How do you keep calm when your wedding is creeping closer and closer? Lizzy is sharing how she is getting through the final countdown!

It’s the Final Countdown (ish)

As I write this, it is a Monday evening. Its freezing cold, wet and the children are being, oh what’s the word…difficult? There are just 20 days to go until the day that I have been planning for the last 18 months finally arrives, and oh boy is there a lot to do. 

I would like to think that I have been a relatively chilled out bride. I have been pretty laid back about things, more decisive than I thought I was going to be, and wedding related tantrums have yet to appear. I tried not to stress over the dress. The venue has helped make planning the day a breeze. And all of the ‘big things’ have been organised for a while. 

It’s only in these final few weeks I’ve found my head starting to wobble a little. There are a thousand questions running through my brain day and night and it seems like the list of things to do remains stubbornly the same length no matter how many things I do. 

Here is a little insight into the state of internal monologue on any given day:

Where are the fairy lights I ordered? What is Luna going to wear if it gets chilly? I wonder what the long-range weather forecast is going to be? What am I going to say in my speech? Will there be enough ink in the printer for me print off the readings? When are Eli’s library books due back? When was I booked in to get my nails done? Shall I check I counted the right number of vegetarians for the hundredth time? Do I need to break my shoes in? What should I have breakfast on the wedding day? When I am going to mark year 10’s assessments? What if Luna gets chicken pox? When shall we practise our first dance? At what point was the pre-ordered confetti meant to arrive? Exactly how many cake boxes do I need? What if no one turns up…? 

And so it goes on. And on. And on. 

“If, like me, organisation is kind of your ‘thing’, then you would love these. There are multiple spread sheets.”

So what to do about it? Well, I’m afraid I resorted to the same strategy I’ve always used to plan pretty much everything I my adult life: spreadsheets. If, like me, organisation is kind of your ‘thing’, then you would love these. There are multiple spread sheets. One to track guests; their addresses, RSVPs and dietary requirements. There is one to track music; the ceremony playlist, the reception playlist and the music for between the band’s two sets. There is one for the budget; to track how much we’ve saved, how much we owe and what we have spent so far (touchwood…under budget?!) And finally, there are the decoration spreadsheets. Ones to keep a track on what I’ve bought, what I need to remember to do and so that the amazing Sara knows what to do on the day as she styles the venue to perfection.

It sounds like a lot, but for me its been a life saver. It’s kept me in control when there have been 100 jobs to do. Whilst this level of organisation hasn’t stopped the million questions and concerns and worries that I *think* (hope) are normal before a wedding, they have helped me keep on top of things. With less than three weeks to go, I know where I am, I know where its all headed, and I still have a list of things to do to get there. 

How do you keep calm as your big day approaches? Share your tips below!