At first, I was team 'I need a wedding planner or else I may lose my sanity.' But, honestly, wedding planning has been a really special and happy time for me and Casey so I am glad I decided to do it (mostly) on my own.
However, juggling my corporate 9-5 job while also planning our 2022 wedding has not been a simple task. But, I do feel like I have a good handle on how to balance the two so I wanted to share some of my tips!
Tip #1: Dedicate Time in Your Day Just For Wedding Planning
Planning a wedding can quickly turn into a full-time job if you're not careful. The last thing I wanted was for my 9 to 5 work to be compromised because I was focusing too much energy on my wedding. So, I decided that I was going to dedicate time specifically for the planning process.
For me, as I work CST while living in Pacific Standard, my day job keeps me busy from 7am until at least 3pm. So, this means that I have from 3pm until bedtime in order to work on wedding planning. In my world, this means that as soon as 3pm hits I am focused on wedding planning.
Having this clear separation in time has been incredibly helpful in controlling overwhelming thoughts and feelings. I am certain that I have time for both my corporate job and my wedding planning without feeling like I am spending too much time on one or the other.
I realize that I am truly blessed to have this sort of work schedule, due to the changes in time zones, and that most do not have this luxury. If that's you, here's how I would break up my day:
7am-9am Wedding Planning
9am-12pm Work
12pm-1pm Wedding Planning
1pm-5pm Work
5pm-8pm Wedding Planning
Tip #2: Start Planning As Soon As Possible
My fiancé and I were first thinking of a Fall 2021 wedding. But, when I realized how little time I would have to plan that (by choice), we decided to wait until Spring/Summer of 2022. Regardless of when your wedding is, it is best to get started on the planning process sooner rather than later.
First, take care of the largest items at hand: venue, photographer, florist and day-of coordinator (trust me, you'll want one!). Once you have these high-value vendors booked, you can take a bit more time to focus on the "smaller" vendors: caterers, DJ/band, officiants, etc.
Tip #3: Stay Organized
This is key for any wedding and any couple! If you're unorganized, it will just cause more stress to you, your partner and your vendors. I personally utilize The Knot, Google Drive and Excel every single day in order to keep track of everything wedding-focused. I also have a separate email address for my wedding and important messages to go so I have everything in one spot.
Bonus Tip: If you have others involved in planning your wedding (ie. parents, in-laws, partner), set up a Google Drive folder where you can share all of your paperwork (ie. contracts, invoices, vendor packages) and checklists. This helps everyone get on the same page and you don't have to get frazzled when keeping track of who is aware of what.
Whether you are planning a grand wedding or an elopement with two witnesses, all of these tips will help you in the process.
I would love to be a resource for you so if you need any help or want more tips and tricks, please reach out! I have also linked some of my personal favorite wedding planning books here.
Congratulations and happy wedding planning!
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