Are you stressed because of too little time in hand to host your wedding and arranging everything for it? Planning a wedding sounds exciting at first, but trust that it’s a stressful task, especially when you have less time. You will have to see everything from recruiting vendors to finalizing the venue, searching for the photographer to finalizing the venue décor, food to wedding outfit. But you don’t have to worry, it is very much possible to plan your dream wedding even when you are running short of time. It just takes a bit of exercise.
You need to be a bit organized in order to have the best output. It may sound crazy, how to see everything single handedly, but the best you can do to start with is – just be calm and take one step at a time. Also, try to involve people who can help you throughout the process, be it your bridesmaids, or your cousin, or you sibling. Planning everything in short time can stress you out… But, there is no need to make your life miserable by taking every responsibility of your wedding. Give yourself time, trust your friend or relative for that matter. Otherwise you will end up being exhausted by the time you will reach your D-Day.
Organization is key to plan a wonderful wedding, no matter how many months you have in hand. You have to be really organized and keep track of everything. Know that even with the most painstaking planning and organization system, there can arise some chaotic situation from time to time. Try your best to plan things and enjoy every moment, there is no need to be too hard on yourself.
Here are tips to make the process of your wedding planning journey a lot easier even in the shortest of time.
1. Start Now
First things first, start now!! Yes, now is the time to start planning your wedding. There will be no other time than now. So, wait no more.
2. Start with making a folder or binder
Start with creating a folder or a binder wherein you can leaf through all the wedding related docs safe. Keep all the contracts, agreements, bills and everything saved here in this folder/binder for your reference. This is the easiest way to track all the expenses and is crucial to be organized.
3. Set your wedding budget
Decide your wedding budget before you start your wedding planning, accordingly you will arrange things for your wedding. Your budget will be the driving factor for almost all the wedding-related decisions, so this is the first thing you need to have clarity with for the subtle functioning. While setting your budget, do speak to family members and close relatives if they are also planning to spend. This way you will save on money which you might otherwise spend on something which is already in your uncle’s mind to gift you on your wedding day.
4. Make a list of DO’s
Now as you have decided on the budget, it’s time to see where and how to spend the money. You need to list out things in order of their priority. Sit down with your family and figure out everything from food to photography, Music to booze, venue to décor, as these are the most important aspects of your wedding. Listing things out will help you to stick to your budget and spend within your budget.
5. Download wedding apps
You may find it bizarre but trust these wedding apps are really life savior in time of crises. And to plan your wedding in a short time, these apps are really helpful. You will find an app for everything from making a guests list to finding a wedding photographer.
6. Start researching
No matter how busy you are but you might have always dreamt your wedding a certain way and now is the time to research your perfect look may be or the décor you would like to have on your wedding day, may be your makeup, everything related to your wedding you can research as there are many mediums to do so. Go through wedding blogs, Instagram, Pinterest etc. Also, you can search the wedding vendors online and accordingly you can start a conversation with them regarding their pricing and all.
7. Keep your wedding low-key
If it is going to be really short period like within 15 days or one month then the best could be to have your wedding in a low-key affair. Where only your family members and some close friends will be attendance.
8. Prepare a guest list
Though it’s a tricky task but you have to do it. You have to decide who will be the invitees in the event. Close relatives, friends, father’s friends, and mom’s friend and so on the list once you start to prepare with your family, the list will go unexpectedly lengthy for sure. If yours is a destination wedding, you need to be wise enough while preparing your guest list as it will directly affect your budget for sure. You might need to make some cuts only those you feel are necessary and their presence is important will be invited. Sit with your family and create the list in accordance.
9. Chuck the printed wedding invites, send e-invites
Creating e-invites are easier and less time taking. You will save on lot of time by sending e-invites. Also, you can customize them according to your choice and preference.
10. Make a wedding website
Make a wedding website as soon as you have wedding dates make sure you get your wedding website ready so that people can have all the required information regarding your wedding from there.
11. Ask for help
Understand that you can’t do everything on a short notice, so it is good to recruit or take help from someone who you trust completely and you know that the person is able to handle all that is asked aligned with your choices and needs. Also, you can take help from your spouse to be, as its equal for both of you, it will be fun to plan together and be a part of the journey to cherish throughout your life the golden moment which you both will spend in doing things for your own wedding.
12. Use your organizational skills
Well, your wedding is also an event, once in a lifetime event, it is the time wherein you need to use your organizational skills too to make it the most beautiful and memorable one for the lifetime. Every preparation you do for your wedding, should be kept in one place a folder or a spreadsheet. It should contain every detail of your wedding plan.
13. Finalize your wedding venue
Don’t just book the first venue you visit, or may be the one which your uncle booked two years back for his son’s wedding, two years is a good time for anything to changer in a good or bad way. Choose two-three wedding venues, visit all of them, get the details, and check their services. Also, read reviews online. Only when you find it a comfortable place from all the aspects to host your great event there, you can book it. Be it a destination wedding or a wedding in your own town.
Also, if you are planning to host a destination wedding then definitely personal meeting with the venue won’t be possible better arrange for a Skype meeting. Also, if you are unable to find the location of your choice, then just use think out of the box and plan something unique for your wedding. Like a forest themed wedding, or poolside wedding party.
14. No hurried decisions
You may find it a lot of task to complete in such a short time, and you would be enticed to book the very first photographer you meet, but that is not what is needed to host a great wedding. You need to be patient while decided something. Though you may have less options not, but our intention is to opt the best ones from those available options.
15. Book a hotel or banquet hall
If you are really bothered about time then book a hotel or a banquet hall. In a hotel or a banquet hall you don’t have to bother about vendors then they have their vendors and hence most of the things are taken care of by the management of the wedding venue itself, like caterer, decoration, florist, music etc. All you need is to tell them what exactly you are looking for in your wedding. Also, there are rooms for the guests too, who can stay there at the wedding venue without having to worry about travel and transportation to wedding venue.
16. Finalize your wedding décor
If you have something special in mind related to your wedding décor or theme, do tell it to the vendor in advance as he will take care of the rest. Be it some special color you want in your wedding décor, or specific flowery decoration you are looking forward to.
17. Hire a wedding planner
Wedding planners are really skilled people, who actually save your life when you are in real crises. Like wedding in short time period is one such crisis. Though wedding planners costs, but if you do not have budget constraint and you really have a short time in your hand to plan everything then the best choice is to have a wedding planner.
18. Hire wedding vendors
Wedding vendors are also very busy people, especially in the wedding season. So, do not wait for longer to book them. Instead, meet a few, get costing, understand all about their services, and if you think you are comfortable with the particular vendors then book him/her. If you will wait for the last minute or right time you may have a problem later.
19. Go through the contracts thoroughly
No matter how busy you are, or you have less time and more things to see, reading those big documents is crucial. Yes, it is crucial to read all the contracts thoroughly. Ensure all the details are correctly mentioned, especially read through most important things like payment and cancellation policies before signing. Also, check it twice or thrice that the venue, date and event times are correctly mentioned in the contract. Otherwise you know…. I don’t think I need to tell..!!
20. Sign Vendor contract & agreement
It is very important that you don’t forget to sign the contract or agreement to avoid any chaos in future. No matter your vendor is your friend’s cousin or who, it is important to keep things legal and clear in your wedding. If you will miss on this important aspect of your wedding preparation, than chances are later you will regret your decision of not signing the contract or agreement. It’s good to go by rule!
21. Research your wedding gown
Your wedding gown is the most important part of your wedding, so it is crucial that you start researching the type of gown you would want on your wedding. Also, Pinterest all the images and ideas you are inspired by and go along with them while you finally purchase your gown. Check out stores in your town.
22. Buy your wedding outfit
You must have got some good ideas about your wedding gowns already. Now is the time to buy it! Go to a boutique or store where they have many options available. Also, don’t forget to take your friends along, it’s always good to have a second opinion. There are many stores where they sell ready-made wedding gowns with wonderful fittings. So, when you are in really hurry it’s good to go to some such store and get your favorite piece. These stores also have their in-house tailors, who can take care of your gowns fitting (if required).
23. Hire your make-up artist and hairstylist
If you have some specific name for your wedding make-up, then meet the person and tell your requirements. If you do not have any idea which one to choose from, check online and the best would to take reference from your cousins and your friends who recently got married. Meet them in person and if you like their prices and services, hire them.
24. Not all traditions are important
Don’t take too much of pressure of the traditions, if you don’t find yourself comfortable in any tradition you can skip it. Either you can make few amendments in the tradition as per your wish this way you can have a personal touch also or you can skip. Make a list of the most important ones and just stick to them and go ahead with them only. Too many traditions makes one exhausted. Don’t get too bogged down by Tradition, if you are not comfortable with some tradition, skip that one.
25. Start your beauty regime early
Your wedding is a once in a lifetime occasion, even if you are running short of time, it is crucial to maintain a beauty regime. Definitely you must want to look the best in your big day and that is only possible when you will make time for your beauty regime. It’s not that, that you will visit a parlor just a month before your wedding and everything will fall in place. No, not at all, all the pressure, exertion, you have taken for all these months to prepare for your wedding will not go all at once in few parlor visits. For getting that bridal glow you have to follow a beauty regime which should start the moment you have your wedding dates in hand.
26. Get your make-up kit ready
As a bride it is crucial that you buy your make-up items and tools well in advance. Check everything is there well in advance, last minute chaos is not good.
27. Spend time with your spouse to-be
Even in the midst of wedding planning you should not forget to spend time with your spouse to-be. It is going to be a memorable time of your life that you will cherish all your lifetime. Spending nice time with your love of life will help you have great happiness and you will be energized to do more.
28. Celebrate your wedding planning journey
No matter how much less time you have to organize everything for your wedding. But sometimes going out and relaxing, spending time alone, or spending time with your favorite people or your loved ones before your wedding makes you happier. So, make sure you spend time alone, with your gang, or with your family and enjoy every bit of it. Celebrate bachelorette or a night out before your wedding!! It will de-stress you, which is needed to have a great wedding experience.
29. Set up at venue in advance
Now it’s the day which you have been planning for, it is very important to know in advance when vendors can start setting up at the venue. If your wedding is taking place in a hotel, make sure that you have the timing for set up well in advance, if not then check with your hotel staff. There might be some event going on already, still your vendors needs to be updated about it on time to get things on time. Otherwise it would be awkward for you to see that guests started arriving and still the vendors are doing their job due to any reason.
30. Don’t miss to create a flow chart of the events
For a successful event, make sure you create a flow of the events when what will happen and who is going to coordinate. You might have planned a few games for the friends and relatives, who is going to coordinate there has to be mention of that. Your wedding photographer is ready to capture family shots who to capture will be told by someone who has been assigned the job as you will not be able to leave the stage and intervene in between that this needs to be done. A flow along with the names of the people and vendors who is doing what is always good to go for smooth functioning.
31. Be free at your wedding
Even if you want everything perfect and certain things go exactly not your way, it is perfectly fine, you don’t need to care about everything. It is a wedding and many things happen and doesn’t happen. If you will care for every large and small thing than for sure you will find yourself stuck in the process and the big picture that is your wedding will be left behind. It is crucial for you and your spouse to stay free mentally and enjoy the whole process of wedding planning.
Stay Cool…!! Let your bridesmaids or cousins who so ever is coordinating handle things at their end. You need to trust them.
32. Don’t be over indulged
We understand that you have been running around to arrange everything for your wedding. But at least on the day of your wedding don’t indulge overly in things. Even if you want everything perfect in your wedding, over involvement will only exhaust you. Take a break in between, make time for yourself and for your spouse to be. Breaks are very much needed in between as it keeps things healthy flowing otherwise you will start to feel bored and gradually lose all your interest in the process. Just chill out… And trust you have recruited the right people for the job.
33. Don’t plan your honeymoon just after your wedding
You know better that you have arranged your wedding in a very short notice, and you must be tired or exhausted. You need to take a break for a while! Travelling to another place for your honeymoon will tire you even more. Just enjoy each other’s company at your new home, and plan your honeymoon after a nice break. SO that you can enjoy your honeymoon precisely.
But, if yours is a destination wedding, then you can club your wedding and honeymoon and relax in that location for some more time and enjoy each other’s company. Destination wedding gives you a great opportunity to celebrate your life’s two important occasions together.
34. Enjoy everything about your wedding to the fullest!
Last but not least, have fun. It is your wedding and you should have all the fun amidst all the crazy shopping and planning. That is what you are going to miss after your wedding. The time which you spent to make this event possible. Everything related to your wedding from wedding planning to the big day is special, all those things you will memorize when you sit your partner and talk about how you went crazy at certain point when you were not able to get the right shoe to match your outfit, or may be about the photographer who just missed to bring the props for a particular couple shot and then your best friend saved you in the situation. All these things may seem small right now, but are lovely memories to cherish forever.
![How to Plan a Destination Wedding in Mexico [Step-by-Step Guide]](https://www.happywedding.app/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Plan-a-Destination-Wedding-in-Mexico-300x150.jpg "How to Plan a Destination Wedding in Mexico [Step-by-Step Guide]")
