How To Plan a Wedding While Working a 9–5
Because there are only so many hours in a day!
Waters Edge Venue | Ken Maurice Studios
The Here Comes The Guide gals get it. When working full-time, any task as enormous as wedding planning feels like a second job! When are you supposed to fit in tasks like venue tours, cake tastings, and makeup trials when you're already committed to a 9–5?
Now you may not have a CEO as cool and progressive as Meredith Monday Schwartz, but even those with the most demanding careers can efficiently plan a wedding with a bit of strategy. See our 9 tips below to best fit in wedding planning—while you work!
Get super organized.
First thing's first: Figure out an organizational system so that you can keep track of all your wedding-related collateral. It could be Google Drive, Evernote, a dedicated Pinterest board, a wedding binder, a nifty new calendar app, or a combination of several systems. Then split some tasks with your fiancé—or hire a wedding planner! (More on that below.) Do as much prep work as you can early on, and share the responsibilities so you don't feel as time-crunched and overwhelmed.
Prioritize.
In the interest of keeping your sanity intact, we suggest focusing your time and energy on the things that will make or break your wedding. Only focus on the stuff you care about—and ditch the rest. For example, if you don't like cake, hit the easy button and get a huge platter of donuts for the reception. If you don't care about flowers, get married outside with nature as your only décor. Don't feel the pressure to embrace all the "traditional" aspects of a wedding. Narrowing things down will trim your to-do list, save you time, and also make your wedding more personal.
Venue hunt from home.
Throw on your sweatpants, grab your laptop, and use your post-work lounge time to scope out venues on HereComesTheGuide.com. We've organized the wedding venues on our website in all sorts of ways (because we're willing to bet you're Type-A like us). Search by location, budget, guest count, and even by style—from rustic barns to industrial spaces or things like "all-inclusive" and "on-site accommodations". See prices, get special offers and discounts, and view gorgeous photos. Then book a site visit (or virtual tour!) right there from your couch.
Twin Oaks House and Garden Estate
Go virtual.
Now more than ever, wedding venues are offering one-on-one virtual site tours via FaceTime, Skype, or Duo. You can virtually "walk" through the event spaces with the venue's on-site coordinator, talk through what your wedding could look like at their location, ask questions, and address concerns as they come up in real time. It's something you can schedule from the comfort of your couch, or even during your lunch break at work!
Embrace "all-inclusive".
All-inclusive packages are not only more cost effective than purchasing everything a la carte, but they also save you precious time. Venues with all-inclusive packages provide lots of amenities and services in addition to the event spaces such as on-site coordination, catering, alcohol, staff, rentals, cake, guest accommodations, and more. And we're willing to bet they'll have a solid preferred vendor list to boot. With one booking, you've just crossed 15 things off your wedding to-do list. Talk about one-stop shopping!
Hire a planner.
If you really need to save your precious time and mental energy, we have four magic words for you: Hire a wedding planner. An experienced coordinator will handle all the nitty-gritty details, keep your wedding planning on track, and make sure things run smoothly on the day-of. A good planner is like a wedding fairy godmother. Their entire job is to make the process as stress-free as possible!
Use PTO wisely.
Take a look at how many vacation days your job allows, and plan to use that time wisely. Maybe you'll want to bank it to use during the week of your wedding and/or honeymoon. Or maybe you'd like to take a day off here or there for vendor consultations or dress shopping excursions. Or maybe you'll want to take advantage of a mental health day every so often! (See "Practice self care" below.) Whatever the case may be, give yourself a bit of grace by strategically taking advantage of the PTO you've earned. (And whenever possible, give your boss the heads up in advance so you can be sure your days off are on the calendar.)
Limit the DIY projects.
Yes, DIY projects can be really fun and those Pinterest crafts are just so tempting! But remember that DIY projects can be a big investment of your time and energy. We all know how it goes...you enthusiastically buy all the supplies and begin a project with gusto, only to find it's taking you twice as long and costing just as much as it would have been to hire a professional! If you're already working a 9–5 job, you may want to reconsider going the do-it-yourself route. Though if you're really itching to DIY, pick just 1–2 projects and give yourself plenty of buffer so you're not manically waving a glue gun around at the last minute.
Practice self care.
Oftentimes self care is the first thing to go out the window when we get crazy busy. But we're here to tell you that it's absolutely crucial to your overall health and well being. Find some ways to decompress during this stressful time. Whether it's a long walk with a great podcast in your earbuds, a bubble bath with a great book, or a glass of wine while watching Bravo, taking some time to pamper yourself will help you tackle everything on your plate with intention and vigor. You got this!
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Some clients may have paid to be placed in our editorial and some of these links may be affiliate; however, we never include a venue, vendor, or product unless they have a proper place here. This is part of our Core Values. We create our website first and foremost to be good for the couples using it to plan their Big Day. We won't stray from that for a few advertising dollars. #scoutshonor