Tips For Planning an Authentic, Stress-Free Wedding

With these tips from Montana Bride Vendor Jennifer Mooney Weddings, make your day less about traditions, and more about you – and lose the stress in the process. Photography by Jennifer Mooney Photography.

One of the most important things we like to share with our couples is to not compare their vision to another couple's wedding, but instead process each part of the day to reflect who you are as a couple. This uniquely reflects your authenticity, and your story.

In turn, this alleviates stressing the small things, or feeling obligated to do stereotypical traditions on your wedding day. If a tradition is important to you, incorporate it. If you have no idea why you’re doing it, don’t. This is the simple key to having a stress-free wedding.

Consider these examples:

Maybe you have special friends or family in your life, but you don’t want the stereotypical wedding party. The great alternative to this is to give that group a dress style/idea and color palette and then plan a fun staged group photo with this intimate group right after the ceremony. This is easy and fast, and you don’t have to worry about all the other wedding party obligations. If you want a wedding party, then enjoy planning all the fun details!

Maybe your favorite dessert is ice cream and you don’t like cake. Try doing a dessert bar instead! These are always hits at weddings. But if you love cake, you can do both, or just an amazing cake!

Are you not into a big dancing crowd? Maybe an intimate dinner party with amazing background music is the right choice for you. Are you a big dancing crowd? A DJ or a fantastic band is right for you!

We think that Alexandra and Robert did a wonderful job processing what meant the most to them. They made a few non-traditional changes that mirrored their unique story and how they wanted this magical day to feel to their guests.

Alexandra writes:

“I had decided to leave out a lot of your typical wedding 'things' and just focus on what was important to Rob and I. I think a lot of times, couples get overwhelmed by all the things they think they are supposed to do when it comes to a wedding. We wanted the venue, food, cake, and music to truly represent who we were as a couple. We did not have a wedding party, party favors, bartender, or even a reception. Our wedding was more or less a dinner party with our favorite people celebrating our love. We even had one dinner table so that everyone could be together! This simplicity truly allowed Rob and I to focus on what was most important us and what we wanted to share with our guests – the best of Montana.”

-Alexandra, the bride

Our best advice to couples: Be authentic to your vision, and let go of pressure and anything that feels like its being done out of obligation. You deserve the stress-free wedding experience of your dreams!

–Jennifer Mooney Weddings