Planning a wedding can seem a bit overwhelming and can even become very stressful. There is so much to think about and organize, so it’s completely understandable that it can sometimes be challenging. Of course, you are excited about getting married and spending the day with all of your friends and family, but sometimes thinking about all of the things you have to do can take away the excitement of it all!

Where shall we hold the wedding? How many guests will we be inviting? What should our theme, color schemes and floral arrangements be like for the big day? What is my perfect wedding dress? Which vendor do I hire first? There are SO many questions, it’s no wonder brides can get super stress during the planning phase.

The last thing you want is to feel exhausted or burnt out when your big day comes around. It’s one of the most magical days of your life, so it’s important that you go into it feeling relaxed, happy and at ease. The trick behind this is to make sure you plan everything, take all the necessary steps to avoid burning yourself out, and enlist help from all of your family, friends or hire a professional!

If you have everything planned and you know what you’re doing, the wedding planning process can actually be super enjoyable. So, to ensure that you manage everything in the best way possible, here are my top 5 tips for the easiest wedding planning!

Tip 1: Start Your Planning as Early as Possible

The best tip I can give you to stay on top of things and minimize the amount of stress involved in planning your wedding is to get started with your planning as early as possible. Even if you’re not looking to get married for a while, the more you can plan ahead the easier the whole process will be.

Consider this when setting your wedding date - are you giving yourself enough time to prepare and get everything sorted in the way that you want? You don’t want to cut your time short and end up running around at last minute trying to get everything sorted.

If you are only having a small wedding or an elopement, there is less to think about, so you can plan things a bit later. But, if you want the full works for your big day, there is a lot to think about. Getting organized with your planning and getting ahead will be a game changer.

Tip 2: Create a List and a Timeline

When it comes to organizing your wedding, there is a huge amount of different tasks involved. So, it’s really beneficial to be organized and know exactly what you’re doing, when and how!

A great place to start with this is to make a big list of everything that needs to be done throughout the whole process. Remember things like booking your venue, getting the outfits sorted, creating a guest list, sending invitations, contacting caterers, booking entertainment and organizing transport. Once you have your main list drawn up, look through it and add the details.

By setting yourself deadlines for each task you will feel a lot more in control of the big picture and find it a lot easier to stay on track with everything that needs to be done before your wedding day.

Check out my ultimate wedding planning timeline for some top tips on planning your special day!

Tip 3: Set a Budget and Stay on Track

Setting your budget should be one of the first things that you do before any wedding planning starts to happen. The budget will be a deciding factor in the majority of your choices, specifically the number of guests you can invite and therefore your wedding venue.

Work out what total budget amount you as a couple have to provide and include any financial contributions from family members or friends. Without knowing the amount you have to spend, it is easy to end up going over budget without realizing it.

Once you have set your budget, breakdown the costs for each vendor or category. Everyone will have different priorities for their wedding day, and it might be that you want to spend more on your wedding dress than you do on entertainment for the day. Allocate a specific amount for each category and be sure to stay on track of this as you start your research and booking.

Tip 4: Delegate Tasks to the Groom, and Your Friends and Family

You don’t have to do it all on your own! Not only will your partner, friends and family be prepared to help out, but they will likely also want to be a part of your wedding planning as it is such a special event in your life!

To ease the burden on yourself, you can allocate your closest friends and family members specific tasks along the way.

By getting help from the people around you, you will feel a weight lifted off the number of things that you have to do. You might also find that other people have ideas and suggestions in the planning that you might not have thought of before. If everything fails, don’t hesitate to ask for a help from wedding planners or professionals especially if giving tasks to your loved ones is not something you would like to do.

Tip 5: Relax and Look After Yourself

The most important tip I can give you - look after yourself! Take time out during your planning, it will help you to recharge, meaning that you will be far better positioned to continue planning your wedding efficiently moving forward. If you become over-obsessed with the wedding plans and don’t take any time out, it could burn you out by the time the wedding comes.

Don’t get too stressed or upset if problems arise, because even with all your wedding planning things can happen on ways you don’t expect - and that's okay! As long as you don’t forget the main reason of this special day, things will fall into place.

The journey to saying I do can be as fun and magical as it sounds! As long as you stay organized and make sure not to put too much pressure on yourself, I promise the wedding planning process can actually be easy and stress free.

For more advice and top tips on wedding planning and wedding decor, make sure you follow The Patterned Desk on our social media platforms!