinks he’s a DJ but has never actually performed anywhere, hire a professional DJ but ask him to make you a wedding playlist to play on the wedding morning.
Whatever you do, don’t isolate yourself from others. Weddings are in no way a one man/one woman operation, and there are no medals given for people who stress themselves out by trying to do everything all by themselves. If you decide to use the services of a wedding planner, make sure they have a written brief and are crystal clear about what you want, and what your budget is.
If you’re not using a wedding planner, make sure you’ve thought of everything and have planned it right down to the smallest detail (do you have large umbrellas ready in case it rains?). Half of the things you plan for may not happen, but it’s nice to have a little insurance policy in place just in case!
Quick Tips:
- Invest plenty of time on the initial planning stages and communicate your thoughts and wishes clearly.
- When delegating, write notes of your conversations and always confirm discussions in writing.
- Let others feel part of the planning for this special day; everyone from children to grandparents can have a part to play. This is certainly one occasion where you need to learn the art of delegation.
- Be aware that everything usually takes longer than you planned!
Guest post by Carole Spiers, Love and Relationship Expert
Image from Flickr by U.S. Army (CC BY 2.0 license)