Thank you Wicked Bucks for sharing this wonderful article…
A wedding is undoubtedly one of the biggest days of any person’s life (coming in just after the bucks party, of course!). Whether they admit it or not, every guy loves the romance and excitement of these events. Maybe it’s the fact that their dream girl said yes, perhaps it’s having all of their loved ones in the same room or it could just be the free-flow of booze at the wedding reception. Whatever it is, there is something pretty special about these events.
It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all though. Especially in the digital age, bridal magazines, Instagram influencers and Pinterest boards set a pretty unrealistic standard for the ‘perfect wedding’. While you’re busy booking the cheeky entertainment, sussing out the nightlife venues and rounding up the lads for your bucks party, it’s often your partner that is forced to deal with these mounting pressures.
But as every guy knows, a stressed-out bride can only mean one thing – you’ll be on the receiving end. As the team at Wicked Bucks are the (self-appointed) Kings of throwing the ultimate bucks party, we’ve come across our fair share of wedding-stress-induced disasters. From our lengthy experience, we’ve rounded up our top tips to ensure you replace the wedding stress with wedding success!
Be Open
While life is like a box of chocolate and you never know what you’re going to get, weddings should not be approached with the same laid-back and wishy-washy approach. There are plenty of competing voices when it comes to the planning, and it’s easy to get pulled in every direction at once if you try to keep everyone happy. The best approach is to stay firm and clear about what you want, stick to your word and be open with everyone involved. We’re not telling you to adopt a “my way or the highway approach” but being open and honest about what you want is the only way to plan the perfect wedding, without all the unnecessary stress.
Set a budget at the start
Money is a touchy subject for many people. But as you’re embarking on a lifetime together, you’ll need to learn how to discuss dollars with your partner. Talk about your individual financial situations and establish a budget that is realistic for both of you before you start signing contracts, making bookings and locking things in. While you want this day to be as special as possible, you also don’t want it to prevent you from reaching your future goals down the track, like buying a house, a new car or having kids.
Leave your ego at the door
Just because you’ve somehow scored the dream woman and locked her in for the rest of eternity (the poor woman has no clue what she’s signed up for), you can’t let it all go to your head. Planning a wedding is about finding a compromise, meeting on middle ground and most importantly, picking your battles. If you disagree on something and let’s face it, it’s going to happen; you need to step back and consider how much that one element really matters to you in the long run. If the pink feather centre-pieces and sparkly tablecloths are really that big of a deal, pick your timing, speak up and be prepared to negotiate. Note to self: We don’t recommend trying to broach the subject on a Thursday evening after your Missus walks in for 2 hours of peak-hour traffic to find that you’ve left breakfast dishes in the lounge room all day. Be tactful. Do your dishes too.
Make a list
We are huge believers in lists. There is just something so satisfying about checking things off and watching the to-do items slowly countdown. As you’re about to embark on an entire lifetime together, it’s probably best that you learn the art of dividing and conquering sooner rather than later – even if you’re a type-A perfectionist. Sit down at the start of the wedding planning process and make a list of every task required, including everything from the small and seemingly insignificant to the overwhelmingly huge responsibilities. After you’ve established everything that needs to be done, you can divide and conquer all the wedding tasks to help speed the process up. When you split the duties, you can keep each other accountable, lighten the load and reduce the stress levels.
Remember that it is YOUR wedding
While weddings are an exciting time for everyone involved, that doesn’t mean you need to accept unsolicited advice from every man and his dog. You must remember who is actually getting married. It’s not your in-laws, her best friend, your weird cousin or your Mum, it’s just you two. Don’t give in to the external pressures. Prioritise you and your partner. This day marks the start of your own little family, after all.
Wedding entertainment
Pick your entertainment wisely. We’ve all seen the iconic Hollywood blockbuster The Wedding Singer enough times to know how important it is to lock in some entertainment that actually knows how to do their job – entertain. Enough said.
Show Interest
Okay, so you’re probably going to be more interested in organising the strippers for your bucks party or locking in an epic night at the casino with all the lads, but your input does need to go beyond which beers will be served on the night. Show your partner the same interest in wedding planning that she does when you recount those epic sessions of FIFA on the Xbox with your mates. You might find that the line between faking and genuine interest becomes pretty blurred, and you’ll be invested in the table runner colours, menu selection and name card fonts before you know it.