5 tips for a stress-free wedding

Enjoy a relatively stress-free wedding with these five practical tips.

Weddings are typically stressful affairs. With large amounts of money involved, multiple people voicing their opinions and wishes, making important decisions can be a hectic ordeal. The good news is that it doesn't need to be that way.

• This might sound like an extravagance, but wedding planners are worth every cent.
• They're just about the best resource for a stress-free wedding, second only to eloping. It's their job to take on all the stress and keep it away from you, offering you solutions rather than problems when it comes to making decisions.
• They are also the perfect scapegoat when deflecting meddling family members.

• With so many decisions to make for a wedding, just knowing where to start can be daunting.
• Decide on your venue before making other choices, as the location dictates so many other aspects of your planning.
• With the venue chosen, you can use its availability calendar to set a date in stone.
• The venue's directors can also likely give you a direction for the style of your wedding, including your dress, decorations and even your photos.

• Even when you've planned ahead, it's easy to blow your budget on last-minute, supposedly must-have items.
• Avoid the problems even earlier by cutting back on wedding expenses. Skimp on the details; no one will remember the floral arrangements or candle holders on every table.
• Save your money for your photos and wedding planner, along with your dress and venue—the two things that guests will notice most.

• Make a pact to make every decision together as a couple. This way you can present a united front against friends and family who try to muscle in on your wedding. It's easier to veto opinions when you have a set plan in place.
• It also helps ensure you stay on budget, as you won't be able to make impulsive purchases on the spot.

• Because you can't possibly please everyone else, please yourselves first.
• This is your wedding day, and no one's opinions or wishes are as important on this big day as your own.
• Make the day what you want it to be, defer problems or questions to your wedding planner, and of course, focus on each other first and foremost.
• Keep in mind that this is one day in your lives together, and it is not worth bankrupting yourselves over when you still have so many happy years to share.