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The 21 Stages of Wedding Planning Told in Elf Memes

Who better to live your wedding planning stresses through than Buddy the Elf? You won't believe how similar your struggles are!

Buddy the Elf overcame many a stressful situation during his time in New York, always keeping his cheerful disposition and positive attitude – so we thought, who better to explain the insanely emotional stages of planning a wedding than the king of optimism himself?

Here are the very real and very emotional stages of planning a wedding, told entirely through Elf memes!

1. YOU’RE ENGAGED!

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The most exciting phase of all – the engagement! It’s time to celebrate because someone’s got a wedding to plan…

READ MORE: Creative Ways to Announce Your Engagement

2. Better tell everyone you’ve ever met

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You just can’t wait to get on the phone/Whatsapp/Facebook/Instagram to tell everyone the amazing news. Why shouldn’t everyone you’ve ever met know you’ve just got engaged – it’s big news, right?

3. Suddenly everyone wants to be your best friend

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You’ll start getting messages from other engaged friends and newlyweds who just can’t wait to give you their best wedding planning advice. (The novelty of this wears off after a while, FYI.)

READ MORE: Things All Newlyweds Need to Know

4. Time to start looking for some serious wedding inspiration

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This is the dream stage where you haven’t actually booked anything yet, but in your head you’re planning the most amazing wedding ever (hello Pinterest!).

5. Hang on. Weddings cost HOW MUCH?

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The cost of planning a wedding finally sinks in and you’re not okay about it…

READ MORE: How to Budget For a £27,000 Wedding

6. Oh and everyone has an opinion to share

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If one more person utters the words “well, if it were my wedding I’d…” you’re going to have a serious bridezilla moment!

7. Cue the breakdown

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It’s all getting too much. People won’t stop questioning you about your plans, managing work, wedding planning and general life is impossible and you need a break from it all.

READ MORE: The Most Annoying Things People Say When Your Planning a Wedding

8. Ok breathe. What breakdown?

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Panic over, you’re back and you’re more ready to plan a wedding than ever. It’s time to enjoy the fun stuff and leave the stress behind!

9. The dreaded ‘wedding diet’ thought pops into your mind 

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You’re looking amazing, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel your absolute best on the day of your wedding, so it’s time for the pre-wedding health kick.

READ MORE: How to Stop Christmas Ruining Your Wedding Diet

10. You find the DREAM venue

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This is where the planning gets serious. Once the wedding venue is booked, you’re ready to get some real plans in place for the big day.

SEE MORE: Gorgeous Wedding Venues You Need to Consider

11. RSVPs start to stress you out

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Once the venue is booked, you send out your save the dates and RSVP cards – but people are being rubbish with responding and you want to hurt every single one of them. What could possibly be more important than RSVP-ing to your wedding?

12. Finally – you get to try on some wedding dresses!

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Now this is the kind of fun you can get on board with. It’s time to find the dream dress to marry your dream partner in.

READ MORE: The Emotional Stages of Wedding Dress Shopping

13. You’re on a roll now

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Dress bought, breakdown over, you’re on a luck spree and start to book wedding suppliers left right and centre. This wedding of yours is really starting to take shape! 

14. Brace yourself. It’s hen do time

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Despite the good roll you’ve been on, you’re in desperate need of a night out – which means it’s time for your hen party. Now you can really let loose and start getting excited for the big day!

READ MORE: The Emotional Stages of Planning a Hen Party

15. The reality of the wedding kicks in

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Life just smacked you in the face and you’ve just realised you’re actually getting married.

16. Ok, everything’s going to be just fine

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Wedding nerves are totally normal, and despite all the worries and stresses you’ve got the best day of your life to look forward to!

17. Probably should apologise for being a bit of a bridezilla…

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It happens to the best of us. Any bride or groom will have a crazy moment where they’re a total nightmare to be around, but it’s always short-lived and your family and friends will always forgive you.

READ MORE: Bridezilla Moments That Are Totally Legit

18. Time to add the finishing touches

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All that’s left to do now is secure the final details; a few fairy lights and little tweaks later and you’ve pretty much done everything.

READ MORE: Tasks to do the Week of the Wedding

19. The pre-wedding pamper

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With wedding bells right around the corner, it’s time to start pampering yourself like the blushing bride you are.

READ MORE: How to Prepare Your Hair and Nails For the Wedding

20. The wedding day’s HERE!

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The day has finally come where you cry happy tears because your wedding planning experience is actually over. All the hard work and breakdowns are so worth it for this day.

21. Hello honeymoon

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You’re off to enjoy the best holiday you’ll ever have with the love of your life – bye wedding planning, bye stress, hello happily-ever-after.

If you’re keen to learn more from our TV favourites – be sure to check out the 23 wedding lessons we’ve learnt from Friends!