It is well known that planning a wedding can be a very stressful time. There is so much to organize and so many decisions to make that it is no wonder that many people are tempted to elope and get married quietly. However, you can keep your stress levels to a minimum if you approach the organization in the right way.
Can you really please everyone?
Let’s face it, the answer to this question is no! There is just no way that you can keep everybody happy. And as it is your wedding, why should you? The only people whose opinions are really important on the day are the bride and groom. However, there are many other people involved. The mothers of the bride and groom might want to voice an opinion and while they are hopefully understanding that not everyone has the same opinion, it could be that one of them will take offence if their advice is not followed.
You could take the step of asking people for their opinions early on in the planning process, but make it clear that you are just gathering ideas and that ultimately you and your partner will be making the final decisions. This way people are aware as soon as possible that you might not be using their suggestions. This will also help (hopefully!) to avoid any arguments later on about how things should be done. You might be surprised at just how vocal some people can be at a time like this!
Get the right help
You also need to avoid ruffling feathers when you ask for help with arrangements. It is so easy to ask one person to help, but upset three more simply by not asking them. If you can, break the tasks down and rope in as many people as you can (or those who would be hurt if you did not ask). It can be very stressful for you when you’re trying to smooth things over at a later date. The other option is to make it clear that you will not be asking anyone to do anything so that you aren’t making anyone feel left out, but this can actually add to your stress as you will be doing everything yourself. You need to find a balance. Talk to your partner first and try to work out between you who would want to be asked to help and who will not mind taking a back seat.
Start the organization of the big day as early as you can. The later you leave it to make all the arrangements the more issues you are going to have and the more stressed you will be. It will also be much harder to keep everyone happy as you may have to do a lot more compromising than you had planned.
Remember while all of this is happening that it is your big day and you and your partner are the most important people involved. As long as you have the day you want nothing else really matters.