I get it. Planning a wedding can be stressful AF. I was married back in 2018 and knowing where to start, who to book first and how to structure the day can be a little overwhelming. So that’s what I’ve put together some things you can do in the lead up to your wedding to make things run as smooth as they can be.

Your wedding day will be one of the most important and memorable days of your life, so you want to experience in the best way possible, without the stress of worrying about all the little things that someone else could be handling for you. You want vendors you can trust, and a day that you’ll back on and think ‘far out, that really was the best day ever.’

Below are some things I think will really help take the pressure off and prepare you in the best way possible.

1. Communicate with your vendors, a lot.

This might sound obvious, but the vendors you choose for your wedding will either make or break your day. Chat to them in depth prior to securing anything, get to know them, build a relationship and trust in them. Once that trust has been built, you’ll feel more confident in working with them and you’ll be able to better communicate your needs and desires.

2. Create a timeline with your wedding photographer

Your photographer is the one vendor you spend all day with. So this is the perfect person to talk to about how to structure your day and how to plan things perfectly.  If you work backwards from the time you want the photography coverage to end, that will give you a rough idea of when they should start. If it’s not enough time based on the package you chose, book them for another hour. The other thing you want to consider is what parts of your day you want captured the most. Are you getting ready together and want those moments documented? Is the party portion of your day the most important to you? Maybe you’ve got special family members you want photos with that might take up a bit of time. Discuss this as a couple, then chat to your photographer and work out a game plan from there. 

3. Designate someone as your go-to person

The last thing you want to deal with on your wedding day is problems. If it’s something as small as not knowing where flowers are supposed to go or a technical error at the reception, having someone assigned the role of ‘sorting shit out’ on the day is going to save you a lot of stress and worry on the day. The only thing you should be worried about is getting ready and being there on time! So choose someone reliable, someone who knows everything and someone who can make decisions if needed.

4. Trust the advice from your wedding vendors

Trust me when I say, any advice given to you by your vendors should be taken as words of wisdom. Whether it’s from the florist who’s telling you certain flowers won’t look good together, the photographer suggesting a time for portraits to take place, or your hair stylist giving advice on what hair styles would suit you, trust in them. You’re paying them to make your day the best ever, and you’re also paying them for their talent and experience. TRUST IN THEM.

5. Prepare a list of Family photos you want

Family portraits can be one of the most stressful parts of the day, especially if you’re having a big wedding. Having a list of photo combinations you know you want in advance will eliminate all of that unnecessary stress. Give this list to your go to person and have them round everyone up after the ceremony. This is the best and easiest way to make sure you don’t miss anyone and not waste time.

6. Don’t try to do it all

I’ve seen it before, people trying to cram every trend or idea into a wedding and more often than not, it ends up being a lot more stress than it’s worth. Rather than trying to keep up with what’s trending, take a step back and think about what’s really important to you and what really matters on the day. Maybe having polaroid cameras on every table that need to be constantly refilled isn’t that important to you, or spending hours taking portraits with different props at different locations isn’t actually the best use of your time. It’s different for everyone, so make decisions based on you as a couple.