Planners have become an integral part of the wedding experience over the years. Having someone around to take care of all the little details can be a huge relief. Of course, not all couples are going to be able to afford the luxury of having a planner around. If you and your partner can’t make this asset a part of your budget, then you need to be prepared for all the little kinks that might appear as you move through the planning process of your big day.
To see success from your wedding without the help of a professional, it can be a good idea to take a moment to explore some common snags you may run into. By staying prepared, you’re doing your part to make sure the lack of a planner doesn’t spoil your own plans.
Too Close
When you can’t hire an official person to take on the responsibilities surrounding your big day, you may start looking for more affordable solutions. In fact, a number of people turn to family members and friends to take on the various tasks a planning expert would tackle. While this isn’t a terrible idea, it can also lead you down a more problematic path than you might like. The main problem? Your family and friends are too close to you to think objectively.
Subjectivity might not seem like a huge issue at first, but it can be built into a bigger problem. You need a planner (or someone filling the part) who you can express your honest opinions with. If your mom is acting as planner and she presents you with ideas you hate, you may not feel comfortable telling her the truth out of fear of hurting her feelings. Make sure you feel fine speaking the truth to whomever you do ask to fill this role and it should be a bit easier on your own mood.
Be Prepared for Paperwork
An official ceremony involving legal approval wouldn’t be complete without tons of paperwork. When you make the decision to use a wedding planner, you often do not need to worry about the various documents and accompanying signatures involved with the process. Going it alone, however, means you are going to need to be on top of each and every piece of paper. This means vendor contracts, marriage license paperwork, and everything else is going to fall on you and your partner to complete.
The beauty of getting married in the digital age is that you can use a host of file-sharing tools to keep your entire wedding party on the same page. Google Drive, for example, is a great place to store all paperwork so that you, your partner, and anyone else involved in planning your wedding can have access to relevant documents at the same time. This is especially useful when you’re planning a long-distance wedding and can’t physically be present to collect, sign, and distribute important papers.
Give Yourself Time
Finally, you need to remember that certain tasks are going to take more time than others. A wedding planner helps you create a sensible timeline and keeps track of progress so you know what still needs to be completed. Without a person filling this role for you, almost everything is going to fall on you and your partner. As long as you give yourself ample time to work on everything, it should be easy to compensate when a task takes longer than initially anticipated.
While hiring a professional to plan your wedding alongside you might be the norm, it isn’t always the most affordable decision. Should you decide to forego a planner and approach the process without help, it can be important to keep certain points in mind so you don’t lose your cool or feel overwhelmed.
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