How to Plan a Wedding and Don’t Go Crazy?  That’s a million $ question that I’m sure all brides-to-be want the answer to. Quite frankly, I would be a hypocrite if I said I knew how to do it all. Why? Because it wasn’t even 3 months into our wedding planning that I did, in fact, lost myself for a moment.

Why am I here to tell you this? Because you’re most likely going through the same thing. It’s true what they say about planning your own wedding: It’s stressful and it’s overwhelming, and you shouldn’t jump right into it. Enjoy a long engagement instead.

Well in our case, life happened and had other big plans for us. We didn’t really have a privilege to wait with planning. Therefore, we found a venue and set a date about two months after getting engaged…

photos by Guadaluxe Photography

What I’m really here for is to tell you that no matter how many times you fight over making decisions or cry about how much everything costs, it’s all worth it in the end.

We are currently less than 8 months out, and we have all of the big things taken care of. Our save-the-dates went out last week, our venue is booked and appears to be everything we wanted (more on that next month), DJ, video + a photographer is locked in, and I JUST FOUND A DRESS! *** Post about affordable wedding dresses is coming to the blog very soon.

So now the big question:

What’s my best wedding planning advice?

The answer is: HAVE A CLEAR BUDGET + STICK TO A TIMELINE. One of my favorite pieces of advice I was ever given by a friend when I was going through a rough time was: TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME. I swear, it makes all the difference and it applies to all aspects of life.

Focusing only on a couple specific wedding things a month will ensure you’re not stressing about everything all at once. Having a budget in place will make sure you know where you are at and how flexible you can be with your spendings. For example, my dream was to find a dress and not spend over a $1000 on it. I didn’t quite reach my goal so I made sure to compensate for it in other parts of our budget (aka spend less money on flowers). Makes sense?

Now, I know my advice may seem basic and that’s what every other wedding planner will tell you as well, but that’s because it’s true! I admit to being so stubborn in the beginning and wanting to do everything my own way just to prove others that I can… But why make your life harder when you don’t have to? I wasted a good few months on nerves, tears and sweat. Sure, I learned from my mistakes but I don’t want you to do the same – so listen carefully!

If you’re just starting to plan a wedding and you don’t have a budget yet – DO IT NOW. I understand sometimes it’s not easy to have a clear idea of how much you can afford or whether you will have any help from your families. Unfortunately, that’s some tough conversations that we all have to start. It’s uncomfortable and it’s scary but at least it will give you all the answers you need to move forward.

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I could go on and on talking about wedding planning, but I think this is a good place to end. Should I do a Q&A soon answering more detailed questions regarding planning a wedding on your own? If you’re interested, please leave comments below! I’m here to help. 🙂

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