Helpful "Life Hacks" to Make Wedding Planning Easier

-  Outside brides: consider purchasing veil weights. Yes, they exist! And fortunately, they come in a variety of elegant styles – you’re sure to find one that coordinates with your dress and will keep your veil from dancing a little too much in the wind during portraits or the ceremony itself.

-  Obtain a secondary email address reserved for wedding correspondence. Create a temporary email address and make it your main line of correspondence for all nuptial-related matters, including discussing things with your planner and bridal party. It’ll be easier to separate your everyday tasks from your “big day” details.

-  When sending save the dates or invitations, ask the post office to “hand cancel” your envelopes. It sounds somewhat negative, but let us explain: upon this request, postal workers will forgo the usual routine of putting your invitations through a stamping machine, and will instead use a special ink stamp to mark the envelopes and sort them by hand. This will greatly reduce the risk of ink damage!

-  Put small numbers on the back of each individual RSVP card. Mark the guest, couple, or family with that number on a master list. This way, if the attendees forget to write in the name, or their writing comes out illegible, you’ll be able to tell from whom the card came.

-  Buy heel protectors for walks through alfresco terrain. Capping off your slim heels with these clear capsules will help prevent you from sinking into grass or dirt – think of how much time you’ll be able to save traversing the property!

-  Find a smartphone app for nearly all of your planning needs. These days, what isn’t there an app for? You can find nearly every wedding need met with a smartphone app: wedding planning, your registry, and even apps like Burner, which sets up a text message hotline for guests with last-minute questions about the venue, attire, etc.

-  Take sandpaper to the bottom of slippery formal shoes before the big day. Sand down your formal footwear to prevent slipping on the dance floor – a quick, easy way to ensure you’re not embarrassed during your first dance!

-  Color code your planned seating chart. Whether you use colored sticky notes, varying highlighters, or an online organizational system, this will save you a lot of time when playing with the politics of your reception space.

-  Be sure to stock up on “day-of” snacks for the in-between time. Get travel-sized versions of your favorite – non-messy! – snacks to munch on during transitional periods, such as getting ready, driving time, and between takes during your professional photos. They always say that a couple never eats on their big day; make sure you don’t end up with growling stomachs by the end of the night!

-  Get a stamp made with your return address. This will save you the time and redundancy of writing your address over and over again on each save the date, invitation, and thank-you card.

-  Provide a postcard with each guest's invitation and ask them to print their address on it. This will save a lot of time – and some confusion – when sending your thank-you cards. It will also give you a little bit of a break post-honeymoon, and you’ll get to focus more time on penning your heartfelt appreciation to your nearest and dearest.

For more tips and expert advice, check out the best ways to survive the week before your wedding and some registry suggestions on how to shop for bedding for your marital home.