It's no surprise that planning any large event is a daunting task. And even more so if you have never thought of yourself as a particularly organized person. I always find that keeping yourself organized in your professional life is worlds apart from keeping organized in your personal, day-to-day activities. Some are rather natural at it. Some don't know where to start. And when you are planning for 200+ guests (or even 60 guests) for one of the single most important events in your life, it's easy to lose yourself among the multiple schedules, budgets and meetings. So here are some tips if you feel like you need to find method to the madness.
1) Start early. You've heard it time and time again: that TIME, in itself, is your best friend. And be honest with the type of person you are. If you are generally a more indecisive type - be it with attire or design or anything else - make sure you give yourself enough time to make those decisions. In short, it's never too early to start reading and researching about the latest trends in weddings.
2) Trick yourself. You will be surprised at how calm you feel if you tack on an additional 1/2 hr to all your meetings and travel time. If you need to meet with a vendor after work and work ends at 5, tell them 6:30 is best. This will give you time to travel, grab a bite or even plan for emergencies at work. If you start doing it innately, things will all start to run more smoothly. This will come in handy when preparing your wedding timeline and day schedule.
3) Be real with yourself. Know your limits and how much you can do before asking for help. An average person spends 250 hrs planning his or her wedding, and knowing when to pass off tasks to trusted friends or professionals is key to a smooth planning process. Even coordinators have assistants!
4) Understand how the wedding industry works. Too many brides assume that their wedding on a budget will turn out just as glam as the $70,000 featured wedding in the magazine, if only they try harder. While it's true that even budget weddings can still be beautiful and special, industry prices are what they are (even with negotiations) and generally either the budget must change or the vendor. This may not sound like a time management issue, but understanding this will minimize the amount of time tweaking and stressing about the budget and searching to find the perfect vendor that marries budget and quality. Generally, the rule of thumb for vendors is "you pay for what you get". This, of course, is a little different if you have a wedding coordinator with connections - or if you have connections yourself!
All in all, everyone is different and everyone tackles the planning of their wedding differently. You may be happy with doing things at the eleventh hour, and that is absolutely your prerogative. Just remember to give yourself all the time you need to make this day perfect for you!
