The 400 Project

You meet that right someone, fall in love, and decide to propose. Hours are spent searching for the right ring and coming up with the best way to pop the question. She says yes, and suddenly you are engaged. But now what?

You may not have thought through the work it actually takes to plan a wedding, and exactly how the time and money involved can wreck havoc on your life (I certainly did not). It’s 2017, you can’t expect her to take on all the wedding planning responsibilities, right? Luckily for you I have created some tips that just might make your planning a little less painful, at least from a groom’s perspective…

Doesn’t Matter How Long It Takes

It is easy to get caught up in wanting the big day to come as soon as possible. When we were choosing our date it took my fiancée’s level head to help me realize that extending our engagement to 2 years was the best option. A longer engagement eases the stress of having so much to do in a short time, while also giving you even longer to save. There is no ‘right’ amount of time for an engagement so don’t feel pressured to have a quick turnaround. It is best to take your time to plan it all out so the day can be exactly what you want.

Check List

Create a list of the things you need to get done and when you need to have them done by (including vendors pay schedule). Plan in advance in order to avoid the chaos down the line. There is a lot to coordinate. Venue, vendors, photographer, cake, DJ… The list goes on and on. By having a list you can keep track of everything and check off what you have accomplished along the way. Weddingwire.ca has a lot of great tools to not only help you find your vendors, but also to manage the different aspects of your planning. My wife used them since day 1 and cant say enough great things about their ease of use.

Rings

Just go to a jewelry store and choose the ring that you want to wear for the rest of your life, it will be easy right? Good luck with that. There are so many styles, shapes, sizes, thickness and more that it can be overwhelming trying to choose. There are even different metal types to choose from. It can be extremely hard to make a decision (especially if you are anything like me and never wore rings for an extended period of time in the past). My advice here is to do some research. Check out different vendors and ring styles. Find what looks and feels best to you, then go with your gut. Chances are that you will grow to love whatever you pick over time and if not you could always have it altered down the line.

Budget

Weddings are not cheap. Even the most thrifty will struggle with keeping the cost down. So create a budget that you can follow. Decide on the total expense that you can afford (or a conservative estimate) and create a spreadsheet breaking down the expected costs. Once you get started planning track the costs so that you can have a rough estimate of what you are spending on each aspect. Actually seeing the amounts down will help keep you aware of what you are spending so you don’t have the risk of being swamped with the unexpected/over budget bills when the big day is over. The goal is to get married, not to go into debt.

Creative Problem Solving

Things are not going to go perfectly. As with most plans in life you will encounter unforeseen challenges and will have to adapt to things on the fly. Use your creativity and be willing to think outside of the box. Do not get discouraged if something goes off the rails a bit, rather look for the opportunity to try something new. Remember that you can’t do anything wrong with your wedding, because it’s YOUR WEDDING. As long as you are happy with the end result, then you are on the right track.

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Planning a wedding is definitely not a walk in the park. It takes a lot of work, but planning and organizing will be your best friends in helping you make it through. Try to keep in mind that it will all be worth it when the big day happens. Building a love worth celebrating isn’t an easy thing to do, so if you got that down then you will be able to handle all that wedding planning will throw your way!

Have your own advice? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!