Fall is here, which means less than a year until the 2018 summer wedding season begins. Wedding planning doesn’t have to take years, and it definitely doesn’t need to be stressful. By booking your wedding events with Paradise Charter Cruises today, you can be on your way to planning your dream wedding for next summer. That’s right!
Here are seven more ways you can quickly and efficiently plan the wedding of your dreams in under a year.
Setting the Priorities: What To Do In The First Month
Before heading out to try on dresses or order flowers, meet with your fiancé and create a list of important must’s for your wedding.
- Set your budget! There’s nothing more frustrating that realizing too late that you are over budget.
- Book your ceremony and reception sites ASAP to ensure you get the date and venue you want. If you chose Paradise Charter Cruises for your wedding events, you’ll say “I Do” in the Bohemian Flats Wedding Gazebo, but you’ll also have to choose if you want your reception aboard the Paradise Lady or the Minneapolis Queen.
- Book your photographer
- Book your DJ or musicians
- Arrange to meet with your officiant
Ask For Help: 6-9 Months before the Big Day
The first rule to stress free wedding planning is delegation. If it’s in your budget, hire a wedding planner to help you smooth out all the details and keep track of the to-do list. The Knot marketplace lists over 200 wedding planners serving the Minneapolis area.
If you decide not to hire a wedding planner, enlist your bridal party and other friends or family to help. To stay organized, assign specific tasks to each person – so no two people overlap tasks. For example, delegate one friend to handle the RSVP list or another friend to help stuff all of the invitations. Remember, many hands make light work!
Stress-free Dress Shopping
Shopping for a wedding dress can be a dream come true – or a nightmare of stress. Because many boutique shops want 4-6 months to tailor make a dress, this can definitely put a crunch when planning a wedding in under a year. Your best bet is to look for a dress as soon as you can to allow for extra time for alterations if needed. If you are low on time, Watters has a “quick delivery line”. Don’t forget, you can even rent a dress from Rent the Runway.
Minimize the Pinterest-Inspired DIY
There’s no denying that the Pinterest goddesses create gorgeous weddings, but all those DIY projects take a lot of time. If you are short on time, it’s best to pass on the DIY (or at least the majority of them) and delegate projects like flower arrangements and invitation making to the professionals.
Don’t Forget the Legalities
Wedding planning is definitely fun, but don’t forget to do the paperwork aspect too! Marriage licenses must be obtained at least 5 days prior getting married in Minnesota. If you can add more of a cushion, get your license a month or two ahead of time to eliminate any last minute problems – like the license getting lost in the mail 5 days before the wedding! Talk about a major stressor!
Last Minute Details
When it comes to the last week before the wedding and the Wedding Weekend, the best way to stay organized and calm is to create a detailed schedule. Include details like who will pick up the flowers and when, when the bridal party is expected to be ready for pictures (and where to meet), who is in charge of the checks for paying the vendors, and even who is riding in what car, etc. If every to-do item has a scheduled time to be completed, you’ll never run around feeling like you’re forgetting something; simply check your list and be on your way. Print out several copies and hand them to all relevant individuals.
Enjoy Each Moment!
Being engaged is such a relatively short season of your life; try to slow down enough to enjoy the whole process!