Top Tips For Managing Stress and Planning a Successful Wedding

1. Scope out the parking situation ahead of time. Many venues have worked out deals with parking lots and garages in close proximity. Make sure your guests know which ones to use so you aren’t dealing with parking tickets on your wedding day.

2. Involve friends and family in your special day. Reduce your stress by ensuring that your close family friends feel special and involved. Put together a list of close family and friends you think will be happy to assist with set-up and tear-down and then assign them specific duties.

3. Set up an account on TheKnot.com. This comprehensive wedding website has tools and tips to keep you on track and organized during the planning process of your wedding. With free tools like a budget calculator, guest list generator and sample timeline, this website is my favorite for keeping you organized.

4. Make sure your dress and veil are available the day before your wedding. Some cleaners send out veils and dresses for cleanings and pressings, a quick call to your preferred vendor will ensure that your beautiful attire stays in the city with no surprises on your big day.

5. Create an hour by hour time-line, beginning with breakfast. A simple breakfast will start you off on the right foot and keep you going through the morning set-up and prep. A timeline, including hair and make-up time, set-up time, drive-time and vendor arrival times will help keep you organized and on schedule.

6. Don’t forget to apply for a marriage license. Washington State law requires a 3 day waiting period between your wedding date and the application date and the license is only good for 60 days. You can apply in person, or by mail to: King County Marriage Licenses, 500 4th Avenue, Room 403, Seattle, WA 98104 – include the $64 dollar fee with your application. [http://www.metrokc.gov/lars/marriage/]

7. Pre-schedule a final walk-through and meeting with your caterer and venue director. Many caterers and venue directors will require a meeting to finalize details, but some will not. If your vendors have not contacted you for this very important meeting, make sure you take the initiative to set one up.

8. Schedule some time to yourself in the week leading up to the wedding. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself! You don’t want to head into your wedding day with pent up tension and stress -just a few hours of downtime can make all the difference.

9. Save your budget and sanity – hire a professional. Planning an event as important as your wedding is a daunting and time consuming job. A professional wedding coordinator has the experience and connections to get you the best rates and to make sure that everything goes exactly as planned. Spend your wedding day enjoying your partner, friends and family, not worrying about whether or not the flowers are being delivered on time!

Authentic Affairs is a full service wedding and event design and coordination firm. We work with you on everything from budget management to guest list maintenance, designing the perfect details to make your wedding pop. Owner of Authentic Affairs, Anna Cronin brings four years of experience planning weddings and events, as well as a keen knack for details and an eye for the creative and unique. Her calm and focused approach to coordination puts guests at ease and ensures a smooth and stress free wedding.