Wedding Planning Is Hard AF! Let's Make It Easier...

Your wedding may be the most beautiful day of your life. 

If your groom looks like that, it will definitely be the best day (and night) of your life. 

But the process leading up to your impending nuptials can cause enough stress to give you an ulcer.

While drinking can help, it's by no means the solution. A concerted effort needs to be made to simplify the process. To make things easier for yourself so you don't get to this point:

No bride wants to walk down the aisle looking like that! Worry not. We've got you covered with some fabulous tips to make this process a whole lot easier.

1. Drop the phrase "Because I'm supposed to"

Even though it's your wedding, don't be shocked when everyone around you starts offering an opinion. Your mother will say, "Back in my day, we did..." Your mother-in-law will say, "Shouldn't the rehearsal dinner have..." Your best friend from high school will Facebook message you and say, "You definitely should include..." You'll want to scream.

By all means, solicit advice from your loved ones. But don't do something just because you're supposed to. Your wedding is your wedding. You're in the driver's seat. Don't let yourself forget it!

2. Before making any decision, take a second and ask, "Do I really want this?"

There are a ton of decisions to be made. It can be overwhelming. Remember the end goal: to have a beautiful ceremony. In order for it to be beautiful, the wedding has to be the wedding you envisioned. So take that breathe before decision and really ask yourself, "Is this something I truly want?" Listen to your heart. It picked your significant other. It can definitely handle a few wedding decisions. 

Yea you do!

3. Focus on partnership

You're not in this alone. Last time I checked, a wedding is usually about two people, a bride and a groom (or two brides or two grooms or any other non-gender-conforming pairings). In times of stress, you can lean on each other, and that starts now, with this process. Bounce ideas off each other. Try making decisions together. It's supposed to be a magical day for both of you. Your partnership doesn't start after saying "I do." It started the moment you said, "I love you."

You're on a team; act like it.

4. Stop obsessing over bridal magazines

Heard of photoshop? Heard of staging photos? Bridal magazines create unrealistic expectations. No wedding is going to look like those photos, because even those weddings didn't actually look like those photos IRL. Let periodicals inspire you, not define you.

5. Build a team and trust it

Do your research. Don't hire the first caterer you encounter. Just because your friend liked a wedding photographer doesn't mean you will. Ask around. Meet the people who are going to be responsible for creating the perfect ceremony and reception. 

6. Delegate "wedding planning time," and "no talking about anything wedding-related time"

Don't let planning your wedding become a 24/7 endeavor. You will go crazy. Instead, be quite conscious about planning times that will be dedicated to the wedding, and times that will be totally wedding-free. No good can come from constant stress. So give yourself a break!

7. Create an e-mail account specifically for the wedding

Get on Gmail. Make an account for your wedding. That way, your personal account won't be spammed by a zillion wedding-related correspondences. Imagine waking up to an inbox every morning with 800 unread messages. You do not want or need that kind of stress. So keep it separate and rest more easily.

Also, if this is your reaction to one e-mail, you're in for a world of trouble! ;-)

8. Make a battle plan for the actually wedding day

The bride and groom should have nothing to do but get married on their wedding day. So, create a list of people who can solve any issues that come up on the actual day so all you have to do is walk down that aisle and stare longingly into the eyes of your betrothed.