Organizing Your Wedding Is Key
Getting married is widely recognized as one of the most stressful life events, second only to the birth of your first child. There are so many direct and indirect factors that can contribute to planning and executing your big event that things can very quickly spiral out of control if you are not mindful of necessity of being organized. Being organized does not necessarily mean that you must control every single tiny detail, on the contrary, it generally means that you must have the ability to maintain details at a high level, select representatives whom you trust to brainstorm with and who can act on your behalf when necessary, and you simply must have the ability to delegate.
Maintaining the details at a high level can be translated many ways, it is usually dependant on the style of wedding and the personality of the bride/groom. If you are having a grand affair where costs and details are limitless then you may consider hiring a Wedding Planner to be responsible for all of the planning, documenting and purchasing involved in your big day. A Wedding Planner is also a good idea for the bride/groom who isn’t especially skilled at keeping track of receipts or confortable making arrangements with vendors. If however your big day does not involve inviting the Govenor, or the Premier then you should investigate purchasing a Wedding Planning Journal, or utilizing a software version for those in this technically inclined generation. Personally documenting and tracking the details of the arrangements for your wedding will provide the bride/groom with a truer understanding of costs, timelines and details. And it may just provide you with a little bit of comfort when you wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat two weeks before the event to check to see if you remembered to update the caterer on your final numbers for dinner. Maintaining the details at a high level should provide the couple with the necessary control to deliver the event without too much panic and disarray caused by disorganization.
Selecting representatives, generally bridal party attendants, whom you trust to brainstorm and act as a representative on your behalf truly complements the afore mentioned maintaining of details section. It is important to choose a bridal party member whom you know will enjoy shouldering the difficult task of helping you choose the perfect wedding dress as well as being responsible for contacting the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker and anyone else on your list who requires confirmation calls prior to the big day. Other major responsibilities generally reserved for bridal party members include; preparing invitations, guests lists, seating charts, party favours, and decorating the hall. If you do not feel that one of your best mates is reliable enough to participate in these preparations, perhaps better to ensure there are at the very least other people in your life who will be there at the eleventh hour when you’re elbow deep in a bowl of candy covered almonds, bagging your millionth party favour box. Do not be afraid to ask your parents or your favourite aunt or uncle to lend a hand when you’re in a pinch, most family members will be just as honoured to be included in the planning phase as those who stand beside you, following your walk down the aisle.
The ability to delegate can be worse than a trip to the dentist for a root canal for those people who have trust issues, or who you might have called control freaks at least once in the past. The key to delegation is to select close to 50% of the tasks to be accomplished, and assign some portion of their responsibility to someone you trust. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be asking your Best Man to select the wedding rings for you, but it might mean asking him to take payment to the jeweller and picking up the rings before the wedding. Other ideas for delegation include; making payments to vendors, confirming numbers and details with vendors, picking up family members from airports/train stations, researching options for live music, scoping out potential photographers or liaising with a Wedding Planner on the day of the event to eliviate wedding day stresses for the bride/groom. Delegating responsibility to a friend or family member will allow you to focus your attention on the bigger details of your wedding and at the same time provide your loved one with a sense of trust and respect as a special member of your big day.
While tying the knot is a big deal in the grand scheme of life it does not have to be an overwhelming one. Keeping yourself organized, enlisting people to share in the fun and tears, and delegating some of the less intensive responsibilites to people you trust, will have a huge impact on how enjoyable it will be to plan your wedding.
Photo by: Oh mon héros ! [parachute doré]
