How do I cope with wedding planning stress while working full time?

Working full time while planning a wedding means you have to treat planning like a part-time job with a schedule. Choose one evening a week, say Tuesday after work, and one block on a weekend morning for wedding tasks. Put it in your calendar like a meeting. Outside those slots, do not open wedding emails or look at suppliers. That keeps planning from leaking into every spare moment.

Break the work into small, specific tasks. Instead of "plan the ceremony", write "choose three readings by Thursday". Do one task per slot, tick it off, and stop. Use your lunch break for quick phone calls to suppliers, because they are often open then and it keeps evenings free. Keep a running list on your phone for ideas, but only act on them in your planning slots.

Ask your partner to take on a few tasks completely, like sorting transport or accommodation. If you are planning alone, accept that some things can be simpler than you first imagined. A shorter guest list, a set menu, or a single venue for ceremony and reception all cut hours of work. You do not have to do everything yourself, and you do not have to do it perfectly.