Hi, friends! One of my gorgeous brides, Morgan, is my guest blogger today, and she’s sharing all of her tips for having a stress-free wedding day! Keep reading for more of her words:

From Morgan:

“1. Take the time to sit down and understand what you both want. Start by outlining what you’ve both dreamt of and what is most important. Keeping a focus on those particular things will help you to stay on track, and not to become overwhelmed halfway through. Being on the same page through this entire journey is key and will reduce stress.

2. Plan ahead! Planning early is something I personally recommend but I know it’s not for everybody. For me, I wanted to get those big ticket items done, but I also recommend doing your research, and taking time to understand what your options are. Planning early helped me in the later stages leading up to our wedding, because I didn’t feel overwhelmed with a long list of to do’s. You don’t have to do it alone either! Some brides like myself don’t have the luxury of having a wedding planner, but close friends and family are huge assets.

3. Use your resources. WeddingWire and The Knot were constantly in my browsers because I wanted to make sure we were getting the best services. I also found a lot of great advice through friends who previously got married (that is actually how I found Paige!); I never felt stressed about the vendors I chose because I spent the time looking for people who worked WITH us, who didn’t just see us as money. We were blessed to have so many wonderful vendors who made us feel special, because we spent the time doing our research and reaching out to the right people.

4. Communication was something I focused on through our planning process and on our wedding day! I was in constant contact with my vendors and venue when necessary, because I wanted to make sure everything was clear, just how we wanted it. Meeting up with my vendors in person really helped me to visualize the process and build strong, meaningful relationships. I always reached out if I had any questions because I never wanted to feel like I wasn’t in control of my own wedding. Looking back, I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

5. Embrace the unexpected! I can’t emphasize this enough. This is something my husband and I embraced during our wedding and we are so glad we did. It’s important not to get so caught up in all the little things on your wedding day, because truthfully you don’t have enough time. There were so many things that we didn’t expect to happen, but we rolled it off our shoulders because we knew we couldn’t change things in those moments. I made sure to tell myself to have fun with the unexpected because that’s how special memories are made! Things will always work out and sometimes, the unexpected turns out better than what you planned.

6. Always remember that a little stress is necessary and healthy, but choose wisely what to stress over, and what to put behind you. Personally the biggest stress I faced was the weather, and everyone stresses about that. If you have a plan, are willing to embrace it all and have fun, I guarantee your wedding won’t be as stressful as some make it out to be. We had so much fun at our wedding because we just did our thing and let loose! Honestly, the only people who will know things aren’t going as planned are you two, and if you go with it, so will your guests! A little stress is healthy because it shows you care!”