Wedding planning can be so much fun…but it can also be very overwhelming. There’s so much to do, and depending on your length of engagement, there may not be much time. But I promise everything will work out and at the end of that special day and it will be okay.

But here’s some advice to help things go as smoothly as possible.

Remember to Breathe

Okay, this might seem simple, and it is. But trust me, it is easy to forget in regular day-to-day life and especially during the excitement of wedding stuff. Whenever you find yourself getting overwhelmed, just take a few big, slow, deep breaths. Make sure that you set aside time for yourself that isn’t related to wedding planning and definitely make sure that not all your time with your future spouse is centered around planning.

2. Start Organized & Stay Organized

The more you start to plan, the more you realize how many different pieces there are. Find a method of organization that works for you. Whether it is a binder or bullet journal or something else, there are so many options. Staying organized will help you feel like you are actually putting the pieces together.

3. Communicate & Delegate

It is also important to remember that you are not doing this alone. Get your partner involved. Don’t feel like you have to make all the decisions all by yourself. This wedding is about the both of you. They might want to let you have all the power to make decisions, but remind them that this wedding is about both of you and you value their opinion. Think of it as a team building exercise!

As long as you are not eloping, there should be some people in your life, whether family or friends, that are willing to help. I know it’s not always easy to ask for help, but trust me, this can make your life a lot easier. Find people that you can trust and find pieces that they would be a good fit for. Maybe your future sister-in-law is crafty and wants to help design centerpieces or the dessert table. Maybe your brother is a loud person who would be helpful in rounding up your family members for family portraits. Everyone has special traits that can help them best help you get ready for your special day. So DON’T be afraid to DELEGATE. If trusting people you know worries you and you want a professional to help keep things organized, consider a wedding planner or day-of-wedding coordinator.

4. Know that there will be something that goes wrong, so just expect it

Perfection is unattainable. Just start to accept this and it will make your life easier. No matter how many perfectionists and professionals work together to plan a wedding, there will always be room for human error and crazy family members. A groomsman might spill some food on his tux. Your bridesmaid might lose an earring. You might get blisters from your beautiful heels. There are so many things that could go wrong, so instead of worrying about all the possibilities, just try your best to be prepared for them and expect them.

5. Know that most people will not notice the little things that go wrong

While you may have spend endless hours of planning and designing, most guests have not looked at your Pinterest board, so they don’t know your exact vision when they walk in. That’s why if the flowers aren’t the perfect shade of blue or someone didn’t set up a sign in the right place, they will never know that anything went wrong. You have this perfect wedding in your mind, and no one else has seen the whole picture, so keep in mind the previous point and remember that things will go wrong. Just do your best to not sweat the small stuff and play it off like nothing went wrong…nobody will ever really know!

6. Stay focused on the Marriage and not the Wedding

It can be so easy to get wrapped up in all the fun (and chaos) of wedding planning and lose sight of why you’re even having this event. Do everything you can to remind yourself daily that the point of all this is that you are marrying your best friend. That’s all that truly matters. That can still happen if the flowers aren’t the right kind of blue or you run a couple minutes late. At the end of the day, people won’t really remember these things. They’ll remember the way that you both looked at each other. The joy in the room when you were officially pronounced married. The way your mom cried when she saw your father-daughter dance. These are the things that will stick with everyone. Hopefully you have picked the perfect photographer to capture these moments so that you can hold onto them forever and hang them up in your living room. No matter what happens that day, these little moments will be the precious things that you’ll hold on to and walk away with, other than your spouse!