Your wedding is the happiest day of your life. Unfortunately, many couples find out quickly how planning a wedding can bring on large amounts of stress. The good news is that while you won't completely eliminate stress, there are many things you can do to keep it at a bearable level.

The To-Do List

One of the first things you should do is to make a comprehensive wedding checklist. You should include things such as the venue, invitations, the type of food, music, bar, flowers and your honeymoon. 

Benefits of a Wedding Planner

You lead a busy life and after completing your wedding to-do list you know just how much time planning a wedding can consume. While you may think that you can do it on your own, and maybe you can, having connections and expertise can come in handy. A wedding planner plans weddings for a living. It's what they do. They know the ins and outs and ways to pull off a flawless wedding. The money you spend here will save you many hours of frustration and chaos. 

A Part of the Process

If you're concerned that, by hiring a wedding planner, you will not be part of the process, you're wrong. You are the person who makes the final decision on everything. The benefit of a wedding planner is that they do the leg work, a real time-saver for you and your soon-to-be spouse. 

The Venue 

Securing a venue is the most important part of the wedding planning process. These reception halls fill up quickly, often six to nine months in advance. It's up to you to start planning at least a year prior to the planned date and to select a couple of places so that, in the event that your favorite is unavailable, you have another place lined up. 

Invitations

One of the hardest jobs for any couple is putting together the wedding guest list. Most people don't have a bottomless pit when it comes to money. This, unfortunately, means that you may have to eliminate some people that you otherwise would include, from the list. For instance, a distant relative that you barely know who lives across the country, you may need to leave out.  

Pulling the Ends Together 

There's a lot of planning that goes into having the ultimate wedding. You'll need a band or DJ, a photographer, a bartender, a florist, a cake, and a hairdresser to name a few. The list is seemingly endless. However, if you take it one step at a time, you'll pull all the ends together and survive. Just make sure that you start looking at least six months before the wedding date. 

Your Dress

Your wedding dress is a prominent part of the entire landscape on your wedding day. There's the walk down the aisle, the first dance and of course the pictures. For this reason, you want to start browsing through bridal magazines early to get a feel of the style of gown you want. Then start visiting bridal shops and try on many dresses, even styles you may think aren't you. You may become exhausted and stressed over the numbers. However, the perfect one is waiting for you. 

Booking the Honeymoon

With all your involvement in the wedding day plans, you may overlook your honeymoon. If you want to travel to a popular honeymoon destination, you will need to book the hotel and flight months in advance. Be sure to put it on your to-do list six months prior to-do list and then check it off. 

Planning a wedding doesn't have to cause premature gray hair. Create a to-do list and then have fun checking off items that you complete. This way when the wedding day comes along, you can rejoice, kick back and have fun.