It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and, for many of us, it’s the busiest time of the year. Between the Christmas shopping and social engagements, it’s a wonder we have time for anything else. So how do you go about wedding planning at Christmas without feeling overwhelmed?
As summer is the most popular wedding season here in New Zealand, Christmas happens to fall right in those final moments of wedding planning for most couples. Each of these events takes a decent amount of effort to prepare for and neither event is easy on the wallet.
Are you in the middle of juggling wedding planning at Christmas?
Here’s how to get out the other side of Christmas unscathed.
Make a Christmas list, check it twice
Organisation is key at this time of year whether you’re planning a wedding or not. For avid Christmas lovers, going a little over-the-top is an annual habit and a hard one to break, but if you’re planning a wedding at the same time, this might be the year to tone it down a little.
At the end of the day, your wedding comes only once. Christmas will be back next year.
This Christmas, stick to a list and don’t veer off course. Prepare your Christmas groceries well in advance so you’re not wasting precious wedding planning time battling supermarket crowds.
You also need to be mindful of the fact that wedding suppliers will have some time off during the Christmas period. Ask your suppliers what their holiday plans are so you can be as up-to-date as possible before they sign off.
Those final weeks of wedding planning are often the most intense. Being as organised as you can at Christmas will go a long way in making life a little easier at this frantic time of year.
Hand Christmas over to someone else this year
If you’ve always hosted Christmas, it will no doubt be an unspoken expectation that you’re doing it again this year. But hosting Christmas is a massive job and, if you’re planning a wedding at the same time, your mind will be elsewhere.
There’s a high chance you’ll exhaust yourself if you try to take on too much during planning your wedding.
Let this be the year that you sit back and let someone else take control. You can take back the reins next year.
Delegation is extremely important in all areas of wedding planning, especially if you’re trying to plan Christmas day events at the same time. Family and friends will be happy to help out this year and it may even spark a new tradition, where more people are involved in bringing together the magic of Christmas.
Don’t use the wedding funds to pay for Christmas
It’s hard not to get caught up in the spirit of Christmas giving. But giving doesn’t always have to mean spending. The last thing you want is to find you’ve eaten away at your wedding budget to pay for Christmas.
Your wedding budget becomes more important than ever in the final stages of planning. This is the time when you’ll be making final payments and clearing up any balances you have with suppliers. It is vital you keep your wedding budget separate to your Christmas budget.
Put planning aside and have yourself a merry little Christmas
When Christmas day arrives, put away the spreadsheets and enjoy the day. If you’re overloaded with wedding planning at Christmas, you’ll spend the day worrying.
Your suppliers are on holiday, you’re with your family and friends and you deserve to enjoy Christmas as much as everyone else. There isn’t much you can do for your wedding planning on Christmas day so it’s best to accept that you’ll have to put it aside for the day.
It’s also healthy to take a break from wedding planning from time to time and what better day than Christmas Day to do so?
Eat, drink and be merry – just the way things should be at the most wonderful time of the year. Your wedding plans won’t fall apart by having a wee break. In fact, the time off will recharge you for the remaining wedding details you have left to tend to.
There are few countries where Christmas coincides with the wedding season. Wedding planning at Christmas is not always easy to coordinate but through a few simple ways, you can keep up with your wedding plans while still enjoying Christmas.
Our wedding season has already started here at Markovina Vineyard Estate and we’re still hosting a number of Christmas events at the same time. We understand the juggle of wedding planning at Christmas and we think it’s important to try and enjoy Christmas amidst all the wedding talk.
Don’t let things overwhelm you at this time of year. We love to support our couples the best that we can and we’re happy to reassure them at any point in the planning phase that all is going according to plan.
If you’re looking for a supportive, all-inclusive venue, give us a call at Markovina and find out what we have to offer.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year from of us here at Markovina Vineyard Estate.
