Welcome to Part I of Wedding Wellness! Today’s post is all about getting organized and learning how to prioritize all the things on your to-do list. When it comes to your mental wellness and not feeling overwhelmed during the process, the key is figuring out what you need to do and by when.
While your to-do list might be super long, not everything has to be done at the same time. When I started to get stressed, my fellow brides explained that at first there will be a ton to do, then a really long lull, and then as the wedding approaches, another round of things to take care of.
Of biggest importance is the date, venue, band, photographer, caterer and sending save the dates. As a bride, if you have the time, it’s ideal to get a dress about 7 months out to allow for the dress to be ordered and to schedule the fittings. Once you get through those items, you can take a breather and go through things one by one.
A couple of times I found myself getting caught up in tiny details that can 100% be dealt with 6 months from now (like the time I fell down a rabbit hole of westie cake toppers. I mean how cute is this little guy? But $129?! Also, so not a detail I should be worrying about right now.).
The best way to stay on track and prioritize is to get on board with a planning tool. I have two favorites, for digital I recommend The Knot and for a physical planner, I love my Erin Condren, given to me as an engagement gift (such a cute idea)! Maybe I’m an over-planner, but I’m using both options, one digital and one physical. They contain pretty similar info but having both keeps me on top of the details. My favorite feature of The Knot is My Checklist (see below, left side). While this was terrifying at first, telling me I had 155 to-do items, overtime there is nothing better than checking off those items. You enter your wedding date and the site will populate when you should complete each task.
As for my Erin Condren planner, it’s great when meeting with vendors so you can take all of your notes in the same place. It has a similar to-do list set up, telling you how many months out each task should be completed but allows you to have a bit more creative freedom with how you keep track of everything.
Before you let all the details become too much to handle, remind yourself of what is most important at your wedding. For us, it’s a killer dance party and really good food. Knowing those are keys to success for our wedding, we know where to put more emphasis in the planning.
It all seems like a lot at first, and well, it is, but it isn’t anything you can’t handle if you stay organized and stick to your prioritized to-do list.
Any tips for overwhelmed brides? How did you keep yourself organized? Leave your comments below!
