As your day approaches, emotions will escalate with each passing event. Those few events before the big day can make or break the stress meter, if not planned and prepared for correctly. Speaking from experience, I made a huge, last-minute change on the day of the rehearsal and it brought about so much unneeded stress! I can see that now in hindsight, but I wish I had someone to tell me a few things before I went switching stuff around. Here are my best tips, and advice from some local Arkansas brides!
Avoid Family Drama
So Many Opinions. Each decision you make will be critiqued by someone. I made the mistake of asking too many someone's. Then I wonder why I am so confused about what I even wanted in the first place. One bride shared with me that she had three people that she asked the opinions of, and those were the groom, the MOH, and her mother. That's it.
So, the way to avoid so many opinions is to not ask for them! Granted, there will be those family members whose unsolicited opinion will come up though. At that point, it's best to smile, nod, and let it go in one ear and out the other.
If you're a bride like me with mixed and divorced families, the chaos can get out of hand real quick! The one thing that is best in this situation is open and honest communication. Families need to know their specific roles you are wanting them to play, especially if you expect them to operate in them. Don't assume ANYTHING. Tell everyone their specific duties and if needed, have a meeting before the festivities start so everyone understands their role completely. Take it from me, you don't want that meeting to happen at your rehearsal. No matter the tension that may arise before, they're your family and they love you, and they'll want to see you happy.
Prepare, Prepare and Prepare
Did I mention prepare? And no, I don't mean planning the ceremony and reception site. I mean working out the tiny details for all of the things that will happen the day of. Making schedules and itineraries are really helpful, especially for the bridal party, family and your vendors. Get as many things done and prepared for as early as possible so you don't have to worry about it later! There's no such thing as being over prepared.
Stick to the Budget
This might be the second most important thing, besides avoiding the family drama (and may be a root cause of family drama in the first place!). First off, you do have a budget, right? Having a budget keeps you in check with how much you're actually spending. Don't waiver from the budget! A little decoration here and there adds up quick. Set your budget amount, and stick to it.
For the extra tech savvy, keeping up with your expenses in an excel spreadsheet is a great idea. But, for the rest of us technologically blind and deaf girls, a budget envelope system is a life saver. Many stores have an envelope size pocket/folder book, which helped me tremendously. You can label the different folders, stick money in them, and most importantly keep your receipts in them. This helps keep all your expenses in one place and will stop your over spending.
So to sum it up, skip the mamma drama, prepare, and stick to your budget. Do the right thing in the big things, and the small things will usually fall into place. And most of all, remember that at the end of the day, if you married your groom on your wedding day, your wedding was a success!
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