If you’re getting married, you may have already scoured the internet for wedding advice or bookmarked sources for articles and timelines to guide you. During these research and planning stages, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the specifics involved. From favors and place cards to boutonnieres and pew bows, arranging your nuptials means pulling together many details, both large and small. Whether these are common traditions handed down to us or newer trendy inclusions from celebrity weddings or social media, it’s easy to wonder if you really need all those extras to get married or not. Fortunately, you can cut back on your anxiety levels and avoid feeling inundated by following some valuable advice.
What Will Your Guests Remember?
You’re probably not thrilled to hear that your attendees won’t remember the painstakingly assembled favors or the flower arrangements you lost sleep over for two solid weeks. Nevertheless, this information can help you prioritize and put things into perspective during the planning process. Wedding Wire writer Kim Forrest points out several aspects of your big day that will likely stick in your guests’ minds:
- The quality and flavor of your food
- Your reception entertainment choices
- Your vows
- The overall look and feel of your event
Other key things that they may pay attention to are the length of your ceremony and comfortable temperature levels in your venues. You certainly don’t want your guests to be uncomfortable or bored, so be sure to choose locations with adequate climate control. For outdoor nuptials, you’ll need to have a backup plan in place for inclement weather and temperature extremes. Furthermore, try to keep your total ceremony length to 30 minutes or less and avoid lag times of more than two hours between the end of your ceremony and the start of your reception.
Finding Your Focus Areas
Truthfully, the only elements required for you to get hitched are you, your spouse-to-be, an officiant, a marriage license, two witnesses, and a venue. Even so, the extras can add originality, create a mood, and reflect the values that you and your partner hold dear. At the same time, providing refreshments can be a gesture to welcome or thank your guests for sharing such as significant life moment with you. Moreover, the reception is your first social event together as a married couple.
It’s important to remember that there’s nothing wrong with having a simple wedding. “Simple” doesn’t have to mean plain or boring, as Brides writer Jill Sieracki explains. Sieracki suggests that you choose which elements make the top of your list and place most of your planning focus on those items. With what she calls your “must list,” you can visualize your goals and avoid wasting time and money on nonessentials. When Caitlyn Krebs asked recent newlyweds to share some advice in a 2017 Wedding Wire piece, one couple recommended a similar approach, sticking to three items on which to spend planning time and money while leaving the rest by the wayside.
Choose What’s Most Important to You
Many people view weddings not just as public events where two people in love openly declare a long-term commitment to each other. They’re also social gatherings that can be infused with a sense of style all their own. With high-profile nuptials making headlines and setting trends, it’s tempting to adopt their details for your own affair. However, if you’d prefer a more low-key event, you can streamline your planning by focusing on the elements that matter to you most. By concentrating most of your time and money on a core group of essentials, you’ll hopefully reduce your stress while creating a wedding that more closely reflects you as a couple.
Add Your Comment