There are many learning curves during the wedding planning process. In the months I’ve been planning my wedding so far, I’ve learned a whole host of lessons.
From researching vendors thoroughly to assure I’m locking in the best prices, to scouring bridal blogs about wedding how-tos, I’ve picked up my share of tidbits along the way.
5 Life Lessons I Learned While Planning My Wedding
The most important lessons, however, have little to do with the wedding itself. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned about life while planning my wedding:
1. When it comes to your life, you care the most.
It’s true – while my wedding day will likely be one of the very best days of my life, it’s not one of the most important in everyone else’s. It serves as a good reminder not to burden or pressure others when you have something important happening in your life.
Whether you’re getting married, dealing with trying to find a job, having relationship troubles, or struggling with college, try not to make it the most important thing to the people around you. Can you vent? Of course. Should you share updates? You bet! But try not to get upset with your close friends and relatives when their lives seem to be moving forward while you’re going through something big.
Your big event or life milestone does matter, but it’s naturally going to matter the most to you because it’s happening in your life.
2. Relationships can be disappointing.
Every family and friendship faces struggle, disagreements, and/or drama. My circle is certainly not exempt. If like me, you’re finding that you can’t always rely on your friends or relatives to be there for you in support of your biggest moments, try to see the positives.
Personally, I’d rather have a small amount of people I know I can count on, than a lot of people I can’t. Focus on the relationships you do have that you know you can rely on and be happy with that. Sometimes it takes going through a big life event to shift your perspective and realign your values when it comes your relationships.
3. Don’t own everyone’s opinions.
Planning a big event, like a wedding, is stressful enough. I feel overwhelmed by the amount of details involved and things to keep track of to assure my big day is as magical as possible. I don’t need to own everyone else’s thoughts and ideas on top of my own.
If you’re struggling to keep tabs on something in your life like I have been, try not to let the background noise consume you.
Everyone has an opinion about how you should handle things: what color something should be, where something should take place, how to organize it, and so on. Do your best to listen to others and politely speak up when you need to stray from their opinions. You’re in charge – do things as you see fit.
4. Maintain reasonable expectations.
When something exciting is happening in life, it can be very challenging not to let everything go straight to your head. I’m guilty of it myself. Sometimes expectations surpass reality and before you know it, you’re dreaming in a bubble. You expect things to unfold a certain way, people to react in a particular way, and so on. Truthfully, though, it’s not that simple.
When you have high expectations, you’re sure to end up disappointed. Do your best to stay realistic. Dream, but keep your dreams manageable. That’s not to say you don’t deserve the perfect event, or I the most magical wedding, but it’s critical to maintain a realistic outlook and be grateful for all that comes with it.
5. Follow your instincts.
Like with anything, it’s best to listen to your gut. Whether you’re deciding between multiple job offers, figuring out where you want to live, or planning a special day like me, follow your instincts. It’s good advice in life overall to trust your gut and follow through. Only you know how you feel, what you want, and what’s best for the situation you’re in. Keep your head up and stick to the path that best serves you.
Planning a wedding is an extremely stressful, exciting, overwhelming, and wonderful process. Like any big event or life milestone, I learn something new every single step of the way. I have been trying my best to make the most of every phase of it and learn as much as possible from the good and the bad.
Regardless of what situation you find yourself in, try to remember these life lessons. They might come in handy!
About the Author
Rachael is a University of Southern Maine graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in Sociology. She remotely works full-time as a Senior Content Marketing Specialist for Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. In her leisure time, Rachael enjoys traveling with her husband, finding the next Netflix series to binge, and taking too many photos of her dogs Jax and Kai. Rachael is obsessed with chapstick, favors the Oxford comma, and is a proud Mainer. You'll likely find her exploring New England + beyond.