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I am a big fan of having fun. In fact, when choosing between work and play, I choose to play as often as possible.

That is also my philosophy when it comes to your perfect wedding day. While the thought of planning a wedding can be stressful and anxiety-provoking, you can streamline the process and enjoy yourself at the same time. When you focus on fun, the little details usually take care of themselves!

It's one of the most important days of your life and you should plan it from head to toe how you want, with fun, dancing, laughing and all. There are a lot of unnecessary stress that we can avoid if we know how to stay away. Yes, family and friends are important — but at the end of the day, so is your happiness. Your wedding day is stressful enough even if most things go according to plan. When you're paying attention to details and coordinating feedback, it can be easy to lose sight of having fun.

No matter if it's your first or fifth wedding, the below guide is full of tips that I'm sure will help everyone have a great time at your wedding.

Prioritize the Essentials

Throughout the wedding process, you may open yourself to experiencing high levels of stress but you don’t have it let it overwhelm you.  

Your wedding day is for one thing and one thing only: enjoying yourself with your friends and family. If you're constantly worrying about whether the flowers are perfect or if the DJ is playing the right music, you may get caught stressing over endless details, leading to an unpleasant experience.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't ensure everything is  perfect to what you envisioned. However, you could shift your priorities, so they're focused on what matters most.

Don't sweat the small stuff when it comes to the details — you'll have more than enough budgeting and scheduling to deal with as it is. Prioritize the essentials and sort them out early on to avoid last-minute stress 😵💫. It will also help you stick to your budget by identifying what is the most important and allocating funds accordingly. For example, if great food is important to you, invest in a caterer with rave reviews. Check out our list of 8 genius wedding tips that can help you save money here.

Make Time for Yourself

Wedding planning can lead to stress and exhaustion, which can show up on your face and skin. Practice self-care. A massage, a facial or even a manicure and pedicure in a spa setting can do wonders for your stress levels 💅. If you can't afford a spa treatment, settle into the tub from time to time.  A nice bath with some soothing music playing in the background can melt stress away.

You will also look your best if you are well-rested. When planning your wedding, you may have things on your mind more than getting proper rest. Go to bed early and get at least 8 hours of sleep per night leading up to the wedding ceremony to ensure that you are well rested for your special day.

Take some time to meditate (or do yoga). Meditating—or taking five minutes to slow down and breathe—can help alleviate stress levels.

On the morning of your wedding, when the nerves are likely to be at their highest, there are a few simple things you can do to elevate your mood and make sure you're as calm and collected as possible for the big day.

1. Take a quick walk around your neighbourhood or get in a short run. Even 20 minutes of exercise will help reduce stress levels by releasing endorphins that improve your mood and stave off anxiety.

2. Smile (even if it feels forced) and laugh (even if it feels fake). You'll find that the more you smile, the better you'll feel — I promise! It's actually physically impossible to feel down while smiling.

3. Listen to some upbeat music! Music has been scientifically proven to affect our moods and emotions, so use this knowledge to your advantage by playing some tunes that will help keep you smiling all day long.

4. Surround yourself with people who make you happy! This could be anyone from your mom or sister to someone in your wedding party who always makes you laugh, or even just someone that gives off great vibes.  

Plan B

If you're thinking about a Plan B, it's because you've done your homework and you know that things can go wrong. Predicting the future is beyond the scope of our powers, but we do know one thing: rain happens ☔. And if you're having a garden wedding or an outdoor reception, there's no way around it.

So, what do you do? You have a plan B. In this case, it's as simple as renting a tent, which can be done at most wedding rental places. But what if it rains and there are thunderstorms? The answer is: you still get married.

The point here is that things may go wrong on your wedding day — maybe not thunderstorms or earthquakes, but sometimes things may happen to throw your best laid plans out of whack. But that doesn't mean your day will be ruined.

That's why it's important to have a Plan B (and maybe even C, D and E) in mind for every aspect of your big day. Check out or genius hacks that can help you prepare for your wedding here.

Here are a few ideas:

• Create an emergency kit with Advil, Band-Aids, clear nail polish and other essentials.
• Have someone in charge of managing any last-minute issues (caterer running late? let your planner know).
• Choose a venue that has an indoor space in case of rain (or snow!).
• Have more than one vendor lined up in case someone drops out last minute. Reschedule with another vendor as soon as possible.

Stay Connected

It’s easy to get swept up in the planning process. Determining your budget, picking a venue, and deciding on a colour palette can all be overwhelming. Even with the help of friends, family, and vendors, you can find yourself losing sight of what’s actually important — the marriage.

It’s likely that you have heard the phrase “it’s just one day” from well-meaning loved ones. The truth is a wedding is so much more than one day. It represents the love you share and the life you're about to start together. The key to focusing on what really matters is to build reminders into your planning process so that when you find yourself fretting over little details, you remember why it all matters.

Stay connected with your fiancé. It's easy to lose sight of each other in the midst of all of the wedding planning madness, so make an effort to stay connected with your fiancé by planning "no wedding talk" time or going on a date (even if it's just to take a quick walk around the block). Your relationship is what brought you this far and is worth investing in 💕.

Just remember to take a breath and enjoy this moment with your fiancée. Remember why you’re doing this in the first place – it’s not about having the “perfect day.” The point of all this is to spend your lives together, so don’t let anything get in between that!

Delegate

Wedding planning is not meant to be a one-person operation. Call your mom, dad, bridesmaids or anyone else that wants to help your big day go as smooth as possible! With fewer tedious tasks to complete, you’ll have more time and energy to focus on what is the most important to you.

Now that you’ve got your squad in place, it’s time to decide how you want to divvy up responsibilities. Here are some tasks you can delegate to your bridal party and family:

Deal with the small stuff. ‍

‍Delegate small tasks like finding addresses for invitations or picking up food at the grocery store to friends who might not have time during their workday but would love an excuse to see how far along everything has come along in planning mode.

Organize a bridal shower.

A shower is a great way for your loved ones to get together, celebrate your upcoming nuptials and give you awesome gifts. And if you don’t want the traditional tea party-style bridal shower, then don’t have one! Today, showers can be held anywhere from restaurants to breweries to art galleries.

Put together wedding favours.

This is an easy project for your family and friends that doesn’t require a lot of time or expertise. Plus, it will save you money 💰!

Handle RSVPs.

Whether that means writing thank-you notes or sending reminders to guests who haven’t yet responded, this task is perfect for someone who loves detail work and has time on their hands (think: retired grandparents or stay-at-home moms). Evstry is a great tool that allows you to track RSVPs, manage your cash registry, and send thank-you notes all in one digital platform, making it that much easier on whoever you delegated the task to! Check out our blog post on how to avoid gift theft and keep your gifts safe and secure here.

Relax—Not Everything Can be Controlled  

Your wedding is a celebration. If you're stressed, it's difficult to have fun. That's why it's essential to have a few methods at your disposal to keep the stress at bay.

Let things go!

You may have the best intentions and want everything to go smoothly, but that won't always happen. It's important to realize this before the big day and be okay with it. You can only control so much and there will be surprises that can throw you off course. The key is to relax and realize that not everything can be controlled. The best thing you can do in a tough situation is remain calm and deal with it with a smile.

Don't sweat the small stuff!

There are some things that happen at weddings that aren't ideal, but they aren't important enough for you or your guests to notice or mind them happening. If something goes wrong during your ceremony, it won't matter if you don't bring attention to it. You might even get a laugh out of it later on!

Don’t let the stress get to you. Your wedding day is supposed to be one of the most memorable days of your life, so make sure it’s for the right reasons. If things go awry, remember that everyone came to gather and celebrate with you. You're not performing for a group of critics or trying to solve the world's problems, so take a deep breath and have some fun!

Don't forget to visit www.evstry.com and follow us on Instagram to learn more about how we are making gifting and planning easier on you.

Love,

Evstry Blogs 💍