My Wedding Day Plans And How I Keep Organized

We are in the midst of wedding season and--as I'm sure many of you know--the amount of choices and to-dos can make anyone feel a little overwhelmed. As I finish up the planning for my own wedding (less than two weeks away!) I have realized how important it is to remain organized throughout the process. This is my second wedding and this time around I am far less concerned with things like choosing registry items and favors, but my planner is still full of appointments, tastings (the best type of appointment if you ask me), and decisions that need to be made. I also don’t have the same amount of time this time around with children, running a business and other commitments to spend on my wedding planning so organization is BEYOND key for me! So, from one bride-to-be to another, I want to give some advice and share how I've stayed organized along the way with the hope of making this special time less stressful (and more fun even if you don’t like planning!) and allowing you to concentrate on what is most important to you throughout the process and in turn, the marriage.

I’m a list maker by nature, so I knew that I would rely on a similar system to plan out when and what to accomplish next for the wedding. I rely heavily on my calendar, so instead of tracking separate systems for each category of my life (personal/family, work, wedding), I just merged all three into one master planner. Then, each day I can see what needs to get done as a whole rather than bouncing around--and likely over--an important must-do from another category.

Depending on the formality and style of your wedding will determine how extensive your planning needs to be. There are multiple spots online to find a basic checklist of what to do and details that are usually included (like this thorough one, but take those lists with a grain of salt. At the end of the day if you forget to choose the song that you play while you cut the cake (yes, that’s a thing) all will be ok.

It is very easy to get consumed by the planning and become overwhelmed, but I remember that the internet is amazing and there are SO many tools and programs online to make the planning period easier. One website that I found during the beginning of my planning was Zola. I know that some people have strong feelings about registries, but I wanted to create something to give those inclined to give a gift would have a bit of direction. Zola allows for you to register for both physical gifts and experiences (ie less clutter!). Plus, it tracks who gave you what which makes thank you card writing so much easier.

And while I’m not changing my name, I’ve heard so many great things about HitchSwitch. Changing your name can be tough to navigate, but HitchSwitch makes the process simple by sending you all of the papers needed to get everything from your Social Security card to passport changed, along with the order and directions to complete each step.

Now that I’ve told you all of my wedding planning secrets…

I’d love to know: Do you have any tips that made planning your big day a breeze?

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Rachel and Company is a professional organizing firm based in Bethesda, MD, serving clients in the Washington, DC area including: Potomac, Maryland Georgetown, the Palisades, McLean, Arlington, and Alexandria, Virginia.