How to find time to plan your wedding

By Taylor Oddino

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this past year working with Teri, it’s that the wedding planning process should be three things: fun, simple and family-oriented. She’s all about simplifying the process to make it a fun journey for a family to go on, together.

With my sister Makenzie becoming engaged this past winter, I’ve really reflected on this. I want to help make this process as stress-free and fun as possible for her. I want to be there for her – and have fun while doing it! But she’s so busy! She is currently in an intense 500-hour yoga teacher certification course, works two jobs (sometimes both in the same day!) and still manages to spend time with her fiancé Alec, best friend Marissa and our family. This got me thinking – how the heck do you find time to plan a wedding?! Read these tips on making time to plan your dream day.

Start Early!

If there’s one tip out of all of these that you take to heart – let it be this one! You will have so much more fun if you start early and plan well. More often than not, things take time. Those dress alterations? Yeah those are going to take three weeks longer than expected. Your ring resizing? The jeweler needs a couple more days. Don’t leave everything until a couple weeks before the wedding. Make a plan and get on it! You’ll enjoy the process so much more if you’re not under a time crunch.

While You Wait

What does wedding planning look like to you? It does not have to be an organized event that you’ve penciled-in on your planner. It can happen anywhere, anytime! For example, I was out at dinner with my family last night and while we were waiting for food to arrive my sister pulled out her wedding guest list (side note – it was ripped in half by her fiancé, Alec, because he was frustrated with how many people are on the list – we have HUGE families – it was so cute!). In the doctor’s office, while you’re waiting for a client to show up to a meeting, waiting for the subway, in line at Starbucks or while you wait for a table at a restaurant – these are all times when you can be doing planning my friend!

While You Workout

Now this one can be challenging. It’s hard to plan and do the Pilates 100 at the same time. But if you’re on the treadmill or stationary bike, why not squeeze some planning in? Not only will you be getting fit for your wedding, but also you’ll be getting some planning done!

At Lunch

Another time you can squeeze in some planning in is during your lunch break at work. As you nibble on your avocado salad you can be setting up a meeting with the caterer!

Carve Out A Few Minutes

This one might not work for everyone, but you can try carving out specific times each day (or every other day, or what have you) to get some planning done. Whether you commit to the first 15 minutes of your day each morning, or the last 20 minutes of your day before you shut the light off for bed. Doing little bits like this each day can simplify the process and make you feel like you’re making good progress on a continual basis.

Goal Setting

After starting early, this is the most important piece of advice. Goal setting will be crucial for you for getting things planned in a timely, stress-free manner. Here are some questions to consider: What date do you want invitations made by? What day do you want addresses collected by? On what date do you want to send out your invites? What day do you want to have your menu finalized with the caterer? What day do you want to have your cake picked out by? Setting goals really will help you have a fun, stress-free and simple wedding planning experience.

What other tips do you guys have? Share your knowledge with others on how in the world you found time to plan a wedding – comment below!