Wedding Planning Advice from the Pros (Part 6/6: Taking care of yourself)

Are you looking for some wedding planning advice? We are not surprised! Whether you decide to hire a wedding planner or not, planning your perfect wedding can be time-consuming, stressful, and hard work. But with the right tips, advice, and strategy, it can be much easier and less stressful.

That’s why we’ve searched to find out from recent newlyweds what they wish they would have done differently, and from the wedding planners themselves what expert wedding planning advice and tips they have. We’ve collected all those tips and advice here in this handy six-part guide, organized into categories for easy perusal. If you missed Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 be sure to check those out!

In our final installment of this guide, here is some important wedding planning advice from the pros about taking care of YOU throughout the planning process.

1. Look your best, but don’t obsess about it
2. Keep it classy
3. Wedding planning advice for practicing self-care
4. Accept help
5. Don’t say “yes to the dress” by yourself
6. Wedding planning advice to be realistic with your time
7. Remember what’s important
8. Wedding planning advice to take some time off together

1. Look your best, but don’t obsess about it

It’s no secret that everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day and in their wedding photos. The best way to ensure that is to adopt a healthy eating plan and workout schedule early on so that you look and feel your best. However, don’t go overboard by going on an extreme diet or stressing yourself out by taking your workouts too far. Remember that your partner wants to marry you just the way you are. Some practical wedding planning advice is to adopt a healthy plan overall, but don’t obsess or stress over it. 

2. Keep it classy

When it comes to wedding planning advice for your appearance, keep it classy. It would be easy to fall for some common beauty mistakes or lean too far into a current but passing beauty trend in an effort to look your best. But don’t! Some common things people tend to overdo are too much fake tan, way too much foundation, or going overboard with the eyebrows. While your makeup might naturally be a little heavier than your everyday look for the benefit of pictures, you should still look like yourself. Keep your look classy and timeless so those photos will stand the test of time.

3. Wedding planning advice for practicing self-care

Planning your wedding is almost like having a second job, and it’s a job you will have for the entirety of your engagement whether that be several months or over a year. Either way, that’s a long time to have the stress of a wedding hanging over your life. So in this period of time, it’s extra important to make sure you are taking some time for self-care. Carve out some time where anything wedding-related is off-limits to keep you from feeling overwhelmed or that planning has taken over your life. You should still be able to enjoy this time of being engaged and getting ready for that next step in your relationship. Take time to relax, get the rest you need, and keep a healthy perspective that, though important, the wedding is only one day after all.

4. Accept help

While it might be tempting to take an “if you want something done right, do it yourself” approach to your wedding planning, that’s a surefire way to fast-track yourself to overwhelm and stress. One of the most critical pieces of wedding planning advice from the pros is to be willing to accept help. If people offer to help you with anything, believe them and accept their help. It’s your big day, and your family and friends who care about you will genuinely want to be an active part of the planning process. 

Not only is it practical to involve others, but it makes everything feel more personal and supported. And by getting help from people you trust, you might find you can be more honest about your expectations and whether things are turning out the way you want. 

This is also a great way to spend time with your partner. Even if your partner hasn’t been planning their wedding since they were ten years old, this is their wedding, too. Make sure they are an active part of the planning process so they know their ideas and opinions are important, too. Give them jobs to do and plans to make for things about the wedding that interest them most.

5. Don’t say “yes to the dress” by yourself

One especially important time not to try to make it on your own is during the wedding dress shopping process. Sure it might seem like you are streamlining things by going at it alone. But all the wedding planning advice experts will tell you that is a bad idea. For one thing, after a while, all the dresses will start to look the same, and you’ll have a hard time remembering which styles and shades you really preferred and looked best in. This is the most important time for you to have at least one extra set of eyes from someone you trust and who you know will be honest with their opinion. It will be nearly impossible for you to find the perfect wedding dress without them.  

6. Wedding planning advice to be realistic with your time

Another important bit of wedding planning advice is to make sure you are being realistic with your time and what you can actually get done. If you’re up to a month before your wedding and you still have a to-do list that seems like it’s miles long, it’s time to start being practical. A necessary tip at this point is to look at your list and immediately cut out at least three things. The things you cut can’t be critical things, but there’s bound to be several things on that list that are a bit over-the-top and not crucial to the operation of the event. Once you cut them off of the list, resolve not to think about them again and move on.  

7. Remember what’s important

While there are obviously some practical things that you need to focus on when planning a wedding, some of the most essential wedding planning advice is to keep in mind that the marriage is your priority. Wedding planning can be stressful, and in the rush of planning, it can be easy to get too caught up in all the details and lose sight of the big picture. And that big picture is taking the biggest step in your relationship and marry the person you love the most. So enjoy the experience because as important as the wedding day is, nothing is as important as the marriage that will follow.

8. Wedding planning advice to take some time off together

Our last piece of wedding planning advice is to make sure you take time off from wedding planning to be together with your partner and enjoy your engagement. For the sake of your sanities and your relationship, make sure you schedule some time to put the planning aside and just enjoy each other’s company and get excited about your new life together. Take a weekend getaway or a romantic night-in here and there to take a break and recharge and refresh yourselves together. You’ll definitely need it and be glad you did.

Still haven’t found a venue? Give us a call to plan a tour and find out why Jennings Trace could be the perfect wedding venue you’ve been looking for.

Love this content and want more? Check out our blog for more wedding planning tips!