Planning a wedding is meant to feel exciting. But somewhere between the Pinterest boards, family opinions, supplier spreadsheets and social media trends, it can quickly start to feel like a full-time job. If you’re searching for wedding planning tips, wondering how to plan a stress-free wedding, or just trying to create a day that actually feels like you, you’re in the right place.
Having been through it ourselves, and after capturing 100+ weddings across Devon, the UK, Europe and Canada, we’ve seen what makes a wedding feel joyful, connected and calm… and what quietly creates stress.
So here are our honest, experience-led tips to help you plan a wedding you’ll genuinely enjoy, not just one that looks good online.
1. Decide How You Want Your Wedding to Feel First
Before venues, colours, flowers or outfits, ask yourselves:
How do we want our wedding to feel?
Maybe it’s:
- one big, fun party
- elegant and luxurious
- intimate, meaningful and present
This becomes your anchor.
When everything starts to feel overwhelming, come back to this.
2. Don’t Try to Include Every Wedding Trend
One of the biggest planning traps right now is feeling like you need every moment.
Social media can make weddings feel like a full production:
- champagne towers
- sparkler tunnels
- outfit changes
- choreographed dances
- personalised everything
If you love it, go for it.
But if you’re adding things because you feel like you should, the day can quickly become exhausting.
Simple rule: choose what matters to you, leave the rest.
3. Build a Relaxed Timeline (With Buffers)
If we could give every couple one piece of advice, it’s this:
Leave more space than you think you need.
Stress rarely comes from something big going wrong. It comes from trying to squeeze too much into too little time. The biggest pressure point? When the ceremony runs late (which… it usually does). Suddenly, drinks reception gets rushed. Conversations get cut short. You don’t get time with your people.
And then:
- group photos overrun
- couple portraits feel rushed
- speeches get squeezed
- you realise you haven’t eaten all day
The fix is simple. Build in breathing room.
Allow time for:
- hair and makeup overrunning
- the ceremony starting late
- travel between spaces
- chatting with guests
- freshening up
- actually eating
A relaxed timeline creates a relaxed couple, and allows them time to spend with their favourite people ❤️
4. Choose Suppliers You Trust (Not Just the Cheapest!)
Budget matters. We get it.
But your suppliers shape how your day feels.
The right people will:
- keep things calm
- solve problems before you notice them
- help everything flow
When choosing, ask:
- Do we trust them?
- Do they feel experienced?
- Do they communicate well?
- Do we feel comfortable around them?
Price matters once. Experience lasts.
5. Choose a Photo & Video Team You Actually Like
Style and price matter.
But so does personality.
Your photographer and videographer are with you during the most emotional, intimate and high-energy parts of the day.
Ask yourselves these questions:
- Are they our kind of people?
- Will they make us feel comfortable?
- Do they value our experience?
The best photos and films happen when you feel relaxed.
6. Consider Booking Photo + Video Together
If you’re having both, this is a big one.
When separate teams haven’t worked together before, things can feel clunky:
- people stepping into each other’s shots
- moments being repeated
- unnecessary stress
When you book a team:
- communication is seamless
- moments are captured once, properly
- everything feels smoother
- your final work looks cohesive
More time enjoying, less time repeating.
7. DIY Weddings Need Support
We love DIY weddings.
They’re personal, creative and full of heart.
But without support, couples often end up hosting instead of enjoying.
We’ve seen mornings spent:
- moving tables
- setting up decor
- answering calls
- stressing
If you’re going DIY, bring in support:
- an on-the-day coordinator
- a stylist
- a planner
- a trusted friend with a clear role
And give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.
8. Choosing Your Guest List (And Wedding Party)
Start with the people.
Choose the ones you genuinely want around you. The ones you can relax with, laugh with, and be completely yourself with.
That choice shapes how your whole day feels.
When it comes to a wedding party, there’s no pressure to have one at all.
Traditionally, this is your closest group, the people standing with you or getting ready alongside you. But it can look however you want. Big, small, mixed, uneven, or none at all.
If you do have one, keep it intentional.
Choose the people who support you, bring good energy, and who you want right by your side.
Or skip it completely.
There are no rules here.
9. Protect Time Together
One of the things we hear most:
“We barely spoke to each other all day.”
It goes quickly.
So build in small, intentional moments:
- a quiet pause after the ceremony
- a short walk at sunset
- five minutes alone before dinner
These often become the moments you remember most.
10. Make Choices That Reflect You
You don’t have to:
- have speeches
- have a wedding party
- cut a cake
- do a first dance
- wear anything specific
- invite anyone out of obligation
Traditions are optional.
Use what feels right. Leave what doesn’t.
What We’ve Learned After 100+ Weddings
Aross weddings in Devon, London, Tuscany, France, Canada and beyond, the happiest couples usually:
- protect their peace
- trust good people
- focus on experience
- keep perspective
- prioritise connection over perfection
- build space into the day
And almost always, their photos and films feel incredible because the day itself felt incredible. You got this!
Planning Your Own Wedding Day?
If you’re looking for a wedding photographer and videographer team who care about how your day feels just as much as how it looks, we’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up!
