Planning your wedding can be stressful, don’t feel alone. There are many couples who succumb to the stresses of wedding planning.

The best advice is to make a plan and make it as early as possible.

It’s a good idea to follow wedding etiquette but not to a point where it will make you crazy or cause you to go broke. There are plenty of books and articles on wedding etiquette but their suggestions are not written in stone.

If it is the number of things that have to be done that wears on you, find friends and family who will be willing to help and assign them projects to complete. Don’t feel that you have to pay them in any way for this service. If you can afford it though, a small gift may be appropriate but it is definitely not required.

Your plan should include all of the major things that have to be taken care of like where to hold the ceremony, where to hold the reception, how many guests and things of this sort.

Taking care of just these three items will put you into a position to think about what else has to be done.

Oh, in your wedding planning, don’t forget about the wedding officiant early on. This is especially important if the wedding ceremony isn’t being held at a church that has a minister to officiate the ceremony.

Many officiants fill their schedules way in advance and it is sometimes hard to find someone who meets your expectations is you wait until the last minute.

If it is the costs that you have you frazzled, set a budget and stick to it. Keep in mind that anything that is preceded by the word wedding (wedding planning, wedding flowers, wedding favors) is marked up 100% to 300%.

This is not to say that there are not vendors in the wedding industry that will give you a good product for a good price, there are plenty of them. It does take some work to make sure you are getting what you expect. You need to check them out and get references.

There are some items that can be bought for your wedding without having the wedding label.

Find ways to save by doing some out of the ordinary things.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Buy a cake from a local food store, add wedding decorations yourself
2. Shop online for flowers, dresses, accessories etc.
3. Do you know a seamstress? Buy a dress that needs some work at a reduced price
4. Limit the number of band members or get a DJ instead
5. Cut your own music cds and have a friend man the act as DJ
6. Have a friend who is a good photographer? videographer?
7. Use your own caterer not the facilities’ (many hire outside caterers anyway)
8. Small wedding, have family and friends provide the food and beverages
9. Buy your own alcoholic beverages with an agreement to get a refund for unopened bottles

One word of caution, always check out those you are going to buy from or hire to perform a service. Do or have someone do a little research for you to make sure you are getting what you are paying for.

Don’t let the wedding planning get you down. Remember it is your wedding and you are the one making the decisions. You are in charge. Get what you want. You can do it. You can have the dream wedding that you’ve always wanted without being overwhelmed.

Don’t stress, have fun with the whole experience.

Jim Ecklund
http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/overwhelmed-by-wedding-planning-107724.html

12 Responses to “Overwhelmed by Wedding Planning?”

1. janel0pe says:

   January 23, 2011 at 11:44 am

   im overwhelmed with wedding planning?
   does anyone know a GREAT free online wedding planning guide?
   maybe somehting i can print out and fill out as i go so i have a hard copy?
2. Jane G says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:46 pm

   try theknot.com that is the most popular wedding site i know of that you can use. you register, but it’s free to register.
   References :
3. Evil Autumn says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:48 pm

   I am right there with you! I was in that place just a few weeks ago. I would start with weddingwire.com and consider buying a wedding organizer it will help you feel better and keep you on top of things!

   Get a wedding organizer http://www.target.com/Target-Club-Wedd-W…

   http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Organizer-Checklists-calendars-worksheets/dp/1558508287/ref=sip_rech_dp_6

   http://theknot.com has a nice wedding checklist

   http://weddingwire.com also has a nice wedding checklist/planner (IMO better than theknot & nice for budgeting.)
   References :
4. Old Kid says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:50 pm

   My fiancee and I use this to double check for missed things…

   http://www.frugalbride.com/weddingplanningchecklist.html
   References :
5. Brandy P says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:52 pm

   some grocery stores (kroger, dillons,etc.) have this stuff in their foyer where they have like free home catalogs. that’s what i used and crossed out what i didn’t need. congrats and good luck!
   References :
6. Katie says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:54 pm

   The checklist on weddingwire.com is thorough and fantastic. I was just on the site checking things off 5 minutes ago! It has a lot of things to do that you probably haven’t thought of! (including things to be done AFTER the wedding!)

   By the way, take things week by week and month by month. If you look at all you have to do between now and the big day you’ll GO NUTS, but take it as it comes and you’ll see it’s not as hard as it seems.

   Best of luck!
   References :
7. B2B:3/09 says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:56 pm

   I LOVE brides.com
   It has helped me so much and has made everything so much easier. They have a ton of ideas and pictures so anything you are looking for, they have it. Good luck and congratulations!
   References :
8. phatchick182004 says:

   January 23, 2011 at 5:58 pm

   I’ve been using weddingchannel.com and that site is awesome! It’s helped me so much, check it out.
   References :
9. Miss Chas - BTB 06/13/09 says:

   January 23, 2011 at 6:00 pm

   theknot.com is GREAT! I absolutely love it
   References :
10. resourcefulmom says:

    January 23, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    Hi. Congratulations on your wedding.

    Following is a web site that has several good wedding planning lists – for flowers, photos, registry, favors, invitations, themes, and more …

    http://www.myplanninglists.com/category.php?id=16

    Good luck!
    References :
    http://www.myplanninglists.com
11. answerschick says:

    January 23, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    Hey! I’m going through the same thing at the moment and have looked on more websites that you can imagine too.

    If budget is an issue for you as it was for me, it’s a good thing to check out Do it Yourself options.

    You don’t have to do it ALL yourself but you can get plenty of ideas of where to cut some corners.

    A great site is below so you can get some ideas. You can read through free info on it and there is also an excellent DIY Wedding Guide there too..

    Good luck!
    
    References :
    http://www.doityourselfweddingtips.com
12. Jessica says:

    January 23, 2011 at 6:06 pm

    I am not sure how much time you have until your wedding, but I have bought this book for every bride I know. It’s not free but you can go online and buy it cheap. It’s called "The Brdie’s Year Ahead"

    It is all about giving you guidence on when to plan certain thigns so you are not stresses and waiting till the last minute to do things.

    ISBN: 9 781569 065471

    Goodluck!
    References :