The bride who remains relaxed and zen under even the most stressful wedding planning situations – it’s a thing of urban legends, right? Wrong. Become the queen of calm with these seven steps to the chillest bride ever.
Every day, take just 5-minutes to yourself. Use this short amount of time to sit in silence, in your bedroom or bathroom (baths are the best), empty your mind and just focus on things that make you happy. Think about your partner, your best friend, your pet or imagine your wedding day.
This may seem like an impossible task when things are going wrong, but the trick isn’t to become an emotionless robot, it’s to be able to step back from stressful situations and think before you react. When your Maid-of-Honour forgets to make an appointment with your dress designer or your husband fails to pick-up the wedding rings; getting angry won’t help the situation. Get into problem-solving mode and focus on how to resolve the issues. By the time you’ve managed to fix everything, you might find that your urge to turn bridezilla has disappeared.
Not everything is going to go your way, but once you learn the art of compromise, you’ll set yourself up for a much calmer wedding planning process. You might not be able to afford that 5-star honeymoon in Bora Bora, so look at other tropical alternatives. Know what your willing to compromise on and what’s non-negotiable, like saying your vows in your childhood church. Once you’ve identified this, pick your battles accordingly.
By the time you’re over your teenage years, you really should know the best ways to relax yourself. Some girls prefer pounding the pavement or hitting the gym, whereas others use a quiet night in with a book as a stress relief. Whatever your outlet is, try and make time to do what you love every single week leading up to the wedding.
Let’s just clear this up – you can’t organise a wedding on your own, but the good news is, you don’t have to. You have a team of friends and family who’ll happily pitch in, all you need to do is ask. Don’t be afraid to delegate some of the more menial tasks. If there was ever a time to call on favours, this is it.
Some brides find the wedding planning so stressful that they put their fiancé on the back burner. It’s a mistake that is so easy to make, but simple to fix. Continue having a date night every week leading up to the Big Day where the two of you spend quality time together. During date night, log out of Pinterest, switch off the mobiles and ban any wedding-related conversation.
We all have that one friend or relative who manages to bring drama wherever he or she goes. Try and keep your distance before the wedding and whatever you do, don’t call this friend when something goes wrong. The moment you vent your frustration at a small issue, you can be sure that they’ll turn it into something bigger – it will only add to your stress.
Make a note of EVERYTHING. Purchase a cheap journal or notepad and use it for everything wedding related. Whenever you have a phone call with a supplier, follow-up with an email and store the email trails in your own online folder. You’ll be trying to keep track of a hundred different things at any one time, that having everything on paper will make it so much easier.
One of the first things that brides let slip when they’re stressed is their health. Whether its skipping meals or lapsing on your gym routine, make your own health your priority throughout the planning process. This will help you deal with stress and regular exercise also gives you more energy and helps lift your mood.
Search real weddings, venues and vendors from around the world.
Search Wedded Wonderland
