Wedding planning can be stressful, but it should also be fun! After all, you’re planning one of the biggest celebrations of your life. Whether you’re just starting to plan your wedding or are in the middle of it and feeling overwhelmed, keep reading for some great tips on how to overcome wedding planning anxiety.
Be Honest About Your What’s Bothering You
Whether it’s seeing your spending surpass your budget, a troublesome mother-in-law, uncooperative bridal party, or just too many items on your to-do list, there’s many things that can be contributing to your anxiety over planning your wedding.
First, take a moment to identify the root of your stress, by taking a step back, or even taking a break from wedding planning. Once you are aware of the cause of your stress, you should take steps to address it.
Have an honest conversation with your finance, or a trusted family member or friend. If money is the issue, spend some time with your fiance seeing if there are areas you can cut back or reduce spending. If something else is causing you anxiety, such as dealing with choosing bridesmaid dresses consider asking your maid of honor to take on the task and choose the bridesmaids’ dress in the color of your choosing.
Accept That Not Everything Will Be Perfect
Weddings have so many moving parts that the odds of something going wrong are high. It might be as simple as the florist putting the wrong flowers in your bouquet, or as complex as the minister running late to the ceremony.
Instead of worrying about all the things that might go wrong on your wedding day, focus on what is important – getting married! This will help put things into perspective, and will greatly reduce your level of stress. In the long run, these mishaps won’t be what you reflect on anyway.
Another word of the wise about perfection for “perfectionists” – cut yourself some slack and realize that you’ve likely made all the right decisions, and if there’s any doubt ask your fiance to weigh in and let you know what they think.
Take Breaks from Wedding Planning
If you’ve had a lengthy engagement, it’s likely that you’ve been planning your wedding for well over a year. If this is the case, give yourself permission to take a break from planning for a weekend or even a week. Go on a date with your fiance, have a girl’s night out, or plan a relaxing “me” day. Weddings can be all-encompassing and it can feel that you have nothing else going on in your life. Taking a break can be a much-needed distraction and help reduce your feelings of anxiety.
Set Realistic Goals
Setting realistic wedding planning goals is a great way to counteract wedding planning anxiety or stress. Instead of trying to plan a wedding based on what you think is expected of you, which likely creates a lot of stress and anxiety, plan your wedding according to you and your fiance’s core values and preferences.
For example, if you prefer a smaller wedding with an outdoor ceremony, don’t plan a large religious ceremony in a church, with 500 guests at your reception. If you focus on planning a wedding you want and are happy with, you’ll find you’ll have far less stress and anxiety about wedding planning.
Focus on the Big Picture & Have Fun!
The big picture is of course, your marriage and future life together. It can often help to keep things in perspective and focus on the life you hope to build, rather than the actual wedding day. Your wedding day should be a fun and exciting time, and the wedding planning process should be no different.
Try doing things like choosing music into a dance party with your fiance, dress shopping for bridesmaids dresses into a girl’s day, and choosing flowers into a day out with mom.
Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner
If you’ve tried the above tips and are still experiencing anxiety, it may be time to call in an expert. Wedding planners can take over wedding planning and execute your vision on your behalf, or you can hire a day of wedding coordinator to handle all the details on the actual day. Hiring a wedding planner to work on your behalf, can alleviate a ton of stress and help you bring the joy back into planning your big day! It is an investment that may be well-worth the price.
