I’m not one of those brides who almost hold an honorary degree in hot mess while planning their wedding. In contrast, I was just calm about the whole process and we managed to knock out the entire wedding plan to the last detail in just a few months. Being a complete perfectionist is a recipe for insanity, so we didn’t completely go that route but had fun deciding priorities and working them out.
In this post, I’ll be sharing the things I learned while we were planning our wedding as a reference to brides and grooms-to-be and as a way of documenting my reflection. Today marks 1 year 6 months and 18 days since we got started with our DIY wedding planning. I look back on our wedding day with amazing memories. There were a few misses, but these were heavily outweighed by the good and were nothing in comparison to the overall success of our celebration with friends and family.
3 Lessons Learned While Wedding Planning
1. Know what you want and get your plans executed right.
Planning a wedding is not as easy as pie, but it’s doable even if you’re still working full-time in your respective day jobs or businesses, if you have a plan and keep at it. Both Louie and I are wired with an achiever mentality and a desire for efficiency. Even while planning our wedding, this was very apparent.
On our first two months of preparation, we went to at least three bridal fairs to book services at a discount and met with our suppliers during the weekends. All the major details were done and decided for on the third month, so we had the time to slow down and take off our “superman/superwoman” cape in all the days remaining before our wedding day.
The key is to have a solid plan, a checklist of items, thoroughly agree on the specifications of requirements with suppliers, and exchange approval signatures in the contract to secure deals. Giving constant reminders and follow-ups are also important.
2. Get support from family and friends when needed.
Balancing wedding preparations with work and my personal life did not tire us out. This was not only because of our fast head-start and diligence in taking notes down, but also because we had a great support system. Doing it on my own would have been nearly impossible.
I can’t express enough how thankful I was to have my mom step in and help me address the gowns for the entourage and garments for the primary sponsors. She had to go to the stall in 168 where we had the dresses made several times to check up on progress and accommodate the fitting of the entourage. She also managed to do the paperwork (documents needed for marriage) and guided us through the steps and actions we needed to take.
3. Simplify wherever you can.
I love working on details, especially those that demand attention. However, right from the start, I also learned from others not to get lost too much in the details and lose sight of the spirit you want to create. Hence, in every idea, ask if there’s any way it can be made simpler.
Napkins on the reception table, wedding favors and souvenirs, cake decorations, types of flowers, menu cards, and guestbook designs—are some examples of things that won’t be remembered too long after the event. Let these things fall to the wayside and just focus on those that have greater value. What guests will care about for the most part would be the food, ambiance, entertainment, the ways you make them feel welcome and the very spirit of the wedding day. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
In our case, we spent the most time choosing the best wedding vendors who would make all our plans come to life and bring our dream wedding to reality. And they did. 🙂 The second part of this post covers my review and rating of the suppliers we worked with. Click here.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful! If you have any questions, please do let us know in the comments. Have you got any more advice or tips when planning a wedding or choosing or working with wedding vendors? I’d also love to hear from you.
Leave a Reply to Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh Cancel reply