10 Commandments for a Stress-Free Wedding

There’s no two ways about it. Wedding planning is stressful. From people’s feelings to your budget, there are a ton of things to negotiate. The financial aspect is always going to be a stress trigger, so the first thing you need to tackle is your budget. Wedding loan or savings plan? Once you’ve got that decided, stick to our 10 Commandments and you’ll be well on your way to a stress-free wedding.

1. Thou Shall Create a Spreadsheet

Even if you’re keeping it as low key as possible, you can still reap the benefits of some good old fashioned budgeting. Trust me, when it comes to tallying costs and compiling guest lists -a spreadsheet is your best friend. Stick everything you can into a Google doc. You can easily share with the hotel, the photographer - anyone really. Plus you’ll feel super organised when you look at it. It’s the ultimate fake it ‘til you make it accessory.

2. Thou Shalt Not Forget Thy Manners

Your wedding is a massive milestone in your life. It’s a fantastic and romantic time for you and your partner. But it can also be a bit of a pressure cooker environment. It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be as pumped about your upcoming nuptials as you are. In the midst of the madness don’t forget your manners. Thank everyone for their help. Publicly. A few choice name drops during the speeches will go a long way towards making someone feel valued.

3. Thou Shall Recollect

Let’s play a game. Cast your mind back to the last wedding you attended. Now tell me what your favourite part of it was. I’m guessing you didn’t say the wine, the flowers or the party favours. At the end of the day, these are trivial things. Yes, they’re beautiful, cute or a nice touch. But they are not what people will remember and they’re certainly not worth stressing over.

4. Thou Shall Not Make Thy Bridesmaids Uncomfortable

The days of ugly bridesmaid dresses are no more. Remember, you’re dressing your friends not your competition. Make sure your wedding party feel fantastic and comfortable, it’s only fair.

5. Thou Shall Not Compare Thyself to Bridal Magazines

If you can afford a €20k dress, more power to you! For the rest of us mere mortals, remember that bridal magazines are like any fashion magazine, inspirational and aspirational. Take them with a pinch of salt and don’t let them make you feel inferior. Work within your means.

6. Thou Shall Know Thy Limits

Hand crafting your own place settings from the branch of the tree where you had you first kiss might look like a wonderful idea on Pinterest. But cast your mind to those ‘#Nailed It’ memes. You don’t want to be freaking out over hand painted mason jars the night before your wedding. Pick your battles and play to your strengths.

7. Thou Shalt Not Invite All Those Cousins You Haven’t Seen In Six Years

The rule of thumb is, if you haven’t spoken to someone within a year then they’re probably not close enough to you to invite to your wedding. If your budget is particularly tight, all those extended family members can quickly mount up. A good way to work it is to keep the ceremony and meal quite intimate, and invite your distant relatives to the afters. Having some night bites or a BBQ there to make them feel part of the celebration is a nice touch, but in no way essential.

8. Thou Shall Bring Flats

Let’s face it - you’re going to want to dance at your own wedding. Save the stilettos for the photos and slip on your dancing shoes when you hit the floor.

9. Thou Shalt Not Forget The End Goal

Stating the obvious here, but sometimes in the thick of it all you can forget what this event is all about. Carve out some time to yourselves in the build-up to the big day, preferably doing some non-wedding related activity. If the only time you can spare is spent at the printers waiting for a seating chart to print, then make the best of it.

10. Thou Shall Laugh

Something will probably go wrong in the build up to your wedding. That’s just how life works. In these scenarios try not to lose your sense of humour. So laugh when you feel like crying. And remember – getting married can even be kind of fun.

Need advice on a wedding loan?

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Get in touch with one of our advisers today for advice on how to apply for a personal loan for your wedding. You can also use our loan calculator to give you an estimate of how much you could borrow.

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