How to manage wedding planning as a long-distance couple

Planning a wedding is an emotional rollercoaster ride with tons of decisions and details thrown in the mix. The process is overwhelming for all, whether you’re the ultimate DIY bride or prefer to delegate each task. But you know what makes the process even more challenging? Managing a long-distance relationship with your future spouse while planning a wedding. You have to ensure that it reflects your shared vision even while you are separated by distance. It’s a daunting task, to say the least. And that is why we have some curated advice for those soon-to-be-married couples living far away from each other.

Be clear about what your partner wants

It is important to be clear about both of your expectations early on. What wedding elements are most important for both of you? What are things you both can’t imagine your wedding without? Knowing these details helps you plan your wedding details with ease because you already know what’s important to your partner who might not be present for the discussion.

Video call each other and make the most of it

Planning a wedding while living far apart can present many challenges, but thankfully technology makes things a whole lot easier. You can share your ideas, visions, and inspirations in real-time on a video call, from discussing colour palettes and floral arrangements to meeting with potential vendors, virtual face-to-face interactions can bridge the gap and ensure you both remain actively involved in every decision.

Set boundaries about ‘wedding talk time’

Sometimes, when you’re in the depths of wedding planning, every conversation turns to wedding planning talk. And if you hardly see or hear from your loved one as-is, you don’t want to spend every bit of quality time organising and making wedding decisions. Try scheduling ‘wedding planning meetings’ twice or thrice a week. That way, the rest of the week you can forget about the wedding planning stress and catch up with one another. 

Check in on each other emotionally (and do it often) 

When you’re planning a wedding and live together or near each other, you can pick up on so many forms of nonverbal communication and emotional messages about how the process is going that you likely won’t be able to receive as readily when you live apart. During this weekly (ish) dedicated time, make sure to equally cover logistics as well as the emotional experience of the process. Are either of you feeling stressed or anxious? Ask your partner about how they feel about the wedding planning and if there is anything specific that is bothering them. 

Plan “power trips”

While technology makes long-distance wedding planning easier, some aspects may require travelling to the wedding location. Enter power trips. These allow the two of you to go to your wedding destination, visit venues, and meet with your vendors. These trips allow you to tackle a lot of planning in a shorter time frame. And the secret behind these trips is to do a lot of research beforehand and schedule appointments in advance—leaving time for you to enjoy each other’s company.

All images: Pexels

Also read: Why a low-key wedding is better than a big-fat one

Also read: Here's what you can do if pre-wedding photoshoots are not your thing