Whether you planned your wedding years ago or if you’re in the middle of planning your own, we all know how difficult and stressful it is to plan your perfect South Asian wedding. With so many events to plan, people to consider, and outfits to coordinate, the list of responsibilities never seems to end. There are so many factors to account for, and so little time during our days. On top of wedding planning, we need to juggle our full-time jobs and personal responsibilities. We might not even have time for ourselves anymore. Without proper planning skills, we might get lost in everything we have to take care of before our wedding. But fear not! With this guide, we can help you slowly ease your pre-wedding stress and assist you with planning your dream wedding.

Plan Ahead

It’s never a good idea to just jump into any project, but especially your wedding. If you dive straight into booking venues and vendors without properly planning ahead, you might find yourself lost in the middle of your planning process. It could be hard to keep track of what you did and what you need to do. That’s why proper planning is a must while getting ready for your big wedding day. Before making any reservations, take a step back and look at the big picture. Talk to your partner about each other’s wants and priorities. Remember, this isn’t just your day; it’s also your partner’s. Lastly, don’t try to conquer everything all at once. There are dozens of factors you need to consider and research before actually starting to implement them in your wedding. Planning your wedding will take time; if you rush into trying to finish everything, you might not be happy with the end result. If you want the wedding of your dreams, make sure you give yourself enough time to fully plan everything out the way you and your partner want.

Prepare for Everyone’s Opinions

South Asian weddings are notorious for having a large guest list. Hundreds of people also bring hundreds of different opinions. Although you love and care about your friends and family, it might get frustrating listening to all their thoughts and criticisms about your wedding plans. Instead of getting upset at them, remember that they’re just trying to be helpful in their own ways. Stay calm and collected; tell them their opinions are great, and move on. Just because they want your wedding to go a certain way, doesn’t mean you have to listen to them. But that also doesn’t mean you should be disrespectful of their ideas, either. Be open to their ideas while maintaining your own.

Don’t be Discouraged by Pre-Wedding Anxiety

Everyone gets anxious as the day of their wedding gets closer and closer. It’s completely normal to second-guess your decisions, but don’t let this anxiety get to you. Think of these nerves as good butterflies, not signs to go back and revisit any final decisions. Trust that you’ve done enough research for your chosen venues, vendors, and any decorations you’ve already bought. Don’t let the fear that you made the wrong decision prevent you from believing that you made the right one.

Plan for Minor Incidents Ahead of Time

No wedding ever goes exactly like how the couple wants it to. There will be minor changes or incidents that happen along the way, and although it can be stressful to plan for everything, it’s a good idea to prepare for some contingencies. For example, packing a weekend emergency kit with bobby pins, extra deodorant, back-up makeup colors, and earring backs is a great way to save yourself the hassle of going out and buying anything you may have lost or left behind. Another way to prepare is to pack each event’s outfit in its own bag or suitcase. Parts of outfits or jewelry could get lost in transit to your event venues, but by packing everything separately, you can ensure that you have everything you need. This also prevents any confusion about which jewelry to wear with each outfit since everything is packed together per event. Make sure to label each bag to decrease any confusion as you get ready for the events. Lastly, remember to bring backup jewelry because you’ll never know if a piece might fall off or break as you get ready. These tips are just a few great ways to lessen any stress that could happen while getting ready.

Don’t be Afraid to Delegate Tasks

If you’re someone who likes to take control, then it will be hard to delegate some tasks to friends or family. However, it’s extremely difficult and stressful to try and plan everything by yourself or only with your partner. There are so many moving parts to planning a wedding, and although it’s possible to handle them all by yourself, it adds unnecessary stress and frustration as you continue your wedding-day preparations. If you find yourself struggling to give bigger tasks to others, try delegating smaller tasks, such as airport pick-ups, ceremony readings, or flower pick-up. This gives you more time to focus on bigger tasks, such as handling catering, vendors, and some last-minute reservations.

Let go of the “Perfectionist” Mindset

Your wedding will be perfect, but it might not go as you originally planned. No matter how hard we try, something might happen that we didn’t anticipate, and that’s okay. The key to releasing this “perfectionist” mindset is by accepting this before the wedding. Remember, the only people who will notice any flaws or mistakes are you and others involved with the actual wedding-process; your guests will not notice that anything went wrong. Your wedding will not be ruined just because a piece of jewelry breaks or an event happens 10 minutes later than originally planned. If anything happens, remember to breathe, stay focused, and think of the bigger picture. Your wedding is all about celebrating love with the people you love; it shouldn’t be about making sure nothing goes wrong.

Wedding planning can be the most exciting and nerve-wracking experience of our lives. By planning ahead, openly communicating with our partner, friends, and family, and allowing yourself time and space to breathe and relax, you can get through all the tasks and responsibilities that come with preparing for your big day.

If you want to read more about makeup, skincare, or wedding tips, or if you want to learn about our South Asian bridal hair and makeup services, check out the rest of our website at cinderellabridez.com. Or if you want to read about our CEO’s experiences as a small business owner, visit her website at barbiepatel.com!