Things that Helped Me, as a Lazy Bride to Be

Like most little girls, I dreamed of my wedding day. I planned the little intricacies and pomp with flare while imagining I was a princess wearing white. I became more and more jaded by hate of dating, and my dreams of becoming a bride faded into a dream that I would have after eating a whole pizza while watching Game of Thrones. Yeah, I was that girl—the nerdy girl who ate whole pizzas on Sunday night. Fast forward to now, I have been with the love of my life, Matt, for 5 years this November, and even after losing my engagement ring in Italy (while I was on set working), the wedding is still on, and I have never been more overwhelmed. Not only do I suffer from bouts of depression, but I have really bad anxiety at times.

I’m a horrible procrastinator; so when Matt & I decided that we were going to plan this wedding on our own, I am sure you know what happened next…I freaked out a little bit. I needed some help, some ideas to keep organized; so I went on my way to the book store to gaze upon the many wedding planners, and idea books. When peered into the many different wedding planners, I discovered what a mess of work it was. But, I’m not only a lazy bride, but I’m a bride on a budget. Luckily, I have a few tips that might help you, if you’re just as Lazy/Forgetful/Depressed as I am sometimes.

1. Amazon is your friend.

Funny enough, you can legit find a ton of your wedding items on Amazon. Fake flowers, jewelry, blank invitations, you name it, you can get it on Amazon. Thank goodness, because honestly, I can't stand leaving the house sometimes.

2. Don’t wait to plan your venue.

Some venues may require a 6-month booking in advance, and you don’t want to be caught with your lounge pants down. Make sure you have a good idea of your theme, and what you want so that you can get the pesky venue choices out of the way.

3. Make a collage board.

Pinterest can be a blessing and a curse, you are browsing all day and the next thing you know it’s 9 PM and you need a dang shower. Well, if you’re like me, you pin things and then you forget about them. What I find can be very helpful to remember where your mind is at, is either to print out your images and make a collage, or (if you’re photoshop savvy) make a digital collage that you can set as your desktop wallpaper. This will keep your eyes on the prize, and make sure you don’t forget anything.

4. Wish.com, the Savior

There is so much cute wedding stuff on wish and oh boy is it cheap. If you type “wedding” into the search bar, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find. I found the most beautiful invitations on there, and they only cost $10 for 50 of them, say what?! This combined with a custom stamp and you’re on your way to being the DIY lazy bride. Just make sure you purchase these items far in advance, because wish has a habit of taking a long time to arrive.

5. Be conscious of your energy bursts

If you’re like me, you have random bursts of energy at certain times of day, and then you’re back to being “whatever” about life. If you can plan around these bursts of energy, you’ll seriously get a lot done. Just make yourself a list of things that you need to do when you “feel like it,” so that you’re productive with that random happy burst of life!

6. Don’t set too many deadlines too soon.

One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that I try to plan things all at once. When you get overwhelmed, you literally just shut down and go hide in your bed. I know that maybe this seems obvious to some, but if you’re anything like myself—you see the planner section and everything that goes into a wedding and you’re about to say F*** this, and go to the courthouse. Remember to not only set realistic goals, but to also not set your marriage date too soon, and overwhelm yourself. Even if people are pressuring you, you won’t have the best wedding possible if you are trying to live up to the expectations of your family and peers.

7. Try to remember that this is a happy day.

Cliché, I know. But honestly, I have really hated thinking about my wedding at times. In fact, just a few hours before writing this—I was freaking out about my wedding dress and where I’m going to get it from (mostly because I haaaaate traditional wedding dresses, and my theme is Lord of the Rings, haha), it was a nightmare made real. I wanted to get my dress from a certain famous fantasy couture studio, but the designer only accepts a few commissions a year for one, and two, I’m a budget bride and I don’t know if I want to pay $3,000 (minimum) for a dress. So yeah, needless to say, I started freaking out about it even though I have other options, and the wedding is a year away...*le sigh* Look to your partner for courage, and love—because after all, that's why you're getting hitched!

I hope that even though this article was on the short side, it gave you some ideas on how to proceed with your big day. Just remember that your future Husband/Wife will still love you after the dress comes off, and after the wedding is over. So try not to stress so much about the little things, and make your day special and memorable.