The Best Part of Wedding Planning (And the Trending Ideas You Need to See)

If I say "wedding planning," your brain probably jumps straight to budgets, guest lists, timelines, budgets, vendor calls. Decision after decision after decision.

Oh boy!

I get that there’s a lot to do. But...it doesn’t have to be that way!

There are so many aspects to planning a wedding that are unexpectedly wonderful. They just don't get the spotlight because everyone's too busy talking about the stressful stuff.

We need to fix that! Read on for some wedding planning moments that are worth savoring…and some ideas to make them even better.

You're engaged and (of course) you’re excited. You want to start planning immediately.

But the second you open that spreadsheet, you’ve now transitioned from being newly engaged to a project manager.

Give yourself at least a couple weeks to … be engaged! Tell people. Stare at the ring. Be that annoyingly happy couple for a minute.

Nobody's booking your dream venue tonight, I promise.

The planning will be there when you're ready. Those butterflies from all the excitement have an expiration date. Soak them up while you can!

You’ve likely seen in the movies where the newly engaged couple visit four venues back-to-back and they’re smiling and holding hands all day long. It’s a movie for a reason!

We live in the real world and, to me, that sounds unnecessarily stressful.

Slow it down! One venue, one outing. And while you're in that part of town, go exploring. Find the weird little coffee shop around the corner. Walk through the park across the street. Get lost together for an hour.

Some of the best conversations you'll have during this whole engagement might happen in the car between a venue tour and a taco spot you found on Google Maps. That’s the good stuff!

You're literally being handed plates of food and asked for your opinion. This is the dream!

Why show up in a rush with your laptop open and a list of questions? Make it a date night. Take your time and actually taste things. Compare notes. Laugh about the fact that you can't agree on appetizers but somehow agreed to spend your lives together.

Who knows, the tastings might wind up being your favorite part of the entire planning process.

Start a shared playlist early. Like, the week you get engaged. And every time you hear a song that excites you (in the car, at the grocery store, wherever), then add it.

Then take an afternoon, pour some coffee, sit on the floor, and listen through the whole thing together. You'll hear songs from your road trips, songs that remind you of your first date, and songs that make you laugh.

You might find out that your fiancé has deeply questionable taste in early 2000s pop. You’ve been warned…

Here's what usually happens. The bride spends tons of time on social media saving and pinning as much as she can, and then tries to explain her vision at dinner while fiancé nods politely and has absolutely no idea what a "moody tablescape" means.

Instead? Sit down together (no phones, no screens) and talk about it.

What do you want the day to feel like?

What matters most to you?

What traditions do you want?

Which ones can you skip?

Maybe you both keep coming back to that trip to Italy. Or the way your apartment smells when you're cooking Sunday dinner. Or how every party you throw ends up in the kitchen with everyone laughing.

That's your wedding hiding in plain sight. And finding it together is such a key part of this whole thing.

Pick a weekend. Clear the calendar. Get out of your normal environment if you can (e.g., a hotel, a cabin). Even rearrange your living room and pretend that you're somewhere else.

Then batch a bunch of decisions together, but not in a way that feels like you’re doing busy work.

Morning session with pastries and coffee. Afternoon break for a walk or a movie. Evening round with takeout and a glass of wine.

I’m pretty sure you'll knock out more in one relaxed weekend than you would in several stressed-out nights after work.

I know, I know. You weren't expecting to get excited about paper. But stay with me!

Head to a stationery shop and start touching things. The texture of a cotton card. The way letterpress leaves an impression you can feel with your fingertip. The weight of a thick envelope. Wax seals that make you feel like you're sending a royal decree.

This is one of the first physical pieces of your wedding that exists in the real world. How thrilling is that?

If your wedding is somewhere special, like a different city, a property in the countryside, even a neighborhood across town, go visit. And enjoy it!

Have a meal nearby. Walk around. Sit somewhere quiet and picture the day.

When you show up on your wedding morning, you’ll be arriving somewhere that already means something special to you.

Not everything fun has to be a big to-do. These seem minor but they can be fun and memorable too.

• Trying on outfits together and being honest about what looks ridiculous
• Mixing signature cocktails at home and "testing" them several times for quality control
• Debating whether your dog should be in the ceremony (the answer is always yes)
• Picking out welcome bag goodies like you're curating a gift shop
• Addressing envelopes while binge-watching something on Netflix (I vote for a cheesy rom-com)

You won’t find these on your typical wedding planning checklist, but these memories will stay with you forever.

This might be controversial! Look, I believe in asking for advice and getting opinions. But too many opinions from people who aren't getting married is just asking for trouble.

Be thoughtful about who gets a voice in your decisions. The people who make every conversation about themselves or their wedding or what they think you should do? You can love them…without giving them a seat at the decision table.

And please give yourself breathing room. Avoid making big calls when you're tired, stressed, or hangry. The best decisions come when you've got cleared some space to really enjoy making them.

All of it! Ok, so not every single second, obviously. But there’s fun to be had everywhere when you slow down enough to notice it.

And if you haven’t started the 30-Day Dream Wedding Life Series yet, today's a great day for it. And if you already have, keep going!