Oh how enchanting it is to be in love! Wedded bliss is knocking at your front door and you are ready to be carried across the threshold after tying the knot with the person of your dreams. And then an alarm rings, your wedding is just a few short months away and so many knots are left untied. There are vendor contracts to be finalized, entrée selections to be made, invitations to be mailed, dresses to be altered, and so many other time sensitive matters to attend to.
If you have procrastinated with your wedding plans, additional stress may feel inevitable. According to Wikipedia, “psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.” Does this sound like you? Choosing details for your wedding can often be overwhelming, causing brides and grooms to delay in making decisions. It is totally normal to have one feeling about a certain theme or color, and change your mind in a matter of seconds.
To accommodate your guests’ schedules, it is traditional to send wedding invitations at least 8 weeks in advance. If you are a victim of your own procrastination, you may need to expedite your selection process by choosing your favorite design and sticking to it. Take paper style into consideration, and go with your gut. If you love it, try not to think twice or put it off for another day. You don’t have to compromise your taste or your budget just because you are a little late ordering your wedding invitations. However, it is very important to get them in the mail in a timely manner so your guests can make arrangements to celebrate with you.
If you are running late, follow these time saving tips:
· Order your invitations so that you will have them at least 9 weeks before your wedding. If you take a week to address them, they will still be mailed within the polite time frame before your wedding. Depending on your timeframe, this may mean shelling out extra dough for expedited shipping methods. While it may be frustrating, your guests will certainly appreciate having adequate time to reply.
· Order extra so that if you run out or make a mistake you will not need to wait for new invitations to be reprinted and mailed to you.
· If you are including a response card, give your guests a few weeks to mail it back to you. Request their response two weeks prior to the wedding or as early as you need a provide a final count for your caterer or venue. If your guests don’t reply, give them a call. It may feel like an awkward conversation, but it will show just how much you want them to be there.
· Number your guest list and then number the corresponding response card for each guest. By simply writing a little number on the back of each card you will save yourself the time of shuffling through your stack of cards to confirm every written name and number. This will also solve the problem of guests who may write like doctors on a prescription- illegibly.
· If you are not including a response card, consider asking for your guests to reply via email or your wedding website. This saves them time, you postage, and conserves paper.
What’s the cure for procrastination? There may not be one- but taking action now will save you time and stress later. Then you can enjoy that newly wed bliss!
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