Wedding Psychology

In preparation for a seminar I will be giving at Hogarths Hotel in Solihull next month on the subject of 'the psychology of weddings' I have been doing a bit of research. I was astounded to read that one in ten brides suffer from 'post nuptial depression' and this is a figure which is on the increase. Understandably planning your wedding is a really big deal (regardless of whether or not you have a wedding planner to assist you) however, it is very worrying that so many women let planning their 'big day' become so all-consuming that their lives actually appear to stop the day after.



It is no surprise perhaps that after months (or even years) of preparation when almost every waking hour seems to be filled with thoughts about the wedding day, many women will feel at a bit of a loss after it is all over. But, once the thank you letters are written, the photos are safely in their album and the video is played and re-played, it really is time to move on.



It is very important that you don't allow your wedding plans to take over your life. Of course trying on dresses, choosing stationery, selecting menus, booking entertainment etc is fun but always remember why you doing this. Your wedding is a single event which will mark the beginning of a whole new life and really it is that new life which you should be focusing on.



There are several things you can do to keep everything in perspective. Firstly get organised - keep everything filed in one place and make diary notes of when things have to be done by. Keep at least one night each week free when you and your partner do something together and ban any mention of the word 'wedding' or anything related to it. Better still, if you can, try to restrict your wedding discussions to one night only each week. Try to avoid spending every lunchtime surfing the wedding websites on the net, set aside one day of the weekend to do your shopping and surfing. Write down what you are looking for and only look for that - otherwise you will get so sidetracked that before you know it you will have spent the whole weekend staring at your computer... not much fun for your partner, friends or family.



And of course, consider hiring a wedding planner to help you - let them do all the boring leg work for you so you simply have to make the decisions - which, after all, is the fun bit! This will free you up to concentrate on what is far more important and challenging: planning for your new life together.

Keeping a Lid on Wedding Costs

As you will know if you are planning a wedding yourself, most couples plan their weddings at least one or more years ahead - and this means setting a budget and committing to your most expensive wedding cost - your venue - many months before the big day itself. The recent economic downturn has had a profound and devastating effect on some couples who booked an expensive venue and paid a large non-refundable deposit a year or two ago but who are now struggling to raise the money to pay the balance - let alone find additional cash for all the other wedding expenses which they assumed they would be able to afford. In some instances engaged couples have found themselves redundant and their parents have lost savings as stocks, shares and interest rates tumbled making wedding planning more stressful than ever for these unlucky brides and grooms.

Starting married life in debt is no fun which is why at Weddings Co-ordinated we pay particular attention to keeping a lid on our clients' spending. We discuss at great length how to set a budget and we are rigorous about ensuring our clients stick to their budgets. We also negotiate excellent rates with suppliers on their behalf and we always, always recommend that they take out a comprehensive insurance policy.

There is still a strong misconception held by couples in the UK that hiring a wedding co-ordinator is an unnecessary and frivolous additional expense. In fact, by negotiating good deals for their clients, a wedding co-ordinator can often save you more money than the cost of their fee and all our clients have reported that far from being ‘unnecessary and frivolous’ their co-ordinator was ‘worth her weight in gold’ in terms of the ideas, assistance and support given to the couple throughout the wedding planning process and on the day itself.

If you would like to find out more about how a wedding co-ordinator could help you with your wedding plans please do contact us or visit our website at www.weddingsco-ordinated.co.uk