Hey everyone!

The weekend is almost here (hooray for that)! Today’s post is just going to be some quick musings on a common issue when it comes to weddings: stress.

I know there is so much to do. It seems so simple right? Book venue, flowers, DJ, find a gown, get hitched. But then there are the smaller things that creep up. When should the limo be at my house? When should hair and makeup arrive? Is two artists enough for seven bridesmaids? And don’t even get me started on the what-ifs. What if it rains? What if I get a giant zit on my face the morning of? What if xyz goes wrong? What if my dress gets ruined somehow?

Well people, something will most likely go wrong on your wedding day. So you might as well just put your hands up in the air sometimes saying ayooooo gotta let go. Who knew that the lyrics of Taio Cruz would be such a source of inspiration?

I almost feel like brides get some weird satisfaction about being stressed. Someone will ask how the wedding planning is going and the bride is all, “OH I AM SO STRESSED OUT OF MY MIND OH MY GOSH.” Like are you really or do you feel like you should be? Now granted, I totally understand that you can truly be stressed because it’s a big life transition, you may have family drama, and maybe everything actually is going wrong. And while hiring a planner can help with a ton of stress, not everyone can afford one or would rather allocate that portion of the budget to another area.

To avoid excess stress, here are a few quick tips.

1. Don’t wait until the last minute for anything. You do not have as much time as you think! (In my experience brides wait wayyy too long to order their gowns.)

2. Research! Look at reviews for the pros you are considering hiring/look at different wedding blogs to see if their work is featured. Also, make sure you read and understand your contracts.

3. Don’t ask everyone’s opinion/give details on everything. If you ask for an opinion, you will get one. If you blab about your whole wedding, someone will give their opinion even if you didn’t ask for one. If you’re not a strong personality and you let people get to you, don’t do either of the things mentioned above.

4. Don’t cut corners on certain things. While you can definitely forgo, skip, or save money on certain things, now is not the time to attempt any crazy DIY craft that you have never done before or have your friend’s neighbor make your wedding cake when you have never seen or tasted her cakes.

5. But also don’t put yourself into debt. Your wedding will still be awesome without the dancing robot people. I promise.

6. Your guests won’t notice certain things, or they may notice but they don’t care. Honestly at the end of the day, most people care about the music and the food. Is your train dirty because you took photos in a field? Whatever! You’ll enjoy the photos forever. Once the reception rolls around, it’s party time. No one cares that you changed your hairstyle or if your curls are falling out.

7. Stop trying to make everyone happy. While your wedding should be enjoyable for your guests and you need to keep them in mind, you don’t need to please everyone. Does your aunt think you’re nuts because you don’t want to wear a veil? Well sorry Aunt Susan but your day came and went already, and I’m not giving you permission to live vicariously through me, but you can try that again when Sally Mae gets married. She has less of a backbone. (Obviously phrase this in a nicer way and leave Sally Mae out of it. She wasn’t asking for any trouble.)

8. Total cliché, but the most important part is that you’re marrying the love of your life. No explanation needed here!

Have any advice for how to avoid wedding planning stress? Comment below!