Dealing with Crazy Wedding Stress
Getting married is one of the most important decisions of your life and it is something that you have been likely thinking about for a loooooong time. Between dealing with two families (and cultures in my case), wanting to make everyone happy, having a bunch of mixed emotions and wedding planning, it is VERY normal that your stress levels are at an ultimate high.
Now that I can say “I’ve been in your shoes” I want to share how I dealt with my stress:
Google It…You are Not Alone! Whatever you are feeling/thinking there are others out there that feel the exact same way. It is amazing how good it feels when you realize you are not alone, you are not crazy, and it will be ok. Here are some resources that helped me:
Forums like the http://boards.weddingbee.com/
The Conscious Bride Book: Women Unveil Their True Feelings about Getting Hitched.
Sheryl Paul’s YouTube Channel (the author of The Conscious Bride)
A friend! I really hope you have a friend that is already married or engaged that you can talk to. This was one of the best outlets for me.
Don’t Procrastinate Thankfully procrastinating is not part of my personality, but even though we had everything planned really early in the process, there were still several small details and some manual labor to do the week before the wedding. Reduce future stress by getting stuff done early. If you tend to leave things till last minute, ask someone for help to keep you on track.
Exercise Ok, I can hear my husband saying “yeah right…” But going to Zumba did put me in a good mood and would take my mind off of all the stress.
Give Up This is a hard one, but it is true. Sometimes you can’t control everything and you won’t win all the “battles” even though it is YOUR day. In our case the battle was the guest list, but it came to a point that I got tired of arguing and I just literally gave up. Believe it or not, that simple decision was liberating and I kinda wished I would’ve done it earlier.
Follow Your Gut This one might seem logical, but once you get into the planning and decision-making, it becomes harder to do. From the wedding party selection to the little details, following your gut will avoid you stressing over decisions you can’t change. Having regrets during your engagement is no fun and you will constantly “bitch” about it.
Repeat to Yourself: “It’s ok, the only thing that matters is marrying my fiancé.” Sometimes it is just as simple as taking a moment, hugging your fiancé, breathing and reminding yourself what’s important and why you are doing all this wedding planning.
