Happy New Year! I love this time of year – everything feels like a new page has turned and we can accomplish anything. I love the optimism of a new calendar, the year stretching out before us, filled with endless possibilities.

If you’re newly engaged, or deep in the weeds of planning your wedding, a new year offers an additional layer of excitement around planning your big day. To kick off the new year with a great mindset for the wedding planning part of your life, we’ve put together seven new year’s resolutions for anyone planning a wedding. Read on, if you like!

1.     I resolve to remember that a wedding is about marrying the love of my life, and then celebrating that marriage. All the details that go into making it a spectacular party are great fun, but the most important part of the day is that I’ll be marrying the one I love.

2.     I resolve to remember to give myself time to enjoy life outside of wedding planning. To remember that planning a wedding is only one part of my routine, and that all other aspects of my life should remain as important as they were before I was engaged.

A great way to achieve this goal is to set aside one evening per week to work on your wedding. Pour a glass of something delicious, go through your to-do list, and when you’re done, set it aside until the following week.

Also, I highly recommend continuing to date your soon-to-be spouse! Go out, enjoy time together as you’ve always done, dream about the future together (other than wedding plans).

3.     I will remember that I’m planning a big party. It’s an important party to be sure, but it’s just a party, and I will not allow it to affect my mental or physical health in a negative way.

As a wedding planner, all too often I see couples letting the stress of planning a big celebration take a toll on them personally, as well as their well-being as a couple. I promise you that no one is coming to your wedding to judge it. They are coming to have a great time and to celebrate you. If you need to go minimal on the plans to save your sanity, by all means do so!

4.     I resolve not to break the bank on my wedding. If I can’t afford something, I vow to myself and my future marriage not to go deep into debt for that pretty something that will be but a memory the moment the wedding ends.

Let me just say that I understand that weddings are expensive, and it is so easy to justify overspending “on just this one thing,” which we all know won’t be “just this one thing.” Am I right? I’m going to put on my wedding planner hat here and say this loud so everyone in the back can hear me: Set a (realistic) budget to begin with. Work with someone (a wedding planner!) who knows what weddings cost in your area, and come up with realistic line items for each category of your wedding. And then stick to it. If you cannot afford a wedding this year, save for it next year!

5.     I will always remember that relationships with friends and family extend beyond the wedding, and anything I do or say leading up to the wedding may affect those relationships after the wedding has come and gone.

Ya’ll, I cannot use enough exclamation points to emphasize this one. Perhaps your sister or best friend is not being the maid of honor you always dreamed you would have. Maybe it just isn’t her thing or perhaps she’s dealing with something that she doesn’t want to burden you with. If you feel like she’s failing you as a bridesmaid, remember she’s your sister/friend first and will still be in your life after the wedding. Think twice before acting or speaking harshly to those involved in your wedding. Yes, it’s your day, but family (and friend!) relationships go far beyond your wedding, and it always saddens me to see so many relationships hurt by (often unrealistic) expectations placed upon them by a wedding.

6.     I will remember that asking someone to be a part of my bridal party is an honor that goes both ways.

It’s an honor to be asked to stand by someone’s side on their big day, and it is also an honor when someone agrees to stand by you on that most important of days. That said, once someone has agreed to be a part of the wedding party, that does not mean they are beholden to be at your beck and call. And on the flip side, if someone has agreed to a bridesmaid or groomsman role, they should do so with joy and be thrilled to be a part of the festivities.

7.     I resolve to enjoy this amazing season of my life.

When I was engaged, I LOVED the transition into being a “fiancé.” It was so much fun to introduce the man I was to marry as my fiancé. It’s such a joyous time, and I implore everyone to remember that it’s a finite time in life filled with anticipation and celebrations, and to enjoy every moment!