1. Don’t Procrastinate

We certainly can’t stress this morsel of wisdom enough. You’ll enjoy your wedding far more if you’re not cramming everything into the last two months. It’s a tad bit difficult to write romantic wedding vows when you’ve waited until the night before the wedding to put pen to paper.

2. Find the right Wedding Planning Guide Book

Being organized is key, not only to getting things done but to saving money, and there is just too many parts to the planning of a wedding that it wouldn’t be smart or cost effective to try to think of all the the various details you need to handle by yourself. I highly recommend finding a Wedding Planning Guide Book to walk you through this! There are many good guides out there, but two specifically have passed our test of being a true value. Please see the review of our Top 2 Wedding Planning Guides at our online magazine YourWeddingDollars.com that we recommend to help you with this endeavor. Both these guides cover everything that needs to be planned and organized including timelines and budgets and they help you with ways to find the best deals.

3. Schedule Planning Time

Be sure to schedule meeting times with each other to discuss the details of the wedding: the schedule, the budget, the vendors, etc. Be diligent about keeping these appointments with each other. This is the beginning of another important marriage building skill-shared decision-making.

4. Communicate & Compromise

You’ll definitely have the opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the delicate arts of communication and compromise. You’re designing a wedding that suits the two of you, while taking into account the needs of your families and guests. Through this process of planning and compromise you will learn new ways of communicating with each other, as well as discover areas where it is difficult for you to express yourselves.

Establish a daily ritual to discuss your feelings and share your thoughts. Even if you only have time for a five-minute chat. It is the consistency, not the quantity of conversation that counts.

5. Share the Tasks & Delegate

Long gone are the days when the groom took a back seat and let his rosy-cheeked bride make all the decisions. Welcome to the 21st century. Couples are now splitting the list in half. Brides rejoice! Two people dividing the lengthy task list will not only reduce stress for you, it allows the groom, traditionally the most ignored person in the entire affair, to participate in his own wedding. A novel concept, we know.

Above and beyond the professional help you hire, create a wedding support network for yourself. Make a list with your fiancé of the various friends and family who might want to be involved with your wedding. Give each of them a task, stated as clearly and specifically as possible. Call them regularly to give them your appreciation and to check on how their project is coming along.

6. Be Assertive

Communicate your wishes clearly and tactfully to wedding professionals, friends and family members. Practice saying “no” and using phrases like, “we have discussed this and we feel that” It’s your wedding and don’t you forget it.

7. Take Care of Yourself

Pay attention to the essentials of good health. Avoid caffeine, sugar, alcohol and nicotine, which put unnecessary strain on both body and mind. Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish. Get a full night’s sleep to revitalize. Dreaming releases the accumulated stress of the day and stabilizes the brain waves. Exercise is the best source of stress reduction known to man. The endorphins released in even a moderate amount of aerobic exercise can fight depression and elevate the mood.

To keep up with more ideas on how take care of yourself go to YourWeddingDollar.com’s Health & Beauty section.