While getting married is exciting, planning the wedding can be stressful. You have so many details that you need to get right, such as choosing the venue, shopping for affordable engagement rings and choosing a caterer, and it can all be overwhelming. It is essential to find some ways to make the whole process enjoyable. Here are 10 tips for making wedding planning fun.
1. Turn Planning Into Date Nights
One way to remove the stress from the wedding process is for you to pick a favorite spot to discuss the details. This can be a coffee shop, favorite restaurant, lounge or rooftop bar. Bring along some wedding planning books and Pinterest boards to get some ideas and a tablet to write things down. After you hashed out some plans, you can reward yourself with something fun, such as by participating in a fun activity together or having a treat.
2. Share the Load by Playing to Each Other’s Strengths
Instead of getting into arguments with one another, you can share the load and play to one another’s strengths. The more detailed one in the relationship can oversee the budget and timelines. Being in charge of the music playlists, DIY baking and other creative tasks, such as decorating, can fall to the one who is more artsy. This helps both partners feel involved with the process without feeling overwhelmed or stepped over.
3. Make Food and Cake Tastings a Mini Adventure
Now, selecting a caterer and a bakery can be extremely stressful because there are so many options from which you can choose. In some cases, it can feel like it is so much to handle, so you may feel like throwing up your hands or screaming into the void. The good news is that you can make it like an adventure.
Jot down 10 caterers and 10 bakeries and then make a date day of it and try some samples. You can even add some food trucks to the mix. Appeal to the guys with gourmet sliders, barbecue and craft beer pairings.
4. Create a Wedding Playlist Together
A playlist is critical for all functions, like the wedding itself, the cocktail hour and the reception, and it is an activity that you both can do together. Each of you can contribute an equal number of songs. This way, neither of you will feel as though the other just took over and controlled the task.
If you both are not sure what to include, you can choose tracks from each of your lives that carry special significance. To make the activity fun, play DJ at home and have some snacks and drinks.
5. Get Hands-On With DIY Projects
Weddings can be expensive as there is so much to purchase and pay for. After you pay the caterer and the baker, you may already be looking at a couple of thousand dollars. Add the tuxedo and the dress, and you will spend even more. The venue selection also adds to the expense. The same is true for conflict-free men’s wedding bands and the rings for the women.
To save some money and strengthen your bond even more, you can work on DIY projects together. Create centerpiece holders, signs or even a photo booth backdrop.
6. Plan a Fun “Research” Field Trip
In addition to shopping for affordable engagement rings and all the other necessities, choosing a venue and vendors also adds to the stress. Even the very thought can make you feel stressed and anxious. But it does not have to be this way.
If you have absolutely no idea which vendors or venues you will choose, attend a variety of food festivals and wine tastings to get some ideas. Bridal shows, brewery tours, open houses at venues and live band showcases can also be helpful. Take lots of photos and videos so that you can remember your options later.
7. Personalize the Wedding With Shared Interests
Personalizing the wedding can also make the planning process fun. Incorporate hobbies into the wedding theme, such as hiking, gaming, traveling, sports or art. If each of you have different hobbies, that is fine, as you can think up some creative ways to tie everything together. To take things a step further, you can make up a signature drink named after something you both love and craft décor or favors that reflect your story.
8. Make the Bachelor/Bachelorette Planning a Team Effort
Each couple handles this step in their journey differently. Some choose to have separate events while others want to host one.
If you choose to have separate events, you can still discuss and incorporate activities you both enjoy to make the planning special. For men, golf day, brewery tours or sports games are excellent options to explore. A day at the spa, cooking class, a trip to an escape room or wine country trip are great for the women.
9. Keep Stress Low With a “No Wedding Talk” Rule
Even though there is a lot of planning surrounding the big day, you can still keep stress down by dedicating certain days or evenings when there will be no talk about wedding planning. This will allow you both enough time to charge so that you do not experience burnout, and the conversations will be exciting when you do have them.
10. Celebrate Small Milestones
Every time you complete a task in the planning process, you can celebrate this milestone. Order dinner in or go out on a date night. If your budget is tight, you can find activities to do that are cheap or do not cost a significant amount of money. This way, you can keep up your motivation, and you can turn planning into a series of wins.
Build Memories Before the Big Day
Wedding planning is part of the love story, and it is a chance for you to build wonderful memories before the big day. So, whether you are looking for affordable engagement rings that are high-quality and hand-crafted, looking at men’s wedding bands or selecting your venue, you have opportunities to make it fun together.