Wedding Tips for 2026 Couples: Advice From A wedding photographer

2026 couples — you get married THIS YEAR!!

Planning a wedding can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming, especially with everything you see online. After witnessing countless wedding days from behind the scenes, I’ve seen what truly helps couples feel present, joyful, and stress-free. If you’re a 2026 couple just getting started, here are some of my biggest wedding planning tips to guide you along the way.

Enjoy Your Engagement First

Before you jump straight into booking vendors and building Pinterest boards, give yourself permission to enjoy being engaged. This season is short and special. Celebrate the “just said yes” moments, soak it in, and move into planning with intention instead of urgency.

Create a Wedding Email

One of the most underrated wedding planning tips is setting up a dedicated wedding email address. This keeps all vendor communication, contracts, invoices, and orders in one place instead of scattered across personal inboxes. Use this email for everything wedding-related—venues, planners, florists, rentals, attire, stationery orders, and travel confirmations. It also makes it easy to share access with your partner or planner so everyone stays on the same page.

Choose Your Venue First

Your venue sets the foundation for everything else. It determines your wedding date, guest count, overall vibe, and even which vendors are available to you. Once the venue is locked in, the rest of the planning decisions tend to fall into place more easily.

Book Key Vendors Earlier Than You Think

Photographers, planners, and florists often book far in advance—especially for popular seasons. If you have vendors you truly love, don’t wait. You can even reach out before your date is officially secured if you know a certain vendor is deeply important to you. I’ve had multiple couples reach out to me before picking a date, and I’ve helped them choose a date that works for both of our schedules. There’s nothing more disappointing than picking a date, thinking you’re early enough, but then the vendor is already booked! You can start the conversation whenever you’d like. Securing your core team early gives you peace of mind and ensures your vision stays consistent from start to finish.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Planner

Whether it’s a full-service planner or a day-of coordinator, having someone manage logistics is one of the best investments you can make. Not even is it a good investment, but it is paramount to the flow of your day. I’ve never photographed a wedding without a coordinator or planner that went smoothly or without stress. Planners keep the timeline running smoothly, handle unexpected issues, and allow you (and your family) to actually enjoy the day. A planner is worth more than you can imagine.

DIY What Makes Sense—But Hire the Pros

DIY projects can be meaningful, but you don’t need to do everything yourself. Centerpieces, florals, stationery, food, decor, and video are areas where hiring professionals makes a huge difference. Even if your aunt used to be a florist, wouldn’t you rather have her fully present and enjoying your wedding day? Let the pros handle it so your loved ones can celebrate with you.

Hire Professionals You Trust (and Tune Out the Noise)

Once you’ve chosen your vendors, trust them. One of the biggest stressors I see couples experience comes from outside noise, social media trends, family opinions, and well-meaning friends offering advice. While inspiration can be helpful, too many voices can quickly cloud your vision.

Hiring professionals you truly trust allows you to step back and rely on their expertise. They’ve done this before. They know what works, how to problem-solve, and how to guide you when decisions feel overwhelming. When you trust your team, you don’t need to second-guess every choice or compare your day to what you see online. That trust brings a level of peace of mind that’s truly invaluable.

Prioritize Being Fully Present on Your Wedding Day

Planning is meant to be fun, dream big, plan thoughtfully, and enjoy every step leading up to your wedding. But when the day finally arrives, your only job is to let go and be present.

Whatever helps eliminate stress on your wedding day should be a top priority. Whether that means hiring a planner, building in buffer time, simplifying the timeline, or letting someone else handle the details, it’s worth it. The most meaningful moments happen when you’re not worried about logistics, when you’re laughing, soaking it all in, and fully experiencing the day you worked so hard to plan.

Your wedding day goes by faster than you can imagine. Being able to slow down, breathe, and truly enjoy it is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

Remember: It’s Your Day

At the end of the day, this wedding is about you and your partner. Trends will come and go, opinions will fly, and advice will come from everywhere—but the only thing that matters is that your day feels like you. Do what makes you happy, reflects your story, and feels true to who you are.

If you’re planning a 2026 wedding, take a deep breath—you’re doing great already. Thoughtful planning, the right team, and staying grounded in what matters most will make all the difference.