5 Ways To Avoid Wedding Planning Burnout

5 Ways To Avoid Wedding Planning Burnout - Eternity

5 Ways To Avoid Wedding Planning Burnout

12th May 2023

Wedding planning burnout is a thing. Quite a major thing, unfortunately.

Preparing for your wedding can be one of the most memorable and exciting moments in your life. However, the wedding planning process can become overwhelming and stressful if you do not take care of yourself and protect yourself from wedding planning burnout.

As a South Asian bride, you may feel additional pressure to maintain cultural traditions and meet the expectations of family members. To help you navigate through this process without burning out, we have compiled five tips that can help you stay organised, focused, and centred.

BE REALISTIC

One of the most critical things to keep in mind while planning your wedding is to be realistic about your goals, expectations and most of all your wedding dream preferences. Planning a wedding can be an extensive process with many moving parts, so it’s important to prioritise what is important to you. So how can do you start?

Your wishlist

Start by making a list of everything you want to accomplish, including your wishes, priorities, and concerns, and your partners. It’s important for you both to understand each other and be on the same page whilst wedding planning. It could be as simple as partner A’s priority being: DJ & catering, and partner B’s priority being: DJ, MUA & priest.

There will be some overlaps and some difference – think of it like a wedding Venn diagram.

Your families wishlist

Make another list that includes all wishes, ideas and concerns of the family. Picture another wedding Venn diagram – you will again have some overlaps and some differences.

Create a moodboard

Finally, create an initial mood board of how you see the wedding dream. Pinterest is a great source to collect ideas. Once you have your list and moodboard, take a step back and evaluate it realistically, research how much it would all cost and then you may need to adjust your expectations, timeline, or budget to make everything work.

You may also be aware and prepare for the delicate conversations may arise with family members during this time. It’s also important to recognise that not everything will go according to plan. Unexpected challenges will definitely arise during the wedding planning process, so be prepared to pivot and adjust as needed.

By being realistic and flexible. At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is constantly communicate with your family, partner or friends.

CREATE A SUPPORT SYSTEM

Self care Sundays, seriously.

Planning a wedding is always going to be a stressful and emotional time, so it’s essential to have a support system in place. Take time off from wedding planning and work life to focus on self-care & your lifestyle. Disconnect to reconnect with yourself by turning off your mobile phone and doing activities that bring you joy and relaxation. This could be anything from a long shower or spa day to a fun intimate dinner with friends or yoga class.

Your loved ones

In addition to taking care of yourself, lean on your family and friends for support and care.

Once you created your final to-do list, it’s important to delegate tasks to family and friends. Delegating tasks can be a game-changer and can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed or burned out.

But beware! Choose your family members and friends wisely, and assign tasks based on their strengths and abilities. Remember to communicate your expectations clearly and set clear deadlines to ensure that everything gets done in a timely manner, and with their support can achieve this.

Honestly, it’s good to manage your own expectations as well. We’ve all had it where a best friend or a cousin says “let me know how I can help!”, followed by *silence*. Lots of couples expect their friends & family to be super involved or responsive at times, and end up disappointed or falling out with their loved ones in the process.

Navigating relationships & suppliers

Remember, weddings can bring out the best and worst in people, so it’s important to navigate relationships carefully, especially when cultural traditions and family expectations are involved. Be observant on how to change your communication in the relationships from different generations, tone of voice and choice of words plays a key role.

When communicating with different vendors, include a family or friend who will see a different perspectives that you may not have considered and support to gain clarity to decision-making.

Rejuvenate

Finally, rejuvenate your love by spending quality time with your partner. Have a date night that does not include talking about the wedding. It’s about reminding yourself of your commitments and love for each other. It can be easy to get caught up with the wedding, scheduling “us” time in, giving both of you the time to talk about what got you both together in the first place.

Building memories during this process, as you go through weddings, if feeling exhausted, it can be easy to create arguments. Spending “no wedding talk” and spending it with each other always connects you back to the essence of your love for each other. Plus, those moments will can also be an opportunity to openly communicate with each other. Staying steady in communicating can strengthen your relationship, post-wedding.

Plus, spending romantic time together, will keep it exciting to build up to the honeymoon!

STAY ORGANISED

Share your wedding

As the planning of your wedding progresses, so will the paperwork. Organising 3 to 5 events alone can be very overwhelming and you can get lost in the journey. It’s advisable to keep track of all the details, and it’s essential to have a good setup right from the start. Staying organising =peace of mind.

One of the best ways to stay organised is to keep a file on the computer or wedding binder to keep track of the different proposals, agreements, sketches, contracts, and emails.

You also want to take full advantage of the Eternity UK planner app which has a plethora of suppliers who can guide you and make the process more manageable as well as support you in planning, track your progress, and stay on top of the deadlines, making sure that nothing falls through the cracks.

The app is also great in helping you keep track of deadlines, organise your guest list and schedule easier with your daily life away from the wedding planning process. Staying on top in an easy and accessible way will avoid any misunderstandings and miscommunications with vendors and family members. By sharing your planning with family members and planners everyone is on the “same page”.

It will help you to stay on top of everything and avoid any last-minute surprises during the wedding ocassions.

TOP TIP
When using our wedding planning portal, you can 'share' your wedding with your loved ones for free!

LEARN TO SAY NO

It’s natural to want to please everyone, especially during such an important event in your life. However, it’s essential to set boundaries and learn to say no when needed.

This can be challenging, particularly when dealing with delicate conversations about budgeting, traditions, and expectations differences. While these conversations are an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your partner.

Clarity on expectations and being open to discuss the pro’s and cons of each problem and solution. It’s essential to communicate with your partner about what you both want and prioritise together. The more you are on the same page, the easier it will be to navigate through any challenges that come your way. Both of you establishing reflect support for each other by finding the best way to communicate respectfully to all family members.

Remember when communicating your boundaries and being clear about your expectations, also express gratitude. Thank your family and friends for their understanding and support, to keep their spirits up. Remember that it’s your wedding day, and ultimately you get to decide what’s best for you and your partner. Saying no is saying yes to your own vision and what you believe is right for your special day.

REMEMBER THE BIGGER PICTURE

Remember the bigger picture. The wedding day is about celebrating the love and commitment you share with your partner. It’s a day that you’ll always want to remember. It’s easy to get caught up in the details and forget about what the day is all about. Don’t let small issues ruin your special day. Therefore, on the wedding day, delegate small details to someone you trust and focus on the significance of the day.

Our best tip to overcome wedding planning burnout is to have things to look forward to, one of the sweetest ideas is to create a little surprise for each other, the day before the wedding, spend time writing vows for each other, which you can share at the wedding or after. It may take 5 minutes or twenty, but the day before the wedding can feel overwhelming, center yourself back by writing your own vows as an opportunity to reflect on your why love each other, and leaves that extra special moment for you both for that day and beyond.

Keep your spirits high and focus on the joy of marrying your partner and being surrounded by those who love you. Remember that it’s the moments that matter, not the things. Focus on the bigger picture, and everything else will fall into place.

Overall, planning a wedding can be an exciting experience, but it can also be stressful. To avoid unnecessary stress, stay realistic, organize the wedding details, and have a support system in place. Set your boundaries and prioritise self-care leading up to the big day. Learn to say no when needed, and focus on the bigger picture. The wedding is just one day, and what matters most is the life you build together with your partner away from the wedding festivities. Remember to take time to enjoy the moments leading up to your wedding, and don’t forget to have fun on the day itself. You deserve to feel ease and grace on your wedding day, and with these tips, you can create a memorable and stress-free experiences and avoid wedding planning burnout.

This post was written by Kirti. Kirti is the author of “Befriend Your Mind” to stay calm during challenges, offers advice on communication, overwhelm prevention to Enjoy Your Relationships”. You can contact by clicking here or emailing kirti@kirtana168.com for additional support.