It's three days before your wedding, and you are almost
pulling your hair out. While getting engaged and fulfilling marriage is an
exciting event, the culmination of planning details and crescendo of stress
associated with your wedding can cause a meltdown for many bride and groom. The
planning stage of the wedding, whether the event is a small one involving close
family and friends, or a gala affair of 400 people, is a tedious yet all
important aspect of a successful wedding. Here are some tips and advice we have
accumulated over the years that may help you
reduce
your wedding stress.
Plan your Wedding Early:
Almost without doubt, those who begin
planning the wedding details earlier experience less stress
later in the game. The more clear and concise the details are the better
position the bride and groom are in during those critical days leading up to
the event. Starting early can mean choosing a generalized wedding theme, and
then brainstorming for the most important aspects associated with it - the
location for the ceremony, reception. Gathering resources - help from friends
and family, and possibly help from a wedding consultant and coordinator -
really help solidify the plan.
Take Time for Yourselves:
Don't ever forget the reasons why you and your
spouse are doing this - for love and for devotion and commitment. Many spouses
lose focus of this as they follow through with their wedding planning details.
Remember that no wedding is 'perfect'. Keeping the love and excitement right
through the wedding is also very important. Some things you can do to unwind
during the planning stage may be:
Talk with close friends a lot. Tell them your
frustrations, your concerns, your expectations of how this wedding should flow.
Talking your wedding through from beginning to end can really help reduce
wedding stress.
Spend romantic time with your spouse. Plan a
surprise one-night 'date' and promise yourselves to not talk about the wedding
whatsoever during that time. Pretend almost as if you are back to the stage of
dating and keep it fun, mysterious and romantic. Break your date up into two
parts - one where only 'body language' is allowed, and one where talking and
socializing about anything not about 'weddings' is emphasized. Stay away from
busy places.
Hit the gym, go for long walks (preferably away from
people - beaches and hikes work very well) Many people can significantly reduce
stress by staying active in sports if possible during the wedding planning
stage.
Take long, hot baths, and pamper yourself with
anything and everything you can during your bath. Spas, saunas and anything of
the sort are great at this time.
Trust in your faith of your friends and family. They
want your event to pull off with a bang as well.
Stick with your wedding plan from the beginning, but
always ebb and flow with last minute changes. The wedding plan, while a very
important guideline to follow, it simply that - a guideline.
Always remember, the biggest part of reducing
wedding stress is having fun!
