By Sarah Elazar

Have you ever put off something important? I certainly have. After months of procrastinating planning my wedding, I realized my problem wasn’t a lack of motivation or planning skills. The real problem was that I couldn’t picture where I was trying to go.

My husband and I got legally married in a small, private ceremony in 2025. We always knew we wanted to celebrate with our family and friends someday, but there was one major problem: we had absolutely no vision for what that celebration would look like. What season would our wedding be in? No idea. What type of venue? Not a clue. As a result, 2025 came and went without us making any real progress. Every time we talked about wedding planning, it felt overwhelming. There were too many options and no clear direction. The stress was high, and it was much easier to simply avoid thinking about everything.

As the months went by, we finally decided to focus on creating a vision first rather than forcing ourselves to jump straight into booking vendors or picking a date. Here’s what helped us finally get started:

• Brainstorming out loud together. Instead of going back down the rabbit hole of venue hunting to no avail, we started having low-stakes conversations. We didn’t put any pressure on ourselves to make decisions. Instead, we reflected on weddings we’d attended over the years and discussed what we enjoyed… and didn’t enjoy. Getting those thoughts out of our heads allowed us to bounce ideas off each other and, slowly but surely, start to establish a vision.
• Committing to an idea that felt right. After several of these low-stakes conversations, we noticed that we kept coming back to the same idea: a winery/vineyard. My husband liked the idea, I liked the idea, so if we both liked the idea…maybe this was a winner. A little preliminary research suggested it would fit within our budget. So instead of continuing to debate every possible option, we decided to run with it.
• Using visual resources to refine our idea. Before having this idea, looking at wedding photos online felt overwhelming. However, once we could visualize the celebration we wanted, the same photos that once stressed us out became helpful. They helped us refine what we liked and made our vision feel more tangible.
• Keeping the momentum going. Once we refined our vision, planning became less stressful and more exciting. We finally started scheduling tours and visiting venues in person, which helped us maintain our momentum and excitement. Most importantly, committing to those tour dates prevented us from slipping back into the cycle of procrastination and indecision.

After months of putting off wedding planning, I finally feel excited about it. Having a vision hasn’t magically planned the wedding for us (if only!), but it has made the process feel far less overwhelming. No matter what long-term goal you’re working toward, don’t underestimate the importance of having a vision. Before asking, “What’s my plan?” ask yourself, “Can I picture where I’m going?” Once you can visualize your goal, it’s so much easier to figure out how to get there.