Organization thwarts stressors

Not only are there a million details to finalize and pull together, but there are budget woes and family stressors all rolled into one big ball. And that can gain some serious momentum as it begins to roll downhill, getting closer and closer to the wedding day.

Two cases in point will illustrate and hopefully help all brides out there to have a seamless and wonderful wedding day.

Bride No. 1 came to my attention through several of her vendors. She had plenty of time to plan and pull things together, a good solid budget and wonderful professionals working for her. Her wedding day was a nightmare, due solely to her lack of planning. She had procrastinated and put off several things that should have been done long before the wedding day.

On the morning of her wedding, as she was sitting for her hair and makeup to be done, she was frantically working on her computer, with her printer set beside her, finalizing details that could have been done weeks before. All was in chaos, as bridesmaids were being ordered to go here and there collecting things forgotten.

As the bride and bridesmaids were dealing with their own set of issues, the groom and groomsmen were not immune either. The groom had picked up all the tuxedos for the groomsmen and brought them to the rehearsal. Luckily, they did try them on and found that most were not fitting correctly. Saturday morning they all had to make a trek (an hour away) to have them corrected.

Another issue was that she did not stick to her budget, causing serious stress the week of the wedding. Several vendors were notified that she had run out of money and was frantic. The church director notified her that if she did not pay the fees immediately the wedding would be canceled. The florist was in the same situation. The bride did come through at last and paid them both, but a lot of unnecessary stress was caused for many.

Bride No. 2 has a little different story. Although she has been planning her wedding for over a year, stress has taken a toll and this is not the fun, joyous occasion that she envisioned.

Family disappointments and budget issues had taken over and robbed her of the happiness and expectation of looking forward to her wedding day. She is now nervous, teary-eyed and doubting whether this is a good idea. She has lost the vision of what this is truly about and has placed her focus on complex details.

What can you learn from these two brides? Plan for every detail to be finished up at least one week before your wedding. Make and keep an organized folder or notebook with every detail listed, and go over each one at least twice the month prior. Make a budget and stick to it. Pay all your vendors in full when monies are due. Order your tuxedos in the same town as your wedding, and make sure all groomsmen go individually to try them on and have them adjusted if necessary.

Finally, remember that the details are truly just fluff. This day is the day you will marry your beloved, and this should be the focus of all your planning. HAVE A WEDDING QUESTION?

Send questions to weddings911@idoido weddingplanning.com or to Weddings 911, The Birmingham News, LifeStyle Department, P.O. Box 2553, Birmingham, AL 35202. Alene Gamel owns Birmingham-based I Do, I Do! Wedding Planning & Consulting.