Plus a Free Wedding Planning Timeline
Are you planning your wedding and realize that nothing on your to-do list has anything to with your actual relationship? Have you noticed that this wedding planning thing has pretty much taken over and every other aspect of your life has gone by the wayside.
Well, don’t let all your wedding planning be in vain. Follow these tips to keep your relationship first so you will have a marriage to speak of after your wedding.
1| Schedule regular date nights
Can you remember when you first started dating how excited you were to have a night out? How you put on your cutest outfit and put some effort into your hair and makeup? Recreate those moments.
Leave all the wedding planning conversations at the house and just enjoy each other’s company. Talk about all the things that brought you to this point in your lives and what the future can bring.
I will say that you will need to schedule these date nights and put them on your calendars. If you don’t, you will risk scheduling another task in its place and end up not going on your date.
2| Go through premarital counseling
This, guys, is my NUMBER 1 recommendation. I know, some of you may not feel it’s necessary, but trust me when I say that if you want to have a healthy marriage, you need to do this.
A good premarital counselor will ask you the hard questions, address issues that come up, and make you think about your relationship on a much deeper level. You will also learn so much about yourself and your partner in the process. But what it will do most of all for you, is get your brain ready for this new transition called marriage.
3| Talk about the tough stuff
You know, there are statistics that say if you and your partner agree on certain issues, that the chances of having a healthy, successful marriage increases tremendously. The problem is most couples don’t talk about them and end up in unhappy marriages filled with frustration, distrust, and resentment.
So, do yourselves a favor and avoid that drama. You aren’t going through all this wedding planning and decision making to end up with a marriage that doesn’t make you happy. Have the tough conversations and talk about the difficult topics. It won’t be easy, but you will be glad that you did it.
4| Express frustrations with each other
If you haven’t already, you will find that wedding planning can lead to a few frustrations. It can be from your families wanting things you don’t, to your bridal party not stepping up, to your vendors not responding to your emails quick enough. You may even find that your fiancé is getting on your last nerve.
When this happens, express these to each other. Especially anything that’s causing tension in your relationship. Don’t go to others and complain to them about things going on in your relationship before you address it with your partner.
Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t talk to someone you respect to get wise counsel. But before you involve other people in the intricacies of your relationship, you and your fiancé should be communicating the issues with each other first. Otherwise, you risk the chance of everyone else’s opinions making decisions for you before you have had the opportunity to hash it out with your partner together.
5| Show each other gratitude and appreciation
Can you remember the last time you looked at your fiancé and just said thank you? Not after he gave you something or did something that was expected of him. But because, you were thinking about him and the role he plays in your life.
Remember to show each other gratitude and appreciation. Gratitude for choosing you and for putting up with your mood swings during this transition. Appreciation for running that errand so you didn’t have to.
It’s the little things that will keep your relationship strong, so acknowledge that you are grateful and appreciative. And he should do the same for you. This is a two-way street, after all.
If you take the time to nurture your relationship and keep it first by following these tips, you will have a constant reminder that will energize you to push through the frustrations while working hard on planning your wedding.
Wedding Planning Timeline Download
Now, if you read through this post and are thinking, my goodness, I barely have time to shower let alone squeeze more things on my to do list, then I have a treat for you. I am giving you the exact wedding planning timeline that I used to plan my wedding.
It’s broken down month by month with the two to three main things you should be focused on each month leading up to your wedding. That way, your attention will only need to be on certain tasks instead of all the tasks.
Omishan Ogholoh Williams is the owner of Adesuwa Events, a New Orleans based wedding consulting business where she provides intentional guidance and direction to couples who desire to plan their own weddings. She works with them to help organize their plan and streamline the chaos that sometimes goes along with wedding planning. Her mission is to bring fulfillment and provide guidance to couples going through their wedding planning journeys while preparing for a marriage more special than their wedding. Omishan is a pharmacist by education, a wife, and a lover of all things organized. She loves traveling, good food and wine, and celebrating all of life's special moments. Learn more about her wedding consulting services at www.adesuwaevents.com.
(Bio Photo Credit: Modern Glow Photography)
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