Planning a wedding is a job in and of itself, and when you have a mountain of wedding-related tasks piling up on top of your everyday errands, stress from work, and maintaining healthy relationships with your soon-to-be husband, bridal party, and others, things can get very. . .meltdown-ish. I’m currently assisting my best friend with the planning of her wedding next fall, and even though she’s the one making the decisions and we have a whole year to get these things planned and done, sometimes I just want to lock myself in my bedroom with a tube of cookie dough. Don’t worry, dears. This, too, shall pass, and it can pass by much more smoothly just by implementing some no-brainer tips and methods of leveling out the stress.
Exercise Regularly
With all that’s going on, it’s so easy to skip on the gym and rely on comfort foods to get you along. Heck, I’m not even the bride, and I’m tempted to drown my sorrows in cookie dough at times. Wanting to veg out with some TV or keep on working until you’re too tired to think are both completely understandable for women planning a wedding, but it’s important to take time to get your workouts in. Exercise has been proven to help reduce stress and releases those feel-good hormones that give us a sense of peace. It’ll also help you stay in great shape for all of your photo engagements and ensure that you look fabulous on your Big Day.
Spend Time With Your Fiancé
Yes, he, too, can be a source of all your wedding-related stress, especially if he’s not as into planning and prefers to let you have your way with it. However, it’s absolutely critical that the two of your spend time together that’s completely unrelated to this major upcoming event. Stay focused on the important things. Go on dates. Have spontaneous dance parties at your apartment. Laugh together. Never let the process of planning your wedding make you lose sight of the strength and depth of your love.
Put Yourself First
Wedding planning is important, yes, but you know what else is important? Oh, just the little things like eating properly, getting good rest, taking a drink of water every now and then (hey — put down that glass of wine!), and just doing things for you. You can’t possibly take on these huge tasks without having taken care of yourself both physically and mentally. You’ll get sick or fall asleep at work or run away to Costa Rica without telling anyone. Ahem.
So, when you feel like you’re about to reach your breaking point, just stop. Stop whatever you’re doing and go for a leisurely walk with your dog. Take your future husband with you and reminisce your happiest moments, rather than unload everything onto him. Vent to your best friend (we love you even if you do want to run away to Costa Rica, it’s fine). Pop in your earbuds and sing Florence + The Machine at the top of your lungs. Just don’t let it get you down. Everything is going to be fine.
For more advice regarding wedding planning, check out the Wedding Tips section at Best for Bride, the best place for brides-to-be.
I love these! Just a touch and very classy advice should follow by someone else. Thank you so much!
Thank you, everything I need to know are stated here. We’re wanted a spring wedding next year.
I have to admit, I’ve been skipping out on my exercise routine ever since we got engaged. You’ve definitely inspired me to get back into the habit. It will be a great way to work out the extra stress!
These are great tips. I think another thing to remember is to not let yourself get talked into a big wedding if you’d rather keep it simple. I have never been a real social butterfly. I enjoy spending time with a few friends, my fiance, and curling up with a good book or going for long walks with my dog. When I got engaged my mother wanted to throw a big bang up wedding and it started to get out of control. I put my foot down and insisted on a simple ceremony with family and a few friends. It was perfect and I was glad I did it my way.
I love that you put “spend time with your fiancé”. It’s so important, and believe it or not it’s all too easy to get so caught up in the wedding plans that you forget why you’re getting married. You also need to make time for yourself, and I like the tip about going to the gym. I think having the help of a wedding planner is a great way to keep from getting overwhelmed and becoming a stressed out crazy person.
If only it were that easy 🙂 These are good tips, but with everything going on, I think that it is quite normal to be stressed. There is a lot of pressure and if you were never one to handle it well, the wedding can be a huge undertaking for you!