5 Simple Ways to Combat Wedding Planning Stress and Anxiety
Getting engaged is one of the happiest moments of our lives, but is usually followed by the stress of planning your perfect, dream wedding day. It can be too easy to get caught up in the planning process without considering your mental and physical wellbeing. It’s important to acknowledge your feelings and find ways to lower wedding-related stress.
While it’s completely normal to be feeling a little nervous about the big day, this should only play a small role throughout the process. Ultimately, if wedding planning is making you experience more negative emotions than positive ones, it’s time to get this back in balance. Luckily, I have compiled 5 effective ways to lower wedding planning stress.
1. Make to-do lists. Often, you can get intimidated by the mountain of tasks that lie ahead of you. Without any game plan, you feel overwhelmed, anxious, and start to procrastinate. My first tip? Create an actionable to-do list. Start with the main big tasks you need to complete, then divide them into smaller tasks. For example, one task may be to book a photographer. Your smaller tasks may be to Google or go to Facebook for wedding photographer recommendations. Your second task would be to look at each photographer’s website and portfolio to see which style and personality you are after. Your third task would be reaching out to your desired photographer’s to consult who would be the best fit for your wedding, and your final task is booking.
I find that when you make break up your bigger tasks into smaller ones, they feel easier to accomplish and you won’t procrastinate them as often.
2. Prioritize one-to-three things that you value most of your wedding experience. For me, that was photography. For you, it could be your food, dress, venue, music… whatever. Once you have ranked your most valued vendors with your fiancé, you let the things that matter less take up less of your time and money.
My dress selection and budget was lower for our wedding, so I researched budget friendly wedding dresses and websites. I was able to find a $98 dress online that fit perfectly and made me feel like a princess. You could possibly make your own DIY decor with Hobby Lobby and tutorials, or set up an iPod to a speaker system for a cheap DJ alternative.
My Wedding Day
Our courthouse wedding from October 2020 with my $98 wedding dress!
3. Set a budget. Sit down and create a realistic budget with your partner BEFORE booking any vendors. Add up all the possible money you or your family can provide for the wedding, then figure out expenses from there. You don’t want to spend $4000 on food to realize you only have a budget of $5000 for the entire wedding. Using your list of top priorities, you can show the areas you are more willing to pour money in and the other areas you will want to DIY or eliminate.
4. Learn about marriage licenses. One of the most random and forgotten things is marriage licenses. Each state has different rules on when and how to apply for one, and the cost associated. The sooner you figure this out, you will have the knowledge tucked away and you will know when to apply for your marriage license.
For us and our super quick engagement (23 day-long engagement), we decided to get married in Iowa because their waiting period was shorter and cheaper!
5. BREATHE. Remember to relax, and take some me-time or we-time. This could be 10 minutes every day to take a walk, a weekly yoga session, or even a non-negotiable monthly treat like a massage, facial or mani-pedi. Taking the time to love yourself is one of the best ways to approach your wedding planning from a positive mindset.
Additionally, planning your nuptials might be causing tension in your relationship. It’s easy to get caught up in the logistics, so find ways to continue to date and refuel the romance. Try to plan a date every so often to simply enjoy each other’s company. Some date ideas may include going out to dinner, bowling or mini golf, or a Netflix and chill kind of night. Taking this dedicated time out for the two of you will be a reminder of your love.
I am a huge advocate for making the wedding planning experience positive and stress-free, which is why I give access to my free wedding guides to all of my clients and provide unlimited consultation and planning assistance.
