Tips for Stress Free Wedding Planning with Teatime Catering

Planning a wedding requires beach serenity

Wouldn’t this be the PERFECT stress reliever?!  A small secluded private beach on the Riviera Maya in Mexico!  
Planning a wedding and wedding reception can be a very stressful time for a newly engaged couple.  Having catered many events in my 30 plus years of experience has provided me with some insight as to what contributes to that stress.  I have narrowed it down to three tips for today:  money – family – expectations.

1. Financial Stress in Wedding Planning.

No doubt this is a huge consideration when planning a wedding.  A budget has to be drawn and funds secured.  I cannot tell you how many times I meet with a couple who tell me, “We are paying for this ourselves…”.  So are the majority of couples marrying today.  Whatever you decide on for a budget, be realistic and flexible.  Remember why you are getting married.  Is it because you want to share your life with another human being, or because you want an amazing party?  I would dare say it’s a bit of both!  There are countless sources of money saving tips out there – take the time to research your options.  If something is out of your price range, there are indeed 10 more options waiting for you to explore.  In the Washington DC and Northern Virginia area there must be hundreds of reception venues to explore that fit everyone’s budget.  The same goes for catering.  Don’t be intimidated by initial pricing quotes, be persistent.  And truly the number one example of how to cut costs across the board:  guest count.  You can always have a small and elegant wedding and host a much larger party/reception at a later date.

Thinking about wedding planning requires private pool time at Mexico Villa

2.  Family and Friends – Otherwise known as Lions and Tigers and Bears…Oh My!

Pretty much every day activities involve family and friends on one level or another.  Enter the word wedding and EVERYONE has an opinion.  This is a time you want to be surrounded with loved ones, but it’s helpful to define your boundaries early on.  If you are indeed paying for this yourselves, you should be able to make most of the major decisions.  If you are receiving family assistance, discuss upfront what is expected with that assistance.  For the most part,  family and friends just want you to be happy, and have no problem letting you know.  Think of the stress reliever as an internal  volume control button.  Turn it down when the chatter becomes too loud, smile and nod.

Sunset Watching required for Wedding Planning Relaxation

 3.  Expectations.

This trips me up in my regular life on a day to day basis.  In the wedding industry it’s a train coming down the tracks.  Newly engaged couples are bombarded with suggestions, ideas, must haves, must not dos, wear this, don’t wear that, spend spend spend.  What I like to tell couples is while this is going to be “one” of the most important days of your lives, it is not “the” most important day of your life.  There will be many more important days.  The wedding industry often pumps so much hype into an already emotionally charged event. Sometimes the best mantra is the Serenity Prayer:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things (people) I cannot change; the courage to change the things that I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”


I’m the caterer who has a logged a lot of miles.  As stated on the home page of my website www.teatimeinc.com
“Life is short.  Friends and family are to be cherished.  Sounds like a party!”

Oh, and remember to breathe.  Can’t emphasize that enough!
www.teatimeinc.com