There’s no guarantee you can have a stress-free wedding, but there is plenty you can do to make things run more smoothly and give you a little more room to enjoy your big day.

Exceeding your budget

You can’t always get what you want. In the world of weddings, trying to get everything can mean a nasty credit card bill once the big day is in the rearview mirror.

For most of us, a dream wedding must be married with a reality-based budget. So what do you do?

• Be patient, but don’t settle. Impulse shopping is bad enough at the grocery store; you don’t want to make an impulse choice about your dress, rings, or venue. Enjoy the excitement of finding what might be the perfect addition to your wedding, but then do some more research to ensure it’s truly the best choice within your budget.
• Find alternatives. Does it need to be Champagne or could it be more-affordable sparkling wine? Is there a knock-off version of the dress or shoes you love? The time you spend on research might just save you enough to buy the next piece of your dream.

Overall, always make sure to keep track of your budget. As exciting as your wedding is, your entire life together will be even better.

Having no Plan B

Sometimes you don’t realize how stressed you’ve been until something goes wrong on your wedding day. Yes! It happens, even after the heavy planning and effort you have put into it. Save some of that last-minute freak-out by creating back-up plans for the most important pieces of your big day.

One of the mistakes many people make is not being ready for the worst. An example would be having the most beautiful outdoor wedding planned, only to find out the morning of that a thunderous hail storm is forecast to hit during the ceremony. Not only do you need a Plan B ready to go, but also make sure you have someone in charge of enacting it (someone who isn’t getting married that day!).

In addition to having those plans in place, do your best to mentally prepare yourself, too. Expect that things rarely go “perfectly.” Decide ahead of time how you will react if a guest does something upsetting, or a loved one’s speech turns out to be boring, or the photographer shows up late. The more you can do to be prepared, the more likely you are to be relaxed in the moment.

Leaving the rings until the end

Your wedding rings are two of the most tangible pieces of your wedding day in the long-term. Yet, sometimes they can be overlooked amidst all the planning. In some cases, that means you end up with a pair of rings that you bought on a whim, instead of out of love.

Remember, your rings represent eternity and will be with you for a lifetime. Give them the time they deserve, even if that means waiting until after the wedding to choose them. Need some help choosing your wedding rings? Start here.