Who’s having a hard time with wedding planning stress or overwhelm right now? ???? If that’s you, my latest Instagram live is an absolute must-watch.
I spoke with the wonderful Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J, all about how to handle wedding stress, overwhelm, and anxiety – not to mention all those (often unwanted) opinions!
Michelle is the ultimate Jewish wedding planning expert, and I love sharing her knowledge and expertise with you. A London-based planner focusing on destination Jewish weddings – both abroad and in the UK – she’s passionate about creating magical experiences for couples and their families and guests.
Chloe and Danny‘s Tuscan Jewish wedding, planned by Michelle! Photo by David Bastianoni
All About Overwhelm
In this Live, Michelle and I talk through some easily actionable tips to make your wedding planning as fun and stress-free as possible. We opened the discussion with a focus on wedding overwhelm – something that very often comes up when Michelle first speaks with her couples. It’s especially common at the beginning of a couple’s wedding planning journey, but even all the way through overwhelm can be a big issue.
Michelle shared some great tips on how to deal:
Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint – it’s true there’s a lot involved in planning a wedding, but no one’s expecting you to do it all at once.
Michelle also recommends that before you get started you sit down and have a conversation with your partner about what sort of wedding you really want and what your priorities are. The clearer a picture you have of what you’re aiming for, the easier it will be to figure out next steps and make choices.
Jasmin and Brett‘s Osea Island UK Jewish wedding, planned by Michelle! Photo by Claudine Hartzel
Getting Clear on Your Priorities
In terms of figuring out what it is that the two of you want – Michelle strongly believes that every wedding should reflect the couple behind it, so she’s a big supporter of looking inward before you look outward. First have a think about what you two like to do, what your home is like, what your ideal day out would be, and after you’ve done that start looking at Instagram, Pinterest, Smashing The Glass’s real wedding archives etc.
Some things to think about: Do you want a country or city wedding? Small or large? Local or destination? Casual or formal? Ballroom or barn? Those are the big-picture issues. You’ll also need to have a sense of how much you want to spend so you won’t waste your time looking at vendors and venues that are out of your price range – or a venue that’s the wrong size for your crowd. It’s smart to share this vision with your family upfront and get everyone on the same page before you dive into planning.
