Five helpful tips to make your wedding day less stressful

It’s no secret that planning a wedding can be stressful. Whether you’re planning a wedding in Branson, MO or anywhere in the U.S. or abroad, there can be a lot of things to do, plans to make, and details to remember.

The good news is, a little organization and preparation goes a long way on your wedding day. These five tips, all super simple and completely do-able, will make a world of difference when it comes to your stress-level on the day of your wedding.

Implementing these five helpful tips will help avoid extra wedding day stress and allow you to focus on the task at hand and enjoy your day with family and friends.

1)     Assign a decision maker of the day. This alleviates so much stress for the bride and groom if there is someone the venue staff, caterers, DJs, etc., can go to before coming to you. Make sure it’s someone who knows (and respects!) you and your wishes well, and let them know that you trust their decision-making. Also let them know what kinds of questions you feel comfortable with them handling and when you would want them to come to you. At The Venue at Shadow Rock near Branson, MO, we insist that our couples name a Decision Maker (that isn’t either of them) in order to protect their peace on wedding day. No bride (or groom!) wants to be bombarded with a myriad of small questions on one of the most important days of her life.

2)     Practice your table décor. If you’re doing most of your wedding planning yourself rather than hiring a wedding coordinator, this is a big one. Set up a table exactly like you want it, then take pictures, print them out and have them ready with the décor for whoever is going to decorate on the day of the event. If you really want to be thorough, lay them out on a document with a written description beside the picture. This sets your decorators up for success – and gives you the tables you’ve envisioned!

3)     Have décor for each table (with pictures!) in its own labeled box. That way carrying things in, getting them where they need to go, and decorating is super easy! Especially since you may be off getting ready when it happens!

4)     Assign a member of your group to assist the photographer with gathering the right people for upcoming pictures. Seriously, this can make your family photos go so much faster and make sure you don’t miss any. (You can also download our photo checklist here – or make your own -- to help make sure you don’t miss that one important photo – SUPER helpful on wedding day and something you don’t want to skip!) Assign one person who knows your friends/family well to be in charge of gathering the right groups and having them ready when it’s their turn in front of the camera. That relieves stress on your photographer since they probably aren’t super familiar with your family members, as well as allows them to focus on what they do best! Bonus: this is a great way to involve (and celebrate!) that naturally assertive person in your life in a way that is super helpful, and keeps them out of other areas where they might be tempted to hijack your plan. J Do make sure the person you assign realizes they’re not in charge of the photos or arranging or posing – you hired a professional for that! – their job is simply to have the right people ready!

5)     Schedule in 5-10 minutes directly after walking out of the ceremony to spend alone as a couple – they may be the only 10 minutes you get alone with each other during the day. Take a moment to pause, breathe, connect, and enjoy – this day is about the two of you, remember?! Besides, you’ll have the whole reception to greet/visit with guests!

Have other helpful tips to help reduce stress on a wedding day? Let us know about them!