Okay, so you're getting closer and closer to your wedding date and the panic starts to set in... what can you do so you can get everything sorted in time?!
I recently got married, and I found the week before the wedding felt the most stressful (especially as that's when people either drop out due to illness, work etc) and you need to think fast and inform all of your suppliers of the plans for the day!
I know it sounds crazy, but 3 months before the wedding I had packed and organised all of the bridesmaids and party gifts, and spent my evenings packing favours and getting all the little things I could easily forget done, such as frames for signs! I found lists were super helpful, I went through the wedding day by the hour... what did I need and what can I achieve easily now. This massively helped my anxiety and stress! I avoided the dreaded 'bridezilla' moment everyone seems to mention online.
Here are some top tips I found really helped me to organise and stop the panic setting in!
If your wedding dress has buttons, buy a small crochet hook - absolute time saver and no fiddly buttons to sort out!
Sketch out your wedding breakfast and what you would like for the tables - confetti, fairy lights, vases, flowers those sort of things. If you need to buy anything - buy it NOW! Avoid the last minute stress when you could easily forget those things.
If you're doing DIY centrepieces - take a photo of the set up! Otherwise your venue may not be able to replicate it - leave as many notes on how to assemble items as you can!
Spreadsheets - you will have a love/hate relationship with these! List all of your suppliers with their contact details, amount spent, and when the payment is due so you have the information all in one place! I was so fearful I would forget to pay certain suppliers by their invoice dates; and writing all of this down instead of hunting down billions of emails really helped ease that stress. It also helps on your wedding day, you can print off the list and give to your ushers or bridesmaids so if there is a hiccup they can easily call the suppliers and they know exactly who they need to speak to and what you purchased from them!
Speaking of emails... set up a wedding email!! So easy to do, and keeps all your wedding details in one place - DREAM!
Touch base with your suppliers at least 6 weeks before the wedding. Check everything is still ok on their side - really helps with the anxiety especially like me if you booked them over 2 years ago! You want to check they still remember you!
Keep folders of everything you need - print off emails, organise them into folders so you can easily grab and go when meeting suppliers! I found it helpful as I had a church ceremony to have a folder for that and a separate one for my venue with suppliers.
Use a shared calendar with your other half! I know some people may already do this, but it was a god send for me and my husband to have a shared apple calendar so if we had to book meetings last minute, we could organise our time effectively.
Delegate tasks!! This is so important! Do not feel like you need to do all of this by yourself or just you and your partner. If you have a bridal party, ask them for assistance - you could ask them to find some children's favours on your behalf, or create a fun quiz for kids at the wedding breakfast to prevent boredom! I also gave my husband tasks to focus on, I asked him to deal with the venue, church and ushers, and I focussed on all suppliers and finer details. This really really helped!
Finally, bring your wedding stationery with you on your wedding morning! When your photographer is waiting to get some smashing photos of you in your outfits, they may like to snap up your wedding invite alongside your wedding perfume. A nice touch!
If you would like some amazing bespoke wedding stationery for your wedding day, get in touch today!