From colour schemes to seating plans, there’s no denying that a LOT of work goes into planning a wedding.
While it’s easy to let yourself get swallowed up in all those colour swatches and menu samples, planning your big day doesn’t have to take over your whole life.
We decided to chat with Kat Williams, the creator and author of AWESOME alternative wedding site Rock N Roll Bride, for her top tips on wedding planning.
And yeah, you guessed it; her advice is refreshing, down-to-earth, and basically a godsend for frazzled brides.
She explained: “The most important thing to remember is that this is just one day. Your wedding will not define the rest of your life. It should be a nice starting off point for your marriage.
“But I know how it feels, and once the happy glow of getting engaged starts to wear off, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of hyperventilating over guest lists, seating arrangements and finding that one perfect dress.”
With that in mind, here are her top 6 tips for planning a cool and stress-free wedding:
1) Break it down
Try not to think about everything you have to do right away, instead break your tasks up into manageable chunks and tackle them one at a time.
The wedding industry is notorious for scaring you about time frames and budgets. But often they’re more worried about their own bottom line than actually helping brides and grooms navigate the muddy waters of planning ‘the biggest day of their lives’ (cynical but true).
On Rock n Roll Bride I’ve featured weddings that were planned in a matter of weeks and weddings that cost under £1000. So whatever your time frame and budget, it can be done.
2) Make a list
However some things are important to book as early as possible. Those are the venue, your photographer (and/or videographer, if you’re having one) and your dress.
These are the things that either take the longest, get booked up the soonest or set the tone for the rest of the wedding. Once you get those three sorted and everything else will start to fall into place around them.
3) Make a budget - and stick to it
As much as you don’t want to think about just how much you’re going to spend on this one day, having some sort of idea of a budget is vital. Sure, you may well blow it, but you do need to have one as a guide… I mean how else are you going to know if you can stretch to that giant octopus balloon sculpture or not?
There are entire reality shows that revolve around the pain and horror of the wedding budget, but yours needs to become your best friend. It will keep you in perspective and make you pay attention to what you actually really want. Sure, the idea of the octopus balloons is awesome, but can you really stretch to spending £500 on actual hot air?
Most importantly though, your budget protects your future. After all, you’re planning for a marriage here – not just a wedding – and you really don’t want to start married life under crippling financial strain.
4) Have your own priorities
If you don't give two hoots about wearing an expensive dress, or rocking up in a fancy vintage car, then DON'T!
Sit down with your love and decided which things, for you personally, are non-negotiable. Maybe its fantastic photography, the best food money can buy, or a killer band?
Dedicate the biggest portion of your budget to those non-negotiables and look at ways you can save on, DIY, or completely ditch the rest.
5) Spend time together as a couple - and talk about something that isn't the wedding!
Wedding planning can stressful and expensive and even put unexpected strain on a relationship. Wedding planning can also take over your life if you let it, and after a while apathy, or even resentment, can start to creep in. The DIY projects mount up, the bills keep coming in, and you can begin to lose sight of why you even started to do all this in the first place.
If you feel like you’re struggling, take a break from the planning. Spend some time together as a couple. Rediscover your passion and nurture the love that makes you want to go on this journey.
At the end of the day the cake will be eaten, the flowers will wilt and the dress will be relegated to the back of your wardrobe.
When you’re old and grey the wedding you had won’t matter anymore, but the person you married will be by your side forever.
We LOVE Kat’s advice - and will definitely be following it to the letter when it comes to planning our own big day.
Visit her epic site Rock N Roll Bride now for alternative wedding inspiration, gorgeous photos of real-life nuptials, money-saving tips, and generally cool advice on planning your big day.