How to get organised when planning your big day!

Does the idea of planning your wedding fill you with a little bit of stress? Do you feel overwhelmed with all the elements of the day that need to be planned?

I hear this so many times from my clients during the process. They feel they have a never ending to do list, they feel so disorganised they don’t know what to tackle next, what should be done when, swimming in the tasks that need to be completed and they can’t get round to it. Thinking how on earth are they going to get this all done before the wedding day!

Does this sound familiar? If so, here are a couple of ideas on how you can try and keep organised during the wedding planning process. Don’t forget this is meant to be fun and exciting time in your life! Try not to let it get you bogged down, and I hope these few ideas help.

1. Have a checklist

This might seem really obvious (also I bet you have a to-do list as long as your arm) but having a checklist, with everything in one place, will massively help you! However, having a checklist on a couple of pieces of paper, one on a notepad, some in notes on your phone, it will get confusing and make you feel that you haven’t got it all together.

So start now.

If you haven’t created a list yet, get a piece of paper and a pen now. If you have a list but got it all over the place, do the same! I promise it will give you clarity on what needs to be done, and also you might surprise yourself with what you have already done! But prioritize. That, I think, the key to planning. The process is meant to be enjoyable, each element of it. So work through each one of your tasks and allow yourself time to do it, rather than rushing several tasks that can wait till a month before the big day

2. Create a Wedding Folder

Keep all your stuff in one place. Business cards, receipts, ideas, brainstorms, confirmation of bookings – all of these will help you feel organised! If your not a folder kinda bride, that’s ok, how about it all going in a box, or one drawer, or a plastic wallet. But, keep it all together in one place. Ever had that moment where you are frantically trying to find that one document you absolutely need! The last thing you want to do is make this stressful for yourself, having it altogether will help combat this.

3. Ask for help

Many brides feel they have to do it all! It doesn’t have to be that way.

You have your future bride or groom to help you with the planning, your best friend, your parents, hey, what about your bridesmaids and even the best man! All you need to do is just ask. I am sure they would be so happy to help in some way! I recently have helped out some friends who were planning their weddings – a table plan (blog post on this soon!) and I even helped my friend Tash order flip flops for her wedding guests. It might not seem like alot, but it was something off her to-do list that she didn’t need to then worry about and a weight off her shoulders.

So if you need help choosing which stationary you have for your day, or you both need a second opinion on the singer you have chosen for the day, ask! Just because you’re the bride does not mean you have to do everything.

4. Create a wedding email address

I have recently started having wedding enquiries from a personalised wedding email address. What a great idea! All, and any of your wedding related emails all in one place, one email address – you don’t have to worry about creating folders or tabs in your current email address – I mean it literally takes a couple of minutes to set up a new email address on gmail or hotmail.

This means you don’t have to scroll through loads of emails to find what you need (if your anything like me I have loads and loads of random emails!), just one email address to help make you fell more organised as you will now exactly where to look.

5. Have you considered a Wedding planner?

Until you really get into the preparations for your big day, it is impossible to realise how much work and time is involved in planning a wedding and how many details need to be taken care of. I appreciate weddings can be very expensive, and budgets can be strict, but have you considered the value of a wedding planner? Also wedding planners usually offer a range of services. Not necessarily planning absolutely every single aspect. You can hire a wedding planner for just one aspect, to help for on the day co-ordination, some I have seen offer a couple of hours of their time to help you – this could be a great way to help you get the ball rolling at the start or if you need help tackling you to-do list, enquire with a planner and see if you can hire them for a couple of hours to assist.

Look into wedding planners in your local area. If you unsure, it won’t cost you anything to give them a call and find out the range and price of their services. It could be your best way to a smoother and less stressful experience.

I hope you have found this article useful! Please comment below if you have any other ways you have found great to help keep you organised during the process. But most importantly, enjoy yourself, make sure you still make time for you both and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture and why you are doing this in the first place.

Much love, Charlotte