Who knew, that planning a wedding requires you to magically turn into a wedding coordinator, designer, project manager and sometimes even a florist?

Now, I LOVE Pinterest – and it’s my go-to when I need home, event or design Inso, but FLIP, can it be overwhelming sometime.

I love lists, plans and working towards clear goals (#nerd) but for real- it helps keep me sane!

Here are 3 things (That I learned when I planned my own wedding) that you can do, to keep you from feeling overwhelmed, put the joy back into wedding planning and helps you to refocus and keep perspective when you want to do ALL the things you just saw on Pinterest.

Just a side note before we start:

If being a wedding photographer has taught me anything, is that wedding are insanely special and sacred, and I want to reassure you – even before you start – that your wedding is going to be EPIC!

Because at the heart of it, is two people that love each other, and are promising to keep loving each other forever.

BONUS TIP: plan a wedding that feels like you. (the two of you) It doesn’t have to look like anyone else, it can be small/big/loud/quiet/filled with boards games and shots and pool parties until 5am.

Long gone are the boundaries of ‘you have to do _____’

So let’s dig in shall we?

1) Start by choose your vibe (what you want your wedding to feel like)

You can sit together, as a couple, and thing of what you want your wedding to feel like. (What vibe resonates with you, and your personalities)

Why focus on feeling? Because it will set the vibe for the rest.

Think if words that will describe your perfect wedding day :

intimate/relaxed/minimalistic

or ‘like a Sunday lunch’

or glamorous/bold/luxurious or

unique/bespoke/fun or

elegant/simple/classic

Thinking of what you want your guests to feel when they walk into your wedding, can set the stage for what type of venue you look at – from a intimate restaurant to a family farm or a destination wedding, knowing the core vibe of what you want to create can set the stage for how you do it.

STUCK ON CHOOSING WORDS:

Go to Pinterest and pin ONLY the wedding pins that resonate with you (not overthinking if so-and-so will like it, or if you can afford it and anything like that – just pin) come back the next day, look at your Pinterest board with fresh eyes – and see what the overall vibe is that stands out for you)

We tend to be drawn to common themes/colour/vibes that we naturally like, so this could be helpful to help you find clarity.

Once you know what your vibe is, you can make an inspiration board dedicated to show your ideas that fit with that vibe – it could be a useful thing to show to vendors/family members when you explain what your dream is for your wedding.

Decide on you top 5 priorities

Early on, before you even start looking at venues – sit with your Fiancé, and decide what is your top 5 priorities (and ideally your budget)

Want to splurge on a honeymoon – then a smaller wedding will be better

Is amazing food a MUST – well then a caterer/restaurant is your go-to

Want to treat your guests- maybe a destination wedding

It doesn’t necessary have to be 5 things, but it is great to get clear on what is most important to you, so you can priorities what you want to spend money on.

Not big on dancing, but love life music- then maybe you will look for a musical instead of a DJ?

If you can, try to rank them in order:

Good food/Great music/Epic photos to remember the vibe/Wedding dress/Super chilled and minimalist venue. (see how flowers are not a major thing for this bride- so maybe she will have a very minimalistic flower choice of DIY her table decor)

Are you starting to get the feel for how this can work?

The great part of doing it together, is you can bounce ideas off of each other, work together to craft a wedding that you feels like you, and keep each other on track.

Communicate your heart/ Set boundaries/ Delegate

Once you have you basics (your vibe, your top priorities, and maybe a killer inspiration board) you can clearly communicate what you want your wedding to look like to your family/bride tribe/ mom in law/ vendor etc.

The people in your life really want to feel useful, and often they think it’s helpful to offer all kinds of advise or ideas, but if they know what you are looking for, you can maybe avoid some of the overwhelming opinions that can come your way.

(p.s – you don’t have to take everyones advise, just say thank you, that’s a good idea but nor really in line with that you want your wedding day to be if people are interfering)

Delegating tasks is a great way to help you free up you own time as well as helping those in your life feel useful if they want to help.

Often, clear communication at the start can help you a long way down the line to avoid drama and unnecessary ‘tifs’.

So, there you have it, I hope this helps you to see how you can plan a wedding with intention, clarity and purpose to get the most our of wedding planning season and get back to the things that actually matter- time with your people (And your new Fiancé!)

xx