I took a mini break to Portugal last week with some wedding pals, booked as a mid-season refresher (it was a Sun-Wed jaunt) … But come last week, this actually gave me more stress than it was supposed to, as naturally, with it being wedding season, it’s my busiest time of the year! I was up at 6am on Sunday finishing client work and sending invoices before my lunchtime flight, I was constantly checking my emails, and I missed last week’s blog post!
But it gave me a bit of perspective from sitting at my desk; I filtered out what I was stressing over, focussed on getting my client work out, and pushed back blog posting, social media, and my marketing calendar in general. And even though I was stressed about going away and taking two and half days off, I definitely came back refreshed in the end!
So! I wanted to filter down the calming energy in case you are stressed with wedding season too!
Are you stressing over final details? Are you worried about money? Have you got too many little things to finish that are causing you too much anxiety? I’m here to reassure you of a few things that are super lovely to have at your wedding, but that are definitely expendable! That’s not to say these things aren’t fun and lovely to have as part of your big day, but if they are stressing you out, just ditch them completely!
Bridesmaid Gifts
A bottle of bubbles will suffice. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture.
A Card Box
While you can hire lots of fun post boxes etc for cards, you more than likely have something fun already in your house that you can use. From an old wine crate or box, to cute basket or picnic hamper. It’s a very minor detail that has a minor purpose.
Individual Order of Service or Order of the Day Cards
While I do think it’s great to keep guests informed of timings and the order of events throughout the day, a single board or poster will suffice; you don’t necessarily have to get one printed per person. Even one between two or per couple is plenty, and will save you a small fortune cost-wise if this is still important to you.
Table Names
I stressed so much about table names for my own wedding. We went with tube lines in the end, as our wedding took on a bit of a Glasgow vs London theme, but simple table numbers would have been so much easier! And I wouldn’t have been stressing so much on photoshop trying to place them all perfectly in the same position on the roundel as each other! Furthermore, when we had more guests attending than we originally planned, it was a major drama trying to figure out what the extra tube line for the extra table should be! (Separately, table numbers rather than table names are easier for caterers to follow for food service…!)
Speciality or Expensive Cutlery
This is a nice touch, (gold cutlery is super on trend atm) but your guests will be more concerned with the food they are eating than what they are eating it with. Not worth the extra money, in my opinion – as £1 extra for every cutlery piece soon adds up for 120 guests…
Linen Napkins
A luxury, but not worth stressing over. And if you are sourcing yourself, you may potentially also have to press them yourself, or pay extra for your caterers to do so. Especially when Ikea do cute coloured recycled (and recyclable) paper ones.
Favours
One of the things I see left behind (and ultimately wasted) the most! Unless it’s edible or consumable (e.g. a donut or a miniature of alcohol) – but even then, depending on the placement on the day, a lot of guests still accidently leave them behind ☹
And to finish, in the words of my good pal Lex of Fleming Photo, and her best piece of advice to offer to those getting married:
“Honestly? As long as you show up with clothes, you have rings and witnesses… everrryyyyything else, including a photographer, is a luxury. No one is going to remember if the favours were a certain colour or shape. But everyone will remember if you’re miserable on the day. Forget the small stuff and focus on who you’re marrying and why!”
