Let’s get real – stress can impact your body, mind, emotions, and behaviors. There can be major causes of stress in our day to day life, from personal problems to challenges in the workplace, we work to navigate stress on a daily basis. Although we may experience stress in many different areas of lives, one of the areas that we, at Elegant Affairs, work diligently to alleviate is that stress that comes with wedding planning. We all know that stress happens – it just does, but there are ways to limit or entirely eliminate the stress you may experience with wedding planning.
So, let’s talk about the potential causes of stress and how you can be stress-free bride or groom throughout the wedding planning process.
#01: Seek Help from a Wedding Professional
Out of all of the potential solutions to alleviate stress, seeking help by hiring a wedding professional is essential. Wedding planners are equipped to handle stressful situations. From our point of view, our job (as much as we love what we do) is down right stressful. We work tirelessly to ensure that our couples get the day they dream of, with as little stress as possible. Wedding planners work as the in between and source of knowledge between your vendors, guests, and even your future mother in law. We have been there for clients who need a shoulder to cry on after a dress fitting, or for couples that experience a stressful situation before walking down the aisle. We are in the trenches and handle these stressful situations for you in a professional manner. Hiring a wedding planner or professional needs to be a line in your budget. Even if you’re on the fence about hiring someone, meet with someone first for a consultation to see what they can do to best support you and your partner throughout the wedding process. We cannot recommend this enough.
#02: Give Yourself Time
Unless there is a reason that you must plan your nuptials quickly, give yourself plenty of time to plan and execute all of the details of your wedding. We’ve found that if our clients give themselves a reasonable time to plan, the stress is lessened. Create a calendar and monthly to-do lists to accomplish all of the tasks at hand. If you’ve hired a wedding planner, one of the benefits is that they create a timeline of tasks to complete with you! You’ll want to know what to complete and when you should complete these tasks. But, we definitely recommend that you select a reasonable timeframe, anywhere between 8 - 18 months. You don’t want to give yourself too much time, because you know what they say about idle hands…
#03: Create a Detailed Plan for the Month Prior
Even if you’ve had a stress free experience throughout the planning process, often our clients can feel a surge of stress towards the end. We highly suggest that you create a detailed plan of all the “must-do” items that last month leading up to your wedding. This includes any last minute fitting, make-up or items that you need to pick up, payments that need to be made and how they need to be made, packing and organizing items that need to be set up on the day of, when to write your vows, etc. If you create a plan and a time frame to complete these items, chances are you will decrease the stress leading up to your wedding day.
#04: Don’t Stress About What You Can’t Control
There are things in life that you can’t control. We can’t control the weather and we definitely cannot control other peoples’ actions. Now, the same goes for your wedding day. There are things in which you cannot control. You can’t control if it rains during your ceremony or if your best friend’s flight is delayed. But, you can create back-up plans to alleviate some of these things. On the day of your wedding, if unexpected experiences happen, don’t stress about it. Find a way to take a breath and remember the reason that you, your partner, and loved ones are here today. Create different plans for things that you may not be able to control and ask for support with things that come your way on the day of. You don’t have to manage all of these stressful experiences alone, nor should you have to.
#05: Find Pockets of Peace
Throughout your wedding planning process, find pockets of peace that you can destress and relax. Whether you create a routine to read your favorite book, go on a stress-free date with your partner, or just take a nap, find time to ground yourself. This includes the day of! We highly suggest taking a moment after your ceremony to de-stress and find a pocket of peace. Whatever you need to do to unwind or relax (in a healthy manner of course) we suggest your do, especially on your day of!
We wish that wedding planning wouldn’t be so stressful, but we know that stress arises and that is why there are wonderful folks in the wedding industry to support you. If you are starting to feel the stress of planning or the thought of planning your wedding, we highly encourage you to reach out to someone in the industry for help. There are people out there that have ample experiences in creating and executing events and that are ready to tackle these stressful situations for you. Don’t forget to find pockets of peace throughout the process, give yourself plenty of time to tackle items on your to-do list and create detailed plans leading up to your wedding day. Don’t let stress take the love and fun out of planning. Take a breath, seek some help, and remember at the end of the day – your wedding will be all that it needs to be.
Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a PNW-Based Destination Wedding Planner with over 18 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.