Earlier this year I got married and if I know now what I knew then things would have been so much easier. We all, or most of us, suspected or outright knew that getting married was not going to be a picnic. The fairy tale begins and ends in the world of fiction, with the exception of the actual wedding day—but with all the work that goes into planning that one day, surprisingly most people don't even get to enjoy it.
TIP #1: Get everything done, fast. Make a list, check it twice, divide up everything from taking care of the florist to the rehearsal dinner between responsible parties and set deadlines well in advance of the wedding date. There are few things worse than finding out at the last minute that no one thought it was their job to hire the limo.
TIP #2: Get everything else done, faster. Some essentials can be taken care of online, usually faster, better and cheaper. Buy your wedding favors, bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts well in advance. Depending on the size of your wedding party and reception you should be able to take care of all the bridal party and guest gifts for between $300 to $500 in most cases and get some really nice stuff. That's less than most florists charge for just a couple of arrangements.
TIP #3: Make sure you're ready. If you've gotten everything else done in advance, you finally have a chance to sit down, take a breather and think about just exactly what you've gotten yourself into! For some people this is part of the excitement, for others it's called pre-wedding jitters. Don't worry about it. If you have nothing else to think about, you'll get it out of your system well before the day-of so you can actually enjoy the ceremony. Either that, or you can cancel everything before you lose too many deposits (always think positive!).
TIP #4: Don't fight. Something is going to upset someone. It's guaranteed, written somewhere in stone probably. The thing to do is be a solver. Keep a cool head and find the solution to whatever problems arise. If someone else (a parent, perhaps) is upset and no solution is in sight, remind them of all the reasons they should be excited and point out that nothing is ever perfect. That doesn't mean it can't still be amazing.
TIP #5: This is absolutely the most important thing to remember. If you ignore everything else you've read, remember this: Eat before the reception. If you're having a cocktail hour, have the reception hall staff bring you some food before your guests arrive. Once the guests are there you won't have a moment to yourself and no one will care how many times they interrupt you with clanging glasses or conversation because they're just so thrilled for you.
In fact, if you can make your rounds to greet everyone personally during the cocktail hour, you will have at least a little bit of peace during the main reception and I highly recommend doing exactly that. Other, more difficult but worthwhile lifesavers to give you a little more time to enjoy your reception are putting the favors on the tables before the guests arrive in the dining room and have a "birdcage" or monetary gift box to receive envelopes so you don't have to work through a line of people for an hour after dessert.
Nothing, and I mean nothing you can do will result in your wedding going off without a hitch (no pun intended!) but a little perserverance and an anti-procrastination mindset will get you close. That's all I have to say for the moment so good luck and may your wedding be fabulous!
