So your hunny finally popped the question? CONGRATS! Now the fun begins!

The old myth that planning a wedding is a huge, stressful pain in the butt comes from the old days. Back when weddings were the event of a lifetime and their planning was rooted in obligation and traditions. This is no longer the case. Weddings have taken a turn and can now be whatever you want them to be! Just make sure to have a plan of attack, use the resources available to you and ask for help and this part of the process can be as enjoyable as the wedding itself ;)

Below are 10 tips from someone who has seen and done it all and is currently planning my own stress free and effortless wedding. So grab a glass of wine and a notepad and let’s jump in!

Stress Free Micro Wedding, Boulder Colorado

10 Best Stress Free Wedding Planning Tips…

1.Dream It!

In the simplest terms, know what you want. Sit down with your hunny and have a heart to heart. Have you always wanted a big wedding filled with friends and family? A black tie affair? Small casual gathering at a pub? Elopement in Mexicio? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to be pronounced wed while rounding the last loop on a rollercoaster? No matter what it is, this day is about you two, so get on the same page. The possibilities are endless so create a vision and then you can dive in!

2. Budget.

Don’t let your wedding put you in massive debt. This may just be my opinion but that is no way to start off a life of bliss with your babe. Know what you have spend and where you can splurge and still be comfortable. Find out if any family members plan to offer help or cover any costs and if not, know what your finances look like and where you may have some wiggle room. And ALWAYS leave wiggle room!

3. Get a Planner!

This is by far the easiest way to make your wedding planning as easy and stress free as possible. I mean having someone else do the leg work for you? What could be easier? You may not think it’s within your budget but there are planners out on there for every type of bride that specialize in every type of wedding. Not sure where to start? Do a quick instagram search for hashtags related to wedding planning in your area and send out some messages. Make sure to include your budget and be up front. This will help make sure no time is wasted on yours or the planners end.

4. Prioritize.

Once you know what your dream wedding looks like, and what you can spend, prioritize what is most important and handle those first!

a) Venue. These can book up years in advance, and will traditionally be one of the largest chunks of money you spend.

This can also set the tone for so many aspects of your wedding day. The decorations, time of day, guestlist list, even thedate itself! Do this first…

b) Photographer. Same as venue, some photographers will book up years in advance especially for prime wedding dates. There will be photographers in all price ranges but know what you can spend. Don’t cheap out on this expense. And Im not just saying that to make a buck. The pictures are the one thing you will have for you and your kids and your kids kids to look back on and relive your day. besides that, your photographer will be with you from start to finish and will be involved with planning for sometimes years in advance. This isn’t just a vendor. this person will become your best friend if done right. The whole experience and service provided is HUGE and making sure you have the right person handling this giant responsibility and keeping things rolling and you happy on this super important day is worth the splurge!

If you know what you like, but don’t have your perfect photog in mind, do a hashtag search on instagram or a google search for your area! See pictures you like? Reach out! Include your wedding date and budget and you will know when you’ve found the right one.

c) Music! This is SO important if you are having a reception. Band or DJ? Do you have someone in mind or still searching? Great tip is to check out local bar/club event lists. Check out a local wedding planning groups on FB and ask for recommendations! Lots of local artists frequent these pages and will speak up of your search matches what they offer!

d)Food and Booze. Picking a caterer is usually one of the less stressful decisions but it never hurts to know what costs look like and get all of the information as soon as you have date and venue locked down. Some venues will work exclusively with certain caterers or offer catering themselves which can take this stress off of your plate completely. If not, the venue will usually have some recommendations for you…

5. Start Early.

It is literally never too early to start planning and booking. As mentioned above, some vendors will book up YEARS in advance. Especially if you are wanting to get married on a weekend in prime wedding season, don’t put it off. Procrastination is not your friend here. The closer your day gets, the more you will freak out. It’s inevitable. The more you have locked down and planned out, the less there will be to stress over and you can just take a deep breath and battle your normal level of anxiety without an overwhelming to do list hanging over your head.

I personally had the venue, photographer, dress, furniture rental, Band, food and guest list all set in stone and booked more than a year in advance. Everyone kept asking me how wedding planning was going and I could confidently say “Almost all done!” with more than a full year to spare!

Literally the ONLY time I will say not to do as much as possible as soon as possible is if you are wishy washy on what you actually want. Most vendors will require non refundable deposits so if you think you will change your mind 10 times or feel like you are settling on some choices, best to hold off until you are completely sure you have found the perfect options.

6.Use Your Resources.

Don’t have a wedding planner? While anyone in the industry will highly recommend, if it’s not something you can afford, know where to go to get the help you need. Planning a wedding is a lot. there are checklists galore! Good news? Its a HUGE industry so no matter where you are getting married or what kind of day you are envisioning, there will be Pinterest boards and blog posts (Hey! Like this one!) and so many other resources you can use to help.

Besides the usual google searches and social media, use our vendors! Sometimes venues will offer a coordinator or have planners on staff. your photographer, stylist, caterer, and officiant have all done this countless times and probably have a wealth of knowledge they are more than willing to share with you, so ask! they can recommend other vendors, give yo their Do’s and Don’ts and offer advice on everything from how to budget to teh days timeline.

7.On That Note, Get Your Photographer Involved In The Planning!

This may be a selfish tip but stick with me. Your wedding pictures aren’t cheap and when the day is over, they and your memories will be all you have to take with you. Use your photographers expertise to make sure you get the best possible shots and all of the pictures that are most important to you. Your photographer can tell you what time of day, light and background will make for the bets photos and can you their experience to suggest a flow that will allow for some amazing photos will minimal interruption to your day. I personally do as much as I can to help plan the days timeline based on what is most important to my brides. This includes talking with vendors, family members and even attending venue visits and the rehearsal if needed. Your day will go by so fast so I want you to be focused on enjoying every minute knowing the plan is set and everyone is on the same page so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

8. Deligate.

You can’t do it alone. And this is coming from a one woman show, LOL. Use your people. Ask for help. Even if you are like me and hate to inconvenience others with your needs, I promise, those who love you are thrilled to be a part of this. Think of it this way… you are the main event. On this day, you are the headliner and people love to be VIPs. Get them involved! Have your bridesmaids and best friends help with making calls or crafts. Start Pinterest boards so mom can share her ideas and feel heard. Maybe you’ll get some new ideas and advice, maybe you’ll get some real hands on help to make it all go a bit smoother and at the very least, the people who want to feel involved will and everyone will be happy and stop bugging you.

And DO NOT forget your boo! there is usually one person super invested and one just going through the motions. Keep them in the loop. I guarantee you they are into it but if they are anything like my fiancé, he knows I have the vision and the eye and wants me to run with it and make it perfect. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be involved and doesn’t want to help, he just doesn’t know what to do. Give them a list. Give specific tasks. Ask yes/no questions about options. This is after all about the both of you. Tackle it as a team and you will be both be proud of what you can make happen when you work together.

9. Personalize.

Every single wedding I’ve been to either as a photographer, bridal party or guest has been 100% different and unique. This tells me that everyone has their own ideas about what makes the perfect wedding. Everyone has different priorities and traditions. What you want for your day will most likely not be what everyone would choose for their day. That is totally OK! People tend to think their ideas and opinions are best and will let you know it. Be prepared to stand your ground. Make this day exactly what you and your babe want. You will need to look back and remember this day with love and fondness and no regrets. This will be so much easier if you don’t cave to the whim of everyone around you with an opinion.

Don’t get me wrong. there are things you should keep in mind and compromise on. If you are having guests, especially elderly or children, make sure you take their comfort into consideration. If Mom and Dad are paying for the venue and the first dance is the most important thing to them, maybe make sure they get that moment. But be sure that your willingness to take other’s ideas into consideration doesn’t go so far that you lose yourself and the things you want.

If you have trouble pushing back, keep your plans close to the chest. designate one fried or family member you can trust and keep everyone else in the dark. Then you can plan your day free of judgement and know you were true to yourself.

10. Do A First Look! Just Do It!!!

So many people say they don’t want this moment because they want the aisle walk to be filled with genuine emotion. Let me explain why seeing each other before the ceremony can make the aisle walk and so many other moments of your day even sweeter.

a) Nerves. The aisle walk is a high pressure situation. So many eyes on you. Dads. Moms. Officiant. That one aunt that can’t believe you wore THAT! You are remembering queues, keeping up with time, locking eyes with everyone that matters and trying to feel ALL THE THINGS. yes its emotional but all of this could get in the way of you both expressing the hugeness of the moment properly. Doing a first look with just you two and your photographer will give you the perfect opportunity to feel these things together without all eyes on you and capture them perfectly without all of the pressure and the audience. I guarantee you will get more pure emotions this way and some incredible photos out of it!

b) This is really about the two of you. And it goes by so fast and becomes about the party and the guests. Take as many moments alone as you can. This may be one of the few chances you have to just be in the moment together. Enjoy it.

c) By seeing each other earlier you can get couples, bridal party and maybe even family photos out of the way and can jump right into enjoying your guests and your party after your ceremony! This will make for more time to just enjoy yourself and really soak up the magic of the day.

Bonus tip: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

The most important piece of advice I can give you on your wedding day and for all the planning leading up to it is to remember the big picture. What is this all about? It’s about you celebrating your love for your person. It’s about including your friends and family in on that celebration. Its about good food, good music, good people and feeling a little bit fancy for one day. It’s not about table settings and party favors. These things are lovely and definitely ad to the aesthetic and ambiance of the day, but 10, 20, 50 years from now you won’t remember the napkins, your lipstick or the little signs for the cupcakes. You will remember the feeling you had when you saw the tears in your dads eyes. You will remember laughing as you danced the night away and you will remember the day two became one surrounded by love and happiness. Don’t let stressing over minor details that won’t matter tomorrow get in the way of all the magic this day will bring!

Let your photographer capture all the moments, big and small so that the important stuff can live on forever!