As a career girl you’re one who takes our profession seriously. Showing up to work on time, putting in extra work to impress the boss and staying on top of your every day. But how do you do this after you’ve just been proposed to by the man of your dreams? It might seem overwhelming at first, thinking of planning a wedding and managing your career – but there is hope! Here are our best tips to helping you manage the stress of your wedding while also staying in first gear at work.
Balance
Life in general is about proper balance. Work life balance especially! After the big engagement it might become evident that your work life balance is going to get out-of-wack. Planning a wedding is a huge undertaking and can require quite a bit of effort, often taking away from other important things in our lives. Planning a wedding can interfere with what you devote any additional time to during the week. Couples can best manage the balance by sitting down and making a plan.
What extra responsibilities can you put “on holdâ€� until after the honeymoon? Think about extra circular activities, upcoming trips, even baby showers. This may be the time when you have to look at making yourself available and saying no to some of your important, but not urgent, life obligations. Work shouldn’t have to take a backseat, if you can help it. The last thing you need after a wedding is to be unemployed! Take the steps you can to prepare for additional balance needed in coming months.
Save Time and Money Where You Can
Budget blog posts and Pinterest pins are plentiful online today. There are many things you can do to save time and money, look for those opportunities and you’ll be better off for it. Not just your pocketbook but also your career may thank you. Consider this – you’re stressed about the wedding, bills are piling up and you don’t have time to deal with everything. If you worked out ways to really save money it’s one less thing to distract you from your work and keep you from being productive. Many items budget savvy brides save in these five areas:
- Rented wedding dress, tux and party rentals. Who said you have to buy everything, even the dress? Several brides today are renting their gowns along with tuxes and other party rentals. Many shops in your local area or online offer these items across the globe.
- Consider alternatives to silver, platinum and gold. These are precious metals and often brides and grooms look for wedding bands in the most expensive metal. But did you know that these aren’t as durable as say cobalt, carbide, tungsten or carbon fiber wedding bands? Choose an option that saves time and money now as well as in the future.
- Have your wedding at home! So many couples today are avoiding the expense associated with choosing a venue and opting for a traditional backyard wedding. Sure, your own backyard might not be the best option but think about your friends! Lots of us have individuals we know that have amazing homes, ask about ‘borrowing’ and saving the expense that comes along with an equally great locale.
Plan Ahead
Plan early and plan ahead, this is extremely important. Waiting until the last minute to plan your nuptials is certainly not ideal. Planning ahead will give you time to really project manage your wedding – seriously it’s a full project! Get out your calendar, set aside dedicated time to get your list of wedding planning items under way. This should help you to avoid time during work hours to plan your wedding. Sure, you might need to make a million calls on your lunch break Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays – but at least you’re doing so outside of work hours.
Set Expectations As Needed
Inform the individuals responsible for helping you plan your wedding that you only have available time to do so during certain hours. Set expectations with the people around you to inform them of the obligations you have with work, which cannot be affected by wedding planning. It may behoove you to also set expectations with your manager. If you are going to be required to take time off, be available for phone calls or miss meetings to attend dress fittings, event review and rehearsals you should tell them ahead of time. Again, the worst thing after a wedding is to come back to no job. Ensure you are thinking about your work obligations while also planning your wedding in order to set expectations with your employer appropriately.
Planning your wedding and managing a work life balance is indeed possible. Use these tips to help you stay happy and employed even after your special day.
