Congratulations– you’re engaged! You’ve found The One that your heart loves and you are getting ready to plan the best day – the day that you commit your lives to one another and party on with your family and friends – your wedding day! But after the rosiness of fresh engagement starts to settle in, how do you get from where you are now to happily ever after and beyond? How does this Pinterest level of fairy tale get planned? And, maybe most importantly, how do you keep your sanity and actually enjoy your engagement?
Complete Weddings + Events has played a part in countless couples’ wedding days over the years, and we have come up with a few ideas that just might help! Over our next 3 blog posts, we will be giving you suggestions that will help make wedding planning easier and your big day vision more attainable. Because “Happiest Day of Your Life” just isn’t the same when you’re miserably cram-planning in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to your wedding day. Trust us – there’s a better way.
Wedding/Life Balance: How To Survive (And Even ENJOY) Wedding Planning (Part 1)
Wedding/Life Balance Tip #1: Consistent planners = Happier couples
We know you’ve got a lot going on. Between work, household duties, and actually living your life, it can be tricky to find time to wedding plan. Instead of just fitting it in when you can, try to set a day (or days) of the week with “wedding hours” to brainstorm, research, and plan wedding details regularly. Rather than jamming big chunks of wedding planning into a short period of time, as if it were some college final that you were pulling an all-nighter to study for, consider playing the long game – planning a little bit every week at a regular time already built into your schedule, and *enjoying* your regularly scheduled programming outside of those hours.
Let’s talk numbers for a second — without hiring a wedding planner, the average couple will spend between 200 and 300 hours planning their wedding day. We advise preparing for the worst and hoping for the best; so let’s plan for 300 hours, and hope for 200. That way if you finish planning your big day early, you can enjoy more time partying, pampering, and resting! (Treat yourself – you earned it!)
Before getting overwhelmed at the number of hours you’ll spend planning this incredible day, consider that the average length of engagements has grown considerably over the years. According to a 2019 study done by The Knot, the average engagement is 15 months! [cue sigh of relief here] 15 months is a ton of time to get anything planned. If the Empire State Building can go up in 13 months, your big day can happen exactly the way you want it to in 15 months.
Wedding/Life Balance Breakdown:
Now let’s take that 15 months and subtract 2 weeks for the time you spent enjoying your newly engaged life living foot loose and planning free, and subtract another 2 weeks of planning for the 2 weeks leading up to your wedding when plans are already finalized and you’re sitting back, drink in hand, while dreaming about wedding day bliss:
- 60 weeks (15 month engagement) – 4 weeks = **56 weeks to plan**
- 300 hours / 56 weeks = just over *5 hours per week* to wedding plan
You. Got. This.
Use this formula to come up with your very own plan of attack. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your wedding won’t be planned in a week. But with persistence and a little bit of routine, you’ll be on your way to planning the wedding of your dreams while still enjoying your everyday life.
Stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk about the importance of setting and sticking to a wedding budget!
Complete Wedding Experts
If you’re planning a wedding, you’ve come to the right place. At Complete Weddings + Events, our team of photographers, videographers, DJs, and event consultants specialize in wedding services to make your day a success and make sure you’re just worried about enjoying it. Contact us today to learn more about our wedding packages best for your special day!