Wedding planning and event planning in general can be extremely challenging and feel very overwhelming.

I recently had chai and conversation with the lovely and amazing Amanda Wiss, professional organizer and founder of Urban Clarity. As the mother of two young girls and a smart business owner, I wanted to pick her brain about planning kids’ birthday parties in Brooklyn and Manhattan. After catching up and a great story swapping session, I invited Amanda to be a guest blogger. Who couldn’t benefit from being better organized? Finding an event related angle would be easy. Her newsletter arrived that same day. Reading it, led to a simpler solution. I asked her if I could borrow the information from her newsletter and apply it to wedding and event planning. I am so happy she has allowed me to share this valuable information with you today.

Amanda’s advice is in traditional type, my commentary follows in italics.

* Go Beyond the Obstacles and Make It Happen*

5 tips to STOP MAKING EXCUSES and MAKE THING HAPPEN

1. Focus on the good. Excuses tend to focus on the pain. Instead, see the potential win in something, (like having nicely folded clothes instead of wrinkled ones) and you’ll be more motivated to try it.

Type your guest list and their addresses in a spreadsheet. The hostess(es)of your engagement parties and showers will appreciate this. Then you’ll have this information organized for wedding invitations, thank you notes and holiday cards after the wedding.

2. Find a solution. Almost everything in life can effectively be broken down into smaller chunks. Figure out the first step and get started. You don’t need a master plan ahead of time. Be creative! You WILL come up with something that works.

Find a venue, then tackle one vendor at a time. Celebrate each accomplishment. You don’t need to find a photographer, a florist, a graphic designer and a baker on the same weekend. Taking your time allows you to enjoy the process of meeting with talented individuals. You will be able to judge and appreciate their work and style more effectively and make better decisions as a result.

3. Recognize it’s never going to fit your picture. No matter how much you want to control your circumstances, it can’t always be done. Allow yourself to do things in a way that works for you, even if they’re not perfect. Maybe you need to take the lid permanently off your laundry hamper, if you want your clothes to actually make it inside. Play to your strengths, and cut yourself some slack.

While the “perfect” beach weddings pictured in magazines and on blogs showing the reception two feet from the ocean look amazing, be prepared to take a step back literally. Often these photos are staged for promotional purposes, at a private beach or property, very expensive or not realistic or easy to achieve depending on your budget, the climate of the location and overall logistics. The picture could have been taken at an afternoon wedding, maybe they didn’t serve alcohol or ending the party at 9pm because of the town’s ordinances. You don’t know what they had to sacrifice to have their beach wedding.

4. Allow in the chaos, and the fun! Go where your heart wants, even if it’s not on your original “to do” list. Take detours! This makes you much more available for other parts of your life, and sets you up for the kind of joy you want to have.

While traditions are great, if you have something significant to you and your fiancé that you want to incorporate into the wedding, go for it. Be confident with your decision and don’t look back.

5.Build a team to stay on track. When you’re feeling demotivated and full of excuses, get support. Find an exercise buddy or an accountability partner, join a mastermind group, hire a life coach, or work with a professional organizer. It’s time to create the positive outcomes you deserve!

Of course, the help of an event planner or a “day of” coordinator can relieve much of the stress planning a wedding brings on. Invest in your sanity and piece of mind, hiring a professional will keep you organized, on task and mindful of your budget.

* Toss your “to do” list – create a “get to do” list. *

Thanks again to Amanda for allowing me to share her wisdom with you!

For more organizing advice visit her website Urban Clarity.