Every bride-to-be is just LOADED with unintentional stress, it just bogs us all down and you feel overwhelmed over every single little detail when it comes to your big day. I mean who wouldn’t be!? We only dream of this day as little girls, being told nonsense stories about our Prince Charming….and I say this out of complete love for my husband. But real life Prince Charming…he IS NOT, but he is perfect for me…but he definitely doesn’t break into song about is never-ending love for me. JUST saying.
When it comes to weddings, especially my own – which was a complete DIY for the most part – it can get really stressful but I somehow managed to get through my catastrophes just as all brides do/will! So here are my 10 hacks, that personally got me through all the stress of wedding planning!
- Exercise: I cannot stress this one enough! Most brides out there already want to lose the pounds to look great in their dresses, and honestly it will be your saving grace. It’s pure bliss to look forward to going to the gym after work, to just have an hour or so with no obligations to your phone. That can all wait, this is YOU time. Your own personal haven to let go of the stress caused by work, wedding planning, life…it all just flits away for an hour and will leave you feeling much more at ease to take on the remainder of your night.
- Drink Water: This might sound like a super pointless hack but it’s really not, I turned to water ONLY for the 9 months prior to the wedding. The average person should be drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, when figured out that’s 4 water bottles a day. You will not believe how much better you feel once you cut out carbonated and sugary drinks. Not only does it make your exercise easier and more efficient, but you’ll feel more energetic to take on your day. Even post wedding I have continued this regimen, I drink roughly 7 bottles a day! Of course you can still have your cock tails when you want them, but the water will help you feel less bloated, on top of that it will clear up your skin!
- Talk Through The Stress: Do not bottle up all of your worries! You don’t want to be the bride who implodes on herself come the wedding day, or explodes onto those around her. Make sure you talk to your mom, dad, siblings, your fiance, your MOH (maid of honor)…these people are all here for you when you need them! You may feel like you don’t want to burden them with all of these little details and problems, but trust me, you will feel better just by talking through your stress. On many occasions after I spoke to my mom, or mother-in-law, any one for that matter I would feel a weight just lift off my shoulders and would shortly after find the solution to the problem I was venting about.
- DO NOT TRY TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY: This item is so important to keeping stress to a minimum. My engagement lasted a little over a year, and in the first six months I tried to appease everyone else. Tried to plan around what was easier for everyone else instead of what was easier for me. DO NOT DO THIS! This is your wedding day, do what you want, what will make you happy, and do not feel bad for those decisions. You will not be able to make everyone happy, always remember that it’s not your job to do so and you will have saved yourself so much unwanted stress.
- Remember You Will Hit Bumps Along The Way: Try as every bride might, there will always be a bump along the way. We had multiple bumps, from the cakes melting prior to being set out, to the flowers not opening in time, to our lunch not arriving on time….I could go on. But there is no way that you can prepare for EVERY single scenario. Do not waste your energy trying to fix those problems before they ever happen, because who can guarantee that they will anyways? The best thing you can do is stay positive and realize that every wedding has a bump. You will find a solution!
- Delegate: Make a list of the people in your wedding party and delegate tasks to be done before, during, and after the wedding. This helped us tremendously, but it also helps that our MOH and Best Man clearly were the best for the job! Do not be afraid to ask for help! This was a huge weakness of mine, I thought I could handle everything by myself, but it wasn’t until a month or so beforehand that I started asking for help, and I received all the help in the world. I honestly do not think the day would have gone so smoothly had I not asked for the help and delegated certain tasks to everyone in the wedding party. Delegate! It will save you time and with that saves you the worry about not completing everything on time!
- Get Pampered: This one should be a no-brainer, as most brides and their bridal parties go out the day-of or day before to get their nails done, hair, makeup, well we didn’t go that extensive. But getting a pedicure the day before helped my stress levels tremendously! It was nice to just be with my best friends, my mom, my sister, and even family members who tagged along. Being with all of these important people really just sends your happiness through the roof and completely distracts you from stressing over the last minute details. Enjoy this time getting pampered with everyone, it’s not every day you can get together like this.
- Enjoy The Outdoors: Being outside is freeing, you don’t feel enclosed in a box, you have the freedom to really breathe when you are outside. We spent every afternoon outdoors on the lake as soon as the summer months hit. On top of being able to enjoy the company of your significant other, you’ll get a nice tan going too. I actually purchased a tanning membership once summer hit, and only actually went twice! Just going outside and spending time with family and friends I was able to get a good solid tan before the wedding. You will benefit more from the great outdoors than you will laying in a tanning bed, I can guarantee you that much!
- Stay Organized: Keep a binder or notebook with all of your important wedding details! I had a little notebook I carried around with me everywhere during my planning process. I also took advantage of Wedding Wire, by far the best when it came to keeping the guest list in check and to search my area for vendors. Keeping everything in place and setting deadlines for yourself to accomplish things that need to be done will not only alleviate stress, but it will make you feel better checking off those to-do’s. I bought a fancy “The Knot” binder from Barnes & Noble when I first started planning…I never used it once. It overwhelmed me more than it helped me. Organize based on what WORKS for YOU!
- Remember The Big Picture: Being a bride is stressful, remember that you will always find cool ideas on Pinterest, there will always be a “better” looking set up…remember you theme and YOUR vision. As a bride you can get side-tracked A LOT and change your mind A LOT. Always remember what your style is, and stick to it! When it comes to your big day you don’t want a jumbled up combination of 10 different wedding themes. Keep focused on your ideas and stick to them, because it will all come together at the end when you do.
I hope all of you brides out there find this list helpful, but also remember, at the end of your big day the ONLY thing that matters is that you get to marry the man of your dreams. Remember that, and I can guarantee you a stress-free wedding day. Once you walk down that aisle and stand before him, NOTHING you were stressing about before will matter.
Happy planning!
No Limits 
