If you want to have a stress-free wedding, listen up! This article tells you everything you need to know including secret tips for less worry ahead of your wedding. Be sure to subscribe for the latest to your inbox!

Do you want to minimize stress on your wedding day? If you’re feeling a bit anxious while planning your wedding, don’t worry. These stress-free wedding ideas are sure to help!

It’s normal to feel nervous before such a momentous occasion. Most couples do!

Those unwarranted worries start creeping up in your mind: did I choose the right venue? Will the food taste good? Will the wedding be fun or boring? Will the dress fit perfectly? Who will set everything up? Did we pick out good wedding favors?

There are a lot of moving parts that come together to create a beautiful day, from the wedding venue to the menu you carefully select. All wedding professionals, especially your wedding day coordinator, work in unison to bring your dream vision to life. And although it can feel overwhelming at times, breathe!

Your wedding day will be a beautiful, memorable occasion because you’re taking the time to pour your heart into the planning.

All weddings have their unique uncertainties — like the weather, such is life — but there are several ways to prevent unnecessary stress and worry. In this article, I’ll reveal how to have a stress-free wedding day by putting fifteen brilliant ideas into action now.

These stress-free wedding tips are important to put into place as soon as you start planning, so let’s begin now!

15. Focus on Your Marriage.

The most important thing you can do is to shift your focus on the marriage itself. The wedding day will be amazing, but the point of it all is to marry your best friend!

When you pour your heart into preparing for marriage, you’ll see that stress melt away.

The day-of details, while worth admiring, are nothing compared to tying the knot with the love of your life!

If, by the end of the wedding day, you’re married to your partner, your wedding is a huge success.

The other things are just icing on top!

I also highly recommend attending pre-wedding counseling. For ours, we attended a weekend retreat with other engaged couples. It was such a memorable experience! It helps to shift the focus on what’s important, which will guide you today and throughout your future together.

14. Don’t Spend Too Much Time Planning.

There is a fine line between thorough planning and procrastination. Over-planning, for the sake of being busy, can be more trouble than it’s worth. Don’t spend day and night fixated on the wedding day. It is possible to over-plan and let it eat up every aspect of your life (yikes!)

Remember:

• You and your partner SHOULD NOT discuss wedding details from daybreak to sunset

• You DON’T NEED TO actively participate in a wedding task at all waking moments

• You and your soon-to-be spouse SHOULD continue to go on dates together, which will be a great habit to continue throughout your marriage

Go out! Cook a new meal together! See a movie. Play a board game. Chat about things NOT wedding-related. You need it. Your partner needs it. You’ll thrive as a result!

13. Don’t Procrastinate.

Now, don’t take the “over-planning is bad” item too literally.

There’s much to be said about waiting around too long to plan and then freaking out as the dates approach quickly. Time goes by so fast, especially when planning your wedding, so start ASAP.

The number one reason why engaged couples get anxious is lack of time.

Certain things get tackled at particular times, like how save the dates go out 6 to 9 months before the wedding, and wedding invitations go out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. You need these things to be in chronological order, and it’s helpful to get a FREE CHECKLIST and plan it out accordingly.

You can plan a wedding in 18 months, 12 months, 9 months, or even 6 months. But you need to be very dedicated in shorter increments of time to get it done without piling the pressure on yourself.

When able, start planning immediately. Get the big tasks out of the way first, like venue, officiant, and caterer, then move on to the next items in your checklist.

When you do things ahead of time, you won’t be so hyper-focused on what could go wrong. Instead, you’ll be on a schedule where everything lines up just right, which helps tremendously.

P.S. Don’t miss out on this super-helpful post on sending out late save the dates.

12. Have a Backup Plan for Weather.

If your wedding is outdoors, you must have a backup plan for inclement weather. If not, you’ll bring on unnecessary worry as you anxiously scroll over weather reports for days on end. Sometimes, it rains. Other times, it’s beautiful and sunny. Sometimes, rain just happens and that’s not to deter you from the beautiful day ahead. So, have a place where the wedding will be held just in case of poor weather and you won’t have to worry about it so much.

11. Make a Wedding Website for Guests.

A wedding website is for guests, but really… it’s for you. ;) It eliminates stress ahead of your wedding, since guests won’t be hounding you with a dozen questions.

They mean well, and it just correlates to their excitement, so don’t let it bother you too much!

But one major thing that brings about unnecessary tension to the couple is endless questions from guests: what time? Where? How do I get there? Where are you registered? Are children invited? Where should we stay? What time is the shuttle?

So many questions can really overwhelm a couple, even though that’s the last thing guests want to do.

To avoid this, get yourself a [FREE!] wedding website.

Many questions will be eliminated simply by answering them on your wedding website. You won’t need to field questions for months on end and, instead, you can direct guests to the wedding website where all their questions are answered.

Be sure to include your wedding website on wedding stationery. If you have questions on this, read: Here’s EXACTLY what to include on your wedding website. We cover all the FAQs.

If you don’t have a wedding website yet, great! There’s no time like the present: you can get a wedding website for free here. It’s quick, easy, and password-protected. Plus, the templates are stylish.

And if you’re not sure how to make yours, and you’d like to have someone help you do it, Minted can set it up for you for a small fee and include all the essentials. You don’t have to do a thing!

10. Do Digital RSVPs.

In this digital era, few things are as helpful to have as the Digital RSVP from wedding guests.

Rather than waiting for RSVP cards to come in the mail, guests can visit your wedding website (or scan your QR code with their smartphone device) and respond “yes” or “no” instantly.

It makes for a very efficient and streamlined process, saving time, money, and paper in the process.

You won’t be running around calling and texting family and friends to see if they can make it or not, and you’ll have a more accurate headcount earlier than necessary.

► Here’s how to do it with a QR code for the easiest and most tech-savvy result ever.

9. Stop Comparing.

You know that famous quote, “Comparison is the thief of joy”? It is attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt and it is extremely fitting for life — and weddings.

In order to have a stress-free wedding, you need not compare yours to anyone else’s.

It’s hard to do especially with Pinterest examples and your friend’s wedding photos all over social media.

But yours will have its unique touches. That’s what makes it so beautiful!

Perhaps your wedding is on a tight budget and you can’t afford all the bells and whistles.

Or maybe you have a large budget, but you’re opting to go in a different direction than most.

Find what makes you happy (and what you can realistically afford) and GO FOR IT!

Everyone gets a chance to plan the wedding of THEIR dreams and that’s what makes weddings so unique! No two are the same, nor should they be.

So, put a halt to worrying and stop comparing; instead, focus your eyes on your plans. Your wedding is going to be amazing.

8. Do Engagement Photos with Your Photographer.

Some couples are very nervous about their wedding day photos since there’s only one shot to get it right. I highly recommend paying for an engagement photo shoot with your wedding photographer to make sure they are a good fit. It is one way to have a stress-free wedding by eliminating the worry of the photos being taken just right.

Many couples regret not spending more money to get quality images, while some wish they didn’t upgrade to packages they didn’t want or need.

Furthermore, some couples don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera and want a little “pre-run” to feel confident before the big day.

There are all kinds of talented photographers ready to take on the job, so it’s important to find the one that’s right for YOU.

The style of photography is going to be the most important thing you choose because you’ll want their vision to reflect yours. The best way to do this is to peruse photographer galleries before you book them and make sure their styles and personalities align with you and your partner. And if you do an engagement shoot ahead of time, you’ll be able to get to know them a bit better, work on posing, and see the results without worrying unnecessarily before the wedding day.

It’s a great idea for all, and I highly recommend doing it.

7. Plan the Wedding YOU Want.

Most of the couples who get anxious ahead of the big day are feeling overwhelmed by many choices and decisions they didn’t get to make themselves.

It is important to be up-front at the beginning and discuss with your partner and family members the type and style of wedding you’re choosing to have and be authentic in your choices. After all, it is your day, no one else’s. If you select the venue, the theme, the colors, the customs, the guest list… well, it will be YOUR wedding.

When you let too many people interfere in your decisions, this is where tension kicks into gear.

When you cover the costs of your wedding, you get to make all of the decisions yourself. On the other hand, when someone else foots the bill, you will need to compromise, and that’s OK, too. Just be clear on your decisions and discuss things you’d like (or dislike) with your family members ahead of time so the wedding day is about you and your partner (and no one else).

6. Create a New Wedding Deadline.

Most couples plan until the wedding date, which is a mistake that often causes unnecessary pressure the week of the big day. If you’re scrambling around to finish last-minute tasks, how can you truly relax?

Instead, do what wedding experts do: create a new wedding day deadline that is 2 weeks to 1 month before the celebration. If your wedding is on May 18, your new “wedding day” is May 4, when everything will be complete. You may need to still call the caterer with a final headcount, but other than that, you can have clear sailing in the weeks or even months ahead of the celebration.

How does this help? It gives you exactly what you need more of, TIME! You’ll likely finish everything and have two weeks to sit back and relax, maybe even get your nails done. Instead of tying ribbons onto favors at midnight two days before the wedding, or scrambling to finish up ceremony programs at the local print store, you’ll have everything all done, in its place, packed and ready to go.

And here’s the kicker: if you’re NOT done on this new deadline, you’ve just given yourself a priceless gift that more couples want. The gift of time! And now you have a little extra time to get those last-minute things done.

5. Take Time to Select Wedding Day Vendors.

It can be tempting to select the cheapest venue to save money or scramble to pick any photographer or hair stylist you can just to cross it off of your list.

Do your due diligence in selecting your wedding day vendors to eliminate any stress leading up to the big occasion.

Read reviews. Look at their website. View photo galleries. Take time to discuss with your partner what vendors are most important to both of you to ensure you get the best you possibly can. On the wedding day, you’ll have less stress when you know you’ve hired wonderful wedding-day pros who are skilled for the task so you can relax and enjoy the day.

4. Schedule a Hair and Makeup Trial.

One of the biggest regrets brides have on their wedding day is “not looking like myself”. This can occur when brides don’t normally wear a lot of makeup or style their hair in a fancy updo, and don’t plan a trial of the look BEFORE the wedding date itself.

It’s 100% worth it to schedule a hair and makeup trial before the big occasion. This is one of the best ways to have a stress-free wedding because you’ll feel comfortable and confident in the way your makeup looks and your hair is styled.

Plus, you’ll be able to discuss different options with the stylist to achieve the look you want. There isn’t a lot of time to make changes once it’s done on your wedding day.

And remember, stylists take pride in their work and want to give you the look and confidence you crave. But you have to be willing to do a trial ahead of time to discuss options with them and give honest but kind feedback. It’s helpful for both parties!

3. Ask Questions at the Rehearsal.

One of the biggest regrets couples have is being nervous on the wedding day for the ceremony itself. Rightfully so: standing up in front of a large crowd of people and being the center of attention can be frightening to some. But it doesn’t have to be!

The ceremony rehearsal, typically scheduled a day or two before the wedding, is an excellent way to avoid those pre-wedding jitters.

But you need to do a few things at the rehearsal to ensure you can have a stress-free wedding day.

Be sure to ask plenty of questions to your wedding rehearsal coordinator if there is anything you’re unclear about, whether it is where to stand, how long to wait to walk down the aisle, where your Maid of Honor should stand, whether the bridal party attendants should sit, where the reserved row will be, who will walk your mom down the aisle, etc.

Many questions will be answered immediately since rehearsal coordinators are pros and likely answer these items from the start.

But if there’s anything that you’re unclear about, the rehearsal is the time to ask! On the wedding day, you’ll want the confidence of knowing these answers and having everyone on the same page. So ask… and then spend as much time as you need to rehearse until the ceremony feels perfect in your mind.

2. Create a Wedding Day Timeline.

If you hire a wedding coordinator or day-of planner, they will take care of the timeline for you.

But if you’re going it on your own, you’ll 100% benefit from making a wedding day timeline.

A day-of timeline is for the event itself. It schedules out when everything should take place, allowing for travel time in between, ideal wait times for things like cocktail hour, toasts, and speeches, and even tells you when the first dance should begin to allow enough space for dinner and dessert.

There are many day-of timelines you can make, but the only one I trust and use myself is BestWeddingTimeline.com. It’s so easy! You can get it for free now for a limited time (normally $39). What a deal!

A day-of timeline is the key to having a stress-free wedding because you’ll know exactly how the day and schedule should flow.

► Get yours here.

1. Hire a Wedding Coordinator.

If you want to have a stress-free wedding, hire someone to handle all the major tasks and eliminate worry on the day itself. If you hire a full-service wedding planner, they’ll handle all the planning and the day of it.

On the other hand, if you’re planning your wedding on your own, you can still have a stress-free wedding by hiring a day-of coordinator.

I offer both services in Michigan and one of the reasons why I do it is because eliminating stress for couples is of utmost importance to me. Imagine… you spend months as a couple planning the perfect wedding day and then it arrives, and worry settles in.

What should our timeline look like? Who will set up the place cards or seating chart? Will vendors arrive on time? What if something runs behind schedule, who will handle it? What if our toasts run over schedule? Does the DJ know about the special dance I have planned? Who takes down all the decor, or moves it from the ceremony to the reception?!

These things (and dozens more) are taken care of by a day-of coordinator so you can enjoy the day from start to finish. Our motto is, “Relax, it’s handled“, and I mean it. If something goes awry, it’s fixed. You won’t even know about it! :)

Wherever you’re tying the knot, whether in Michigan or Hawaii, Ohio or California, Nebraska or Vermont, there is bound to be a terrific wedding-day coordinator who can provide ease and relaxation on your wedding day. People who become wedding planners are passionate about the event and confident in the ability to make the day everything you’ve dreamed it to be (and handle anything that arises). They want to help, they are happy to set up, and they love to be in charge of all the madness so you can live it up!

So, if you’re in doubt about hiring one, I strongly encourage you to go for it. It’ll be the best money you spend on your wedding day (in addition to the wedding photographs, of course, because those are priceless).

► Hire me for wedding day planning (or virtual planning anywhere in the USA!)

In conclusion, it’s easy to avoid wedding day stress if you plan ahead of time.

Don’t over-plan, but don’t procrastinate either. Find that happy middle ground that works best for you and your partner. In addition, don’t worry so much about what anyone thinks and don’t compare your wedding to anyone else’s. Every couple gets to plan their wedding their way and don’t be afraid to embrace it.

When the big day arrives, have some help in the form of a wedding-day coordinator and a stellar day-of timeline in place. Last but not least, don’t worry about it so much. The big day goes by in a flash and the most important part is the marriage. It’s day one of marriage and you have an entire adventure of fun ahead! Savor every minute of it. :)

xo
Emma