No, I haven't gone mad. As any bride knows an organized wedding is a happy wedding. And that organizing starts months before the actual wedding day. With a big family calendar, one with columns for four or five family members, you can keep track of where the most important members of the wedding party are on a particular day.
For example, if you have all moved away for university, time when you can be together is at a premium. If it will take hours for all your bridesmaids to reach a hub town for dress fitting, you need to be really sure of the best time to meet. After all, you don't want your maid of honour to have to dash off half way through for an exam. Ask for all the important dates in advance, to save lots of calls back and forth to organize a day.
And the same applies for frantic phone calls. There will be a time when you are at your wits end and need to hear a friendly voice. Don't lose friends by keeping someone up when they have a job interview the next day!
Equally, when you are in full-on wedding mode you can forget that real life exists. If you lose all touch with reality you can end up not sending birthday cards. This will not make you popular. If you have a big planner on the wall then you have no excuse to forget important dates. After all, the rest of the world doesn't stop because you are organizing your wedding.
You can also use the planner to create mini deadlines. You will have organized flowers and catering by a certain date. You will call back the DJ by the end of the month. That way you can see what has been done, and that means less to stress over. Everything will be recorded on this planner, not on scraps of paper and backs of bus tickets. It's all easy and clear.
One note of caution, however. Make it clear that the planner is there to make it easier for everyone, not because you want to take over their lives for a year! Don't be a complete bridezilla and shout at a friend because they forgot to tell you about a hair appointment. These things happen. Yes, your wedding should be the best day of your life. But remember you selected your bridal party because they are the closest to you. And you want that to be true after the wedding.
The fact you have taken the time to fit your schedule around your bridal party shows that you really care. And happy and unstressed bridesmaids means a far less stressed bride, meaning you can enjoy your wedding knowing everything is in hand.
