How to plan a stress-free and happy wedding day

Some useful advice on ways to plan a stress-free and happy wedding day.

You may not need (or want) all of these suggestions, but they're all pretty good.

The best way to have a stress-free wedding is to keep it simple and relaxed. There’s plenty of room for any unique style in simplicity. Really, your wedding day is about your love for each other and sharing that with friends. Your guests may have been to many weddings and we bet that the ones they remember and enjoyed the most are the relaxed, effortless, filled with love, laughter and good times weddings. You probably want to spend as much time having fun with everyone as possible. You also want to worry about the important things (eg: champagne or the home brew especially made for the wedding). Not whether you’ve got enough time to go to the bathroom before the location photos!

Plan ahead.

Micro managing everything on your wedding day is not cool. It will stress you out and soon the day will be over and you’ll wonder where it went. Being relaxed slows time down and is way more enjoyable! (pretty sure that's a scientific fact). Have everything planned before the day and leave nothing to guess work. Yet be prepared to be flexible. Basically, organise the hell out of the day and then enjoy and relax, not the other way around.

Delegate.

Even if you are a self-confessed control freak, don’t think you can do everything yourself. You can't, and shouldn't have to. If organisation and reliability is not in your best mate/ brides maid/ groomsmen's nature. Find someone who does have those attributes to help with the planning and bits and pieces on the day, so they can say “Leave it to me”.  And then of course, you’re just going to have to trust them!

Consider a wedding planner.

Especially if you are having a large wedding. Most people don’t really understand what they do and what value they can add to your day. Even if you think you can’t afford one, do yourself a favour and just contact one and have a chat. You’ll be amazed at how they can make your day, and the lead up to it, way better than you can. No offence.

Trust the professionals you have paid good money to.

There’s no point paying thousands of dollars if you’re going to do all the work for them. Of course you'll have some awesome ideas to make the day yours, but might as well milk them for all  their expertise and experience. They may also be able to recommend florists, photographers, caters, cars and shoe shops, or others in the industry.  Weddings are their business. Making your wedding unique is yours.

Let your wedding photographer help schedule your day.

Do this early in your planning. They are highly skilled professionals who know everything about creating a schedule that will be relaxed yet get everything done. They can give advice on when you should have all your hair and makeup finished, when the reception should start, and how many/ what locations to choose for your photos, and so much more.

Allow a little more time than you think.

Take the rush out of everything. Seriously, can't stress this one enough. Add a few minutes to each and every part of the day.

Give yourself a treat the day before the wedding.

Even if you’ve still got 99 things (but a man ain't one) on your To Do list, go treat yourself. Reset yourself, turn up fresh on the day!

Remember why you’re getting married.

If everything turns to custard and you’re wondering what the point is, turn to your partner and grab a hug. Now that’s what I'm talking about!

One of the best things about having your wedding on the Kapiti Coast is that you won’t need to travel away from your ceremony/reception area to have your photos done. It also lends itself to a very relaxed environment (things are always more chilled up the coast). So many gorgeous places to choose from that are close to each other means your guests won’t be too wasted by the time you join back in, well fingers crossed. Lastly, grab some Rescue Remedy !