April 15, 2019 /

Less Stressful Wedding Planning Resources

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Ahh. Wedding planning. It sounds and looks so glamorous. I mean, how can it not be with the massive amounts of images, advice, resources, and opinions that are thrown your way as soon as you and your boo have gotten engaged? I know that within, literally, minutes, of getting engaged we started to get unsolicited advice from family and friends. The waiter at the restaurant we went to after Kyle proposed even gave us advice and told us what we should do next. It all got really overwhelming really fast. And somehow it all becomes about everyone else at your wedding but you. Which seems like the exact opposite of where you want to focus.

Art Deco Inspired Wedding in Kansas City | A candid picture of a flowergirl sadly holding a box in her hands as she leans on a hotel room bed, in front of a wedding dress hanging in the window.

So how’s wedding planning going, friend?

No, really. We want to know! Send us a message! Let us know what you’re loving or struggling with! Maybe we’ll be able to help out in some way! Because you know, outside of photographing your wedding, one of our biggest goals is to be good resources for our couples.

Planning a wedding is a lot of work. And it can be complicated and overwhelming. And it always seems like everyone has an opinion about what you should be doing, when you should be doing it, and how you should be doing it. (Especially if your bestie or one of your siblings has recently gotten married.) What should you book first? How much should you spend on it? What colors are the right colors for the season everyone is telling you when you should get married? What time should your ceremony happen so that your guests don’t wait too long? And favors. What kind of favors should you have?

Dang guys. That word keeps popping up. What word, you ask? “Should.” In our world that’s a nasty, nasty word. It sets unrealistic expectations and puts so much pressure on our couples and that’s just not something we can get on board with. SHOULD – ICK. You know what we say to that?

“Don’t should on me.”

Now, bear with us. We’re going to say something a little crazy here. What happens if you started wedding planning with no expectations going in to it? If no one was whispering in your ear what to do, but instead you could focus on what’s really important to you and your honey, like actually getting married? What if you were able to put blinders on and really truly, make a list with your boo of what’s important, and what you want to focus on and forget about what everyone else is telling you that you should be doing?

Well, wedding planning might just be enjoyable.

And fun. Probably a little glamorous. In our opinions, that’s the way to go. Because you’re marrying your person. Your lobster. Your very best friend.

It seems like in today’s world, as soon as you get engaged there are a certain set of wedding planning resources that are immediately all up in your grill. You know the ones we’re talking about. The ones where you download an app to keep you on track, but it winds up giving you anxiety instead. And don’t forget about the ones where you log on to look at one thing, and then get spammed uncontrollably. With all of them everything is light and pastel and picture perfect with tons of flowers and really unique (sometimes weird) details.

Would your mind be blown if we told you there are other resources out there to help you plan your wedding?

Like real, down to earth, could be your besties, resources. Resources that don’t put all of that stress on you, but instead are aimed at taking the stress off your plate? Because it’s true. They do exist. And in our planning (and professional) experience, sometimes those resources are the best ones. They’re like a breath of fresh air. And something we can totally get on board with. Well, we promise, they’re not some fairy tale thing. They do exist, and we’re going to share some of our favorites with you today. In the hopes that maybe, they won’t should on you, but instead let you relax and enjoy a little bit.

Less-Stressful Wedding Planning Resources

PS – before we get started you should know this isn’t an ad, and none of these people know we’re writing this. We’re just truly so tired of all of the other resources out there stressing our brides out!

1. Bridechilla

A screenshot of the Bridechilla Website landing page, a website dedicated to making wedding planning less stressful for brides and grooms.

We would be absolutely crazy to leave Aleisha from Bridechilla  and her amazing f*ck-it bucket off our list. In fact, we LOVE how real she is about wedding planning so much that we listen to her podcast on a frequent basis, check in on the blog, and ordered the Bridechilla Planning Guides. Which we can say, from experience, are baller. All the information that you’ll get from Aleisha and her team is straight forward, no-bullshit, and funny. And you know that’s something we can get on board with.

2. Offbeat Bride

A screenshot of the landing page of OffBeat Bride, a wedding planning resource dedicated to helping couples plan alternative, less stressful wedding ceremonies.

So, you like things that are a little different. Are Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings your jam? Do you dream of having a wedding gown that’s inspired by your favorite novel? Are you planning something that’s not necessarily a “traditional” wedding day? Offbeat Bride is the place for you. We’re big, big fans of their advice column, and their wedding porn (which focuses solely on photography) sections.

3. Fearless Photographers

A screenshot of the homepage for Fearless Photographers, a wedding photography resource that's goal is to help couples wanting amazing photographers find those photographers around the world.

Fearless is the right place for you to gather photography inspiration. We were introduced to Fearless by our web designer several years ago, and it’s literally changed our lives. If you have to have AMAZING wedding photographs, head to their website to see some out of this world wedding photos. The really cool thing is that they hand out awards a few times a year to the very best of the very best wedding photographers. And if you’re looking for inspiration, there’s no better place to look than wedding pictures that aren’t staged or styled. Being a part of this group has literally changed everything about our business, and we could spend hours on the website just immersing ourselves in wedding photography.

(PS – you’ll probably understand us and our style a little bit better after visiting the Fearless website).

4. A Practical Wedding

A screenshot of the A Practical Wedding homepage, A resource for planning couples that's goal is to be less stressful and full of real content.

If you’re looking for the most amount of real weddings and advice that’s run by an amazing, unapologetic woman, this is where you’ll want to head. We LOVE all of the no-nonsense information that Meg and her team has put together over the years. And the fact that they address things that aren’t just wedding related is the cherry on top for us.

Well there you go, friends! Hopefully, hopefully you’ll find this list helpful. And really, truly, we would love to hear all about how your wedding planning is going. If there’s anything at all that we can do to help take some stress off your shoulders, just let us know. 🙂

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To book us for your upcoming engagement session or wedding, please visit our contact page to send us a message. We can't wait to hear about your big day! Having a destination wedding? We LOVE to travel and have the perfect wedding photography package for you. We would LOVE to hear about your adventure!

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