How to Balance Work and Wedding Planning

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Once an engagement is announced, couples start to feel the pressure of setting a date, picking a venue, and figuring out all of the other details that come with planning a wedding. With most couples today leading very different lives during the workday, it can be hard to coordinate who’s doing what and when they’re doing it. Throw planning a wedding into the mix; scheduling conflicts and miscommunications are bound to occur. 

“In the early days of planning a wedding, couples have to find a way to coordinate their responsibilities,” says Chris Bajda, a seasoned wedding expert from GroomsDay. “After years of experience in the wedding planning industry, I’ve seen this trick work for plenty of couples who each have their jobs to navigate on top of wedding planning.” 

The Blocked Calendar Strategy: A Practical Solution for Busy Couples

To integrate wedding planning into an already busy schedule, the Blocked Calendar Strategy is a method many couples are using. The idea is simple, you treat wedding planning like any other priority in your life by blocking out time for it in your daily schedule. This way, you break down what seems overwhelming into manageable chunks.

The strategy focuses on carving out small pockets of time throughout the workday without affecting professional commitments. By integrating wedding planning into the rhythm of a typical 9-to-5, couples can avoid the frantic evening scramble and free up their weekends for relaxation or other essential tasks.

Tips for Using the Blocked Calendar Strategy Effectively
Lunch Break Phone Calls

Use lunch breaks to make those all-important phone calls to caterers, florists, or wedding planners. This way you can talk to people on the phone to solidify arrangements instead of going in or making the calls during your downtime at home.

It’s amazing how much you can get done in a 30-minute window. Have a list of priority calls ready, so you can use that time to finish the important tasks first. It’s better to make these calls during business hours than to try and get a hold of someone after work or on weekends.

Block 15-minute Time Slots for Emails

Vendor follow-ups, RSVPs, and other correspondence can be handled in short, focused bursts. Try blocking 15 minutes on your calendar a few times a week to tackle wedding-related emails instead of letting them build up to an unmanageable amount. Setting aside small increments of time makes the tasks feel less overwhelming, plus, you can handle a lot of the coordination without interrupting the flow of your workday.

Early Morning Planning Sessions

Dedicate 20 to 30 minutes before the workday begins to handle wedding budgeting, update timelines, or review contracts. A quick planning session before your day starts sets a productive tone and gives you one less thing to think about after work.

Conversely, if you and your significant other are night owls and feel more productive as the sun goes down, you can do a quick planning session after dinner – just don’t bring your laptops into bed with you.

Schedule Vendor Meetings Strategically

Sometimes in-person meetings cannot be avoided when it comes to wedding planning. For vendor meetings, like cake-tasting or picking flower arrangements, try scheduling them during lunch breaks or coffee runs if they’re close enough to your work to run over.  It’s a win-win because you and your significant other can plan to have breaks at the same time and you can both get back to your desk without feeling like you’ve fallen behind.

Weekend Prep for Weekday Efficiency

Use weekends to organize and prioritize the week’s tasks. Prepare a detailed to-do list and calendar blocks for each weekday, making sure to note specific items you can tackle during breaks. Spending an hour or two mapping out your week can make all the difference and you’ll feel more in control and less stressed during the workweek.

This wedding planning trick is all about making the most of the time you have and being smart with your schedule. At the end of the day, your wedding is about celebrating your love, so don’t approach the planning like a school project that you procrastinate on until you’re overwhelmed. Focus on taking it step by step and sharing the responsibilities equally so that one person does not feel like they are doing all the work.

The Blocked Calendar Strategy splits up responsibilities for couples and helps them to manage their wedding plans in a structured and less stressful way. By dedicating small blocks of time during the workday, they can avoid the overwhelming task of cramming everything into evenings and weekends. Don’t forget to enjoy the process, even if it means sneaking in a little wedding talk during your coffee break.

For more information, please visit https://groomsday.com.