Staying Calm on Your Wedding Day
A Laid-Back Attitude and Some Perspective Make the Day Go Smoothly
Weddings are (in theory) a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Don't let stress ruin it! Here are some tips to keep your cool and enjoy that special day.
Your wedding day will be what you make it. Brides choose details and want those details to be perfect. In the quest for this perfect day, though, the wedding day often ends up full of stress and sleep deprivation. Here are some tips for keeping your cool and remembering what a wedding is: not the end, but the beginning of a life together.
Surround Yourself With Good People
Sure, you can't avoid seeing people that stress you out - weddings are notorious for that. But at the end of the day, keep a close friend or sister around that will be able to chill with you, talk about what you're feeling and going through and be understanding without riling you up. You can pick your fiance, but remember that he's going through all this too, and sometimes you'll both need to unload.
Delegate Tasks to Others
You cannot do it all. Did you get that? You cannot do it all. Let your friends, bridesmaids, mother-in-law and anyone else who offers do something. They can assemble programs, help with the seating chart, address envelopes or paint your toenails for you. There will not be another time in your life when so many people are clamoring to help you. Take advantage of it.
Perfectionists need to take special note of this one. No one but you will notice if the serifs on the calligraphy are not perfectly aligned. Get over yourself and make someone feel honored to pitch in.
Plan Ahead
There is a lot to plan and a lot to do during the months leading up to your wedding. That's true for everyone. But if you continue to procrastinate on all the little tasks, they will pile up. Then you'll find yourself, pumped full of caffeine, on the couch at your parents' house the night before your wedding wild-eyed, stuffing favor bags. That's only going to leave you cranky, exhausted and too stressed out to enjoy your wedding day. Finish all that little stuff at least a full week before and you'll be much more relaxed when the big day rolls around.
Get Some Perspective
Weddings are big parties. That's all. They are times to celebrate your union and to enjoy each other in the company of everyone who loves you. Doesn't that sound fun? Sometimes, brides get so lost in the details that they forget what it's all about.
It is not about the perfect dress. It is not about plate-passed appetizers. It is not about a complete lack of tan lines and no hair out of place. It is about you, him and a celebration that you've decided to spend the rest of your lives together.
Enjoy Yourself
Don't be nervous, don't be scared, don't be too uptight about every little detail. Once you're in your dress, ready to walk down the aisle, you're on the roller coaster and there's no getting off. So you might as well enjoy the ride. Smile at people, dance your heart out, kiss your new husband as much as you can and live it up! You're the one in the white dress, and everyone at this party takes their cue from you.
At the end of the day, you'll be a married lady whether you freaked out or not, whether you were rested or not and whether you remembered to slow down and enjoy it or not. So what's it going to be? Bridezilla or Zen Bride?
