10 Simple Tips For A Stress-Free Wedding
Getting married is a huge step, and one that can be filled with anxiety. From worrying about how to combine your lives post-I-Do, to the fear of letting down wedding guests, stress is a huge factor. Worst of all, it’s difficult to enjoy your wedding day when you’re feeling stressed. Here are ten tips for a stress-free wedding – from planning with friends and family to the big day itself.
1. Talk it through.
A couple of weeks before the wedding, gather your maid of honor and a few close friends, and talk through how you want the wedding do go. Think about all of the worst things that could happen, and ask your friends to help you prevent them. If they know to watch for your uncle who can’t stay away from the bar, they can help distract him from taking that fifteenth drink.
2. Give everything a test run.
Sure, the rehearsal dinner is where you’ll walk through the ceremony with your attendants, parents, and your guy. But the rehearsal dinner only takes the ceremony into account. Do a dry run for everything from hair and makeup to getting dressed. If you know how long everything takes, you’ll know how to schedule the entire wedding day.
3. Bring an extra pair of shoes.
Those Cinderella shoes with the four inch, stiletto heels are gorgeous, but after wearing them during the ceremony, through the receiving line, and while taking pictures your feet are going to need a break. So have a backup pair of shoes – pretty sandals or a ballet flat will give your feet a fashionable break.
4. Drink plenty of water – all day long.
You’ll be rushing around from hair appointments to makeup artists, getting dressed, doing pictures. . .don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Put one of your bridesmaids in charge of making sure everyone gets something to eat and drink at least an hour before the ceremony. You don’t want someone to faint or start feeling ill halfway through the ceremony.
5. Take fifteen minutes for yourself.
Just before the ceremony begins, and once the ceremony is over, take a little time for yourself. The pictures can wait, and so can that receiving line. Giving both yourself, your groom, and your attendants’ a break from smiling and hand-shaking will go a long way toward making this day a fun event rather than a long and stress-filled occasion. Use to collect your thoughts, center yourself, and enjoy the rest of the time.
6. Take imaginary pictures.
Your wedding day is going to feel both interminable and fleeting as you’re in the middle of the preparations, the ceremony, and the party afterward. Remind yourself to take imaginary pictures of those little moments throughout the day – images that even the best photographer won’t think to capture, but that you can imprint on your memory. Like how cute the flower girl and ringer bearer are holding hands as they walk down the aisle, how scared your groom looks during that last-minute convo with the minister, or how silly your maid of honor looked with her hair half-done as she scarfs down a slice of veggie pizza in the ready room.
7. Make a list of things to keep.
There is so much going on the day of the wedding, you may forget to keep a wedding program or fan, or even one of the flowers from your bouquet. Think about the little things you’d like to keep as a memory of this day, and ask your mom and your new mother-in-law to collect them. They’ll love being asked to be part of your day in this way.
8. Ask your dad (or his) to use a phone-compatible memory stick to gather as many digital photos from your day as possible.
The official photographer will have gotten all of the must-have shots, but your friends, family, and guests will be snapping additional pictures throughout the day – and some of those pictures will be definite keepers.
9. Take a few minutes just for you and your spouse.
Those fifteen minutes we advised you to take before and just after the ceremony? Take a few minutes alone with your new spouse, too. You’ll have that first dance, of course, but taking a few minutes to hold hands, share a special kiss, or just smile at one another will go a long way toward alleviating some of the stress of the day.
10. Be present and enjoy every moment.
Remember, the wedding is just one day. What you want to build is a marriage. So, if things don’t go exactly as planned, let it go. The flower girl cried and the ring bearer ran off? Let it go. Your mom yelled at his dad? Let it go. You have the guy, now go build your marriage and life together!
