Yesterday we tackled one of the biggest wedding-planning stressors – the budget. Hopefully, you gained some helpful insight into ways you can financially pay for the wedding of your dreams. Today, we are here to talk five rules you (and your fiance) should abide by for a stress-free wedding process. If you heed these rules up front – it will make the entire wedding planning process go much more smoothly for you. Let’s get to it shall we?

One. Agree in advance not to invite those second and third cousins or those random plus ones. We don’t mean to exclude people and family members you are close with. If you have an existing and close relationship with your second and third cousins, by all means, invite them. What we are talking about here – are those second and third cousins you haven’t seen in years. Are they family? Yes. Are you obligated to invite them just because they appear somewhere distant on your family tree? Absolutely not. If you are limited by space and budget – don’t feel guilty if you just cannot include them. And for any of those guests who request to bring their flings they have only had for a month? That answer should be a hard no. You don’t want to celebrate your big day with people you will likely never see again. If you and your fiance make this rule about plus ones and relatives twice removed – you will float through the guest list seamlessly.

Two. Write thank-you notes as your gifts arrive. The last thing you will want to do when you come back from your honeymoon is to tackle that one last item on your to-do list: the thank you notes. If you write those notes as soon as the gifts come in, the thank you writing process will seem much less daunting. Just do it as they come – and get it done!

Three. Don’t obsess over your weight. This is a huge one. We’ve seen one too many brides worry about looking her “skinniest” for her wedding day. We are in the frame of mind to abide by a healthy lifestyle in general. Don’t go overboard by trying new things you’ve never done – like fad diets. Maintain a generally healthy mindset by exercising as you normally would and making healthy choices with your food. This is one item that shouldn’t be a stressor for you.

Four. Agree to delegate. You need to go into wedding planning knowing that there will be tasks that you just won’t have time for. Let your fiance help, let your mom help, let your friends help. They will be so happy you asked them to help out with a task (like stuffing and stamping wedding invitations, stuffing gift bags or ordering lunches for getting ready the day of the wedding). This will free you up to devote your time to other things.

Five. Don’t obsess over your wedding registry. It’s easy to spend hours picking that perfect china pattern or the utensils you just cannot live without. Make a decision and stick with it. It’s easy to start second-guessing your original choices. Time spent obsessing over your registry – could be better spent thinking of exotic honeymoon destinations. How often will you use that fine china anyways?

Bonus: Enjoy the process. This will (hopefully) be the one time in your life that you get to plan your own wedding. Enjoy the fun stuff with your fiance: like cake and food tastings. Soak up all of those moments with your friends and family as you go wedding dress shopping and choosing the perfect bridesmaids dresses. When you look at these tasks as precious moments you can’t get back – your perspective might just change.