We’ve provided photo booths to hundreds of couples in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding area – and during our time we’ve seen plenty of stressful situations! Your wedding is probably the most lavish and complex one-off event you’ll ever put together. Small wonder, then, that so many of us suffer from stress during the build-up. We’ve boiled down our stress-busting advice to five key tips.

Set a Generous Budget

In last week’s blog on wedding mistakes, we mentioned that most couples end up spending more than they plan to. On the other hand, barely any of us spend less. This is understandable – we all want to throw a big party and enjoy ourselves. But if it means living off cold beans for months afterwards, it’s probably not worth it. We’d therefore suggest setting a budget at around 80% of what you think you can reasonably afford. That way, if you overspend, it won’t be such a big deal.

Hire a Planner

Some of us have plenty of money to spend, but not quite enough time. If you find that you’re juggling too many plates with all the planning involved in your wedding, then it may be worth bringing in a professional wedding planner. They’ll make sure all of the various elements come together at the right moment, and allow you to get on with life in the meantime.

Stop Comparing Yourself to People on the Internet

The internet is a valuable source of information, inspiration, and services for your wedding (for example, if you’re looking for a photo-booth service in Buckinghamshire, this website is a great place to start!). But if you spend too much time looking at other people’s immaculate wedding photos, you’re going to start getting depressed. Or, to put it another way, plan the wedding you want, not the one Instagram suggests that you should want.

Give Yourself a Break

If you’re constantly talking and thinking about your wedding, then you’re going to drive yourself up the wall. Take a break every once in a while. In fact, you might go as far as to plan your breaks from planning; pick a given night of the week where mentioning the ‘w’ word is totally banned in your household. Then, when you come back to the topic, you’ll feel that little bit more enthusiastic about it!

Take Charge

Dilly-dallying over the details is guaranteed to cause you sleepless nights. There are a million-and-one choices to make about the big day. Flowers, music, food, venue: if you aren’t decisive, these choices will hang over your head for weeks. In the worst case, well-meaning relatives will try to intercede on your behalf. Don’t let them: know what you want and take charge!

If you’re a naturally anxious person, then the tips we’ve listed here might not quite be enough. CBT, meditation, and therapeutic exercise are all proven stress-busters, and they’re skills that’ll set you up for life – not just for the big day itself!