Holiday Wedding Planning

Tips and Tricks

Nov 30

wedding planning + the holiday season = it can be done

As the holidays approach, we know that the hustle and bustle of wedding planning keeps on goin’. No matter how much you want to sometimes press pause and enjoy the comforts that this magical time brings, holiday stress is bound to come up—especially when you add wedding planning stress into the mix. Juggling family and planning can be a balancing act of Cirque Du Soleil proportions, but knowing the right moves can help you pull off a (relatively) stress-free holiday! The Gather Gals have plenty of experience in the realm of holiday-wedding planning, so we’ve got tips-and-tricks-a-plenty for the holiday season.

From pre-planning to self-care, we’ve gotcha covered! Scroll down for ideas on how to handle and prevent holiday stress, while still connecting with your special person.

Friendly Reminder: Never hesitate to reach out to your wedding planner or coordinator if you’re feeling the stress of the holidays! If you’re a TGC couple be sure to check out your wedding spreadsheet—that’s what it’s there for!

P r e - P l a n n i n g

Christmas Movie Work sesh

Build a list of Christmas movies you and your partner grew up with or that you can see yourself watching every year.
You can either take this time as a much needed break from the wedding chaos, or you can knock out some wedding tasks while you watch!
Pair movie watching with:
1 | *Guest list on website*
2 | *Schedule*
3 | *Planning spreadsheet*
4 | *Timeline*
*5 | Wedding website*
*6 | Bridal party attire*
*7 | Gifts for bridal party and each other*
*8 | Envelope addressing*

Holiday cards

Tip: Pair holiday and thank card writing/stamping together—two birds, one stone! You can thank us later ;)
*Online:*
*Make both cards online through the same service, after importing your guests list.*
*Place order at the same time and schedule send out if you want them to be sent separately.*
*Manual:*
*Split up responsibility of addressing/details.*

scheduling + COMMUNICATION

Have a conversation with your partner about splitting holiday plans with family **pre-holiday** to avoid the dreaded double/triple/quadruple booking of obligatory house calls.
Chelsy’s (TGC founder + lead planner) experience:
“My husband and I didn’t plan this out during our engagement and into our first-year of marriage, and we ended up jumping from 4 houses in one exhausting day. It really disrupted our cheer and time together. We felt like we missed out on Christmas traditions as a family of our own and ended up EXHAUSTED.
Thankfully, we have a process that leaves us time to connect and get our festivities done, while supporting family time with all sides of the Ferguson-Cox house holds - things are much less stressful and all is took was team work and communication!”

Gifts

Pro Tip: Get all of your gifts beforehand! Easier said than done, right? Organize your time between both gifts and wedding planning—make the most of your time by scheduling out your lunch breaks for specific times of the week to get this list going, and then book a time with your soon-to-be spouse to bundle up, grab some hot chocolate, and spend intentional time out or at home checking off that list! While your at it, maybe you make it a point to check off ONE thing on the wedding to-dos.
*Order online*
*Spreadsheet of gifts, budget, and names*
*Make it a date (see Movie Work Sesh above)*

S e l f - C a r e

Before anything else, you want to keep your relationship with your partner strong during the wedding/holiday season. You both need to have each others’ backs and care for the other during this stressful time. There is always time for you to step back and take a breather—the best way to do this during the holidays is to be fully present in whatever you are doing and have a list of to dos! Having a list will allow you to no longer worry about forgetting something and leaves room for pointed times to check off those items!

Holiday traditions are something that can easily be looked over as you are living separately or as you are visiting family—our team has found that it is priceless to look at how you can blend current family traditions or start new traditions as the two of your start your lives together.

Below are some ideas!