Step one:  Those who fail to plan, plan for failure.

Obviously this one goes without saying, but there genuinely is not a lot of time on your genuine wedding day. Therefore the devil is in the details and those details need to be carefully planned out as quickly as possible. Even if you don’t end up using all of the plans you created, at
least you will give yourself the option of having several back ups should something not go as planned.

Step two: Surround yourself with people who have your best interests in mind.

You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with, in particular for an event that requires so much preparation and thoughtful execution.  Therefore it is significant to surround yourself with people who have your best interests at heart.  These people will tell you if you’re picking bad bridesmaid dresses, if you’re obsessing over an insignificant part of the menu, for example.

Step three: Listen to those people.

 This follows closely behind step 2; you need to in truth listen to the people you have surrounded yourself with.  After all, what good is advice if it falls on a deaf ear? Sometimes when you are so involved  in the planning of your wedding you become focused on something totally  unimportant and forget the important; it is during these times that the people serving you with your wedding will be the most important .

Step four: Stick to the game plan.

 Once you make a plan stick to it. After all, what was the use of planning all of that detail if you just throw it out the window at the last minute? Often things will come up that you debate are better than what you originally organized, but last-minute changes can add additional levels of ramification toward what is already a very complicated event; therefore to keep things as simple as possible, stick to the original game plan.

Step five: Roll with the Punches.

 Sometimes you just can’t stick to the original game plan; things come up that can’t be avoided, and that’s okay.  Learn to adapt to avoid particular stress that you don’t need.

Step six: Leave it to the pros when possible.

 Unless you’re a professional chef you probably have no business trying to cater your own wedding.  If costs are an matter and you can’t afford to have your wedding catered, then recruit some friends who really delight cooking and have them do the catering for you.  The moral of this story is to avoid problems that you don’t need . Leave tasks like catering and flower arrangement to the experts. Most important is to find a quality celebrant who will tailor the ceremory to your needs.

Step seven: Know your budget.

You won’t enjoy your wedding if you end up poor afterwards; so know how much you want to spend and use this as a template for planning what type of ceremony and amenities you want included with the wedding.

Step seven and a half: Make peace with your budget.

 Not everyone can afford a multi-million dollar blowout, and that’s okay.  It’s not the size of the wedding that makes it special so keep your chin up and don’t feel bad on your big day that you couldn’t afford two dozen white roses as a centerpiece for every table.

Step eight: Plan personal.

Your wedding day is a deeply personal event and the ceremony should ruminate that.  Make the event as personal as possible in order to create the fondest memories of what should be one of your happiest days.

Step nine: Delegate the big day.

 When the day comes for the actual wedding take a step back and realize that the people who you chose to help you know what they’re doing and want to do their best.  To avoid stress and unnecessary complications become comfortable with the fact that you need to delegate away all the small problems that can spring up on the big day.

Step ten: slow down and enjoy.

It’s your wedding! Take a deep breather and enjoy yourself.  However much hard work and organization have led up to this day, now is the time to go with the flow and live it to the fullest. Laugh at the glitches and concentrate on the deeper substance of why you are there and what you are celebrating. The memories you create will warm your heart for years to come.