1. Decide what you want to spend the big bucks on. Pick out what's most important to you - like the flowers, photographer, or venue - and spend the majority of your budget on that. There are some things - like invitations and your garter - that you don't have to spend lots of money on to make look good. I bought my garter for 10 dollars on etsy and designed my invitations and save-the-dates on PowerPoint. Everything doesn't have to be "top of the line" in order to look good.
2. Have a feasible plan B. Our wedding was supposed to take place in a field, and it rained cats and dogs on the day of. Thankfully, our venue had a gorgeous stable with big stone arches that still had the feel of an outside wedding, but also had a roof and a mud-free aisle. If you want an outside wedding, make sure your facility has an indoor option that you like just as much.
3. Have a point person on the day of. Usually your venue will have a wedding planner attached, but if they don't, have someone that is your go-to person for the day. Discuss everything that you want to happen with them and let everyone know that all their questions on the day of should be directed to them instead of you. Pick a friend rather than a relative to keep the stress level at a minimum.
4. Know that you will not be able to complete everything you have on your wedding Pinterest board. There were so many cute ideas that I planned on doing when we first started planning that I quickly realized I had no time for. Plus, you don't want your wedding to be too gimicky. Pick two or three of your favorite ideas and do those well, rather than having 12 haphazard, slapped together projects.
5. If something goes wrong, don't flip out. If the flowers are a different shade of blue or the centerpieces don't look exactly like the picture you had in your head, no one will know but you. And I promise you, on the day of your wedding, the decorations will be the last thing on your mind. At the end of the day, you're married to the man you love, and that's the point.
