The thought of marriage is all fun and games until you actually have to start planning for the wedding. And let’s be honest, planning weddings aren’t all that easy. Wedding planning is one of the most stress-inducing events in a person’s life. And it can be stressful for several reasons. Maybe the families don’t get along when it comes to making decisions. Or one of the partners (you) is not contributing enough to the wedding planning. Suppose you want to know how you can make wedding planning easier and less stressful for you and your partner. Here’s what you have to do:

Allot a specific time for planning.

The first thing you should do to make wedding planning less stressful: Allot a time and day specifically for planning. The first mistake couples could be making is not allotting enough time to the planning itself. Hence, there are a lot of decisions that have to be rushed. And rushing is never a good idea. Choose a time and day of the week that you will specifically allot to wedding planning. Say every Saturday afternoon or even the entire Saturday. Heck, why not take the entire weekend for wedding planning.

Create a realistic timeline.

Right after you get engaged, you better start planning your timeline. First, think about when you want to get married. You don’t need an exact date yet; think of how long your engagement will be. Five months? A year? Two years? Just think of an estimated time. After you’ve set a specific time for planning, that’s when you start creating a more specific timeline for your wedding. Your timeline should include but is not limited to when to buy your suit and gown, finalize the guest list, book the photographer and the venue, when to pick the flowers, and when to do cake-tasting. That kind of stuff. Use apps such as Trello to organize your timeline better.

Make a realistic budget.

Set a realistic wedding budget. That also means knowing which things to spend the most on and which you can cut expenses on. Here’s a tip. You and your partner should pick one thing (each) to prioritize your budget on. If your partner wants to prioritize their gown or their suit, adjust your budget accordingly. If you want to prioritize the venue, adjust again accordingly. Pick two or three things (max.) to prioritize.

Split tasks equally.

Usually, when it comes to wedding planning. What ends up happening is one partner does most of the work. That shouldn’t be the case at all. A marriage is about equality. And even before you get married, you should already be splitting your tasks equally. Say your partner handles the invitations, decor, flowers, and wedding venue. At the same time, you handle the photographer, giveaways, caterer, and reception venue.

Decide on a date.

Picking a date for the wedding is actually easier than it seems. Here’s something you should keep in mind when choosing a wedding date. Weekday weddings are more affordable than weekend weddings. Although it is unconventional if you’re looking to save money on your wedding, keep that fact in mind.

Stick to a single location.

Another way to reduce stress is by sticking to a single location. As in have your wedding ceremony and reception in the same place if you can, not only will it save you money, but it’ll also save you the hassle of having to transfer from one location to another. Making the flow of events much smoother. A great and trendy wedding venue to do weddings lately is in barns. Barns are often large enough to hold both the wedding ceremony and reception. Some barns will even have cottages where you and your guests can rest. You won’t have to worry about being late or missing out on anything because it’s all in one place.

Learn to ask for help.

Suppose wedding planning gets too overwhelming for you and your partner. Just remember, it’s always okay to ask for help. If you have close friends or relatives that are willing to help you, don’t be afraid to reach out. Usually, groomsmen and bridesmaids will feel obligated to help out with the planning.

But also learn to say no.

Sometimes if our family gets in on the wedding planning, they can start getting pushy. Suggesting things that aren’t aligned with what you and your partner envisioned. So learn to say no but let them down gently. Kindly disagree and tell them what you and your partner would prefer. Besides, it’s your wedding, not theirs.

The wedding itself seems like all fun and games. But the planning that is put into making a wedding isn’t all fun. If you want to make your wedding planning a little less stressful, keep this advice in mind.