When you get engaged, it is supposed to be the happiest time of your life! You’ve found your soulmate and are one step closer to martial bliss. However it can be easy to quickly shift from the engagement glow to the frustrations and stresses of wedding planning.
Zola, a popular wedding planning website, did a survey of newly engaged couples and found that 96% of them reported feeling stressed out about wedding planning. It is completely understandable why couples would feel overwhelmed during this time!
Not only are you balancing your current family and work commitments, but also planning one of the biggest events of your life.
If your wedding planning is creating more stress than bliss, here are some helpful tips!
- Get family on the same page. While parents may often be helpful to the planning process, many can be the source of stress for couples. It can be hard to remember the wedding is about you when parents are trying to make the wedding fit their vision. Try to sit down with family in the beginning of the planning process to get everyone on the same page and see what aspects are most important to each of you. Having these conversations upfront can help to create a plan of how to try to incorporate the important aspects for each person and hopefully can decrease butting heads down the line.
- Prioritize. Perfecting every last detail of your wedding is not possible. While it can be one of the happiest days of your life, it is also a part of life which means it is not immune to last minute changes or imperfections. Couples who get bogged down in trying to perfect every detail will find themselves more overwhelmed throughout the planning and may even enjoy the day of the wedding less. When planning, pick your “must-haves” and focus on those instead of trying to perfect every last detail. Sticking with your “must-haves” can also help you stay on budget which will create less stress when it comes time to get the final bills. And honestly, who needs a perfect wedding when you are marrying the love of your life?
- Have fun! While this may seem obvious, it can be easy to lose the fun of the engagement while you are in the thick of wedding planning. If you are more focused on the negatives, like the florist not having the exact orchid you want, than the positives, like marrying your soul mate, than something needs to change. If you find yourself feeling too negative, take a step back and think about why you are doing this and the love you have for your partner. Find ways to remember to have more fun and put less pressure on yourself. You’re only engaged once!
- Self-care. It can be easy for couples to completely throw themselves into wedding planning and not step out of it until the big day is over. This may seem like the best way to get everything done, but in reality, it will only leave you feeling more stressed. It could even leave you feeling distant from all your loved ones and friends. Try to take regular breaks from planning even when there are things you could be doing. Spend a date night with your fiancée, relax with girlfriends, get some exercise, or even have some time alone! Relaxing and centering yourself regularly will help you feel more present and blissful at the big day.
