Battling Bridal Stress

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When it comes to the most memorable day for a couple, a wedding can be a remarkable and beautiful way to celebrate your love with family and friends. But wedding planning also comes with stress.

Creating and adhering to a budget, figuring out the guest list, buying a dress and planning a day that will live on in family members’ minds can make for a frustrating few weeks or months. Most couples also have regular jobs, bills and everyday obligations, so planning the picture-perfect wedding can feel impossible at times.

According to a 2023 Zola survey of more than 4,000 engaged couples, 52 percent described wedding planning as “stressful,” while another 59 percent used the word “overwhelming” about planning a wedding. Just 6 percent revealed that they were not stressed, so a whopping 94 percent of couples are dealing with apprehension leading up to their big day. Over a quarter of the brides surveyed said planning a wedding has been the most stressful event of their lives.

Stress Less on The Big Day
Although it may be difficult to decipher, there are many ways to de-stress from all the wedding hoopla. Here are a few expert-suggested tips to get rid of wedding stress or at least lessen the nuptial tension.

Build a Bridal Blueprint
It’s best to plan early and often. Research as many aspects of your wedding as possible. Try online sources, asking family and friends or recent newlyweds about what worked for them. This way, you have a good idea of what you would like for your nuptials and don’t feel too overwhelmed by the choices that can slow down the decision-making process.

Set Boundaries
While a wedding is an extraordinary event for a couple, some family members may be super excited too, and they may have their own ideas of how a wedding should be. While families might have only heartfelt intentions, their overwhelming enthusiasm may be cause for stress and emotional issues for the bride and groom.

Experts recommend nipping these issues in the bud by sitting down with your partner to list expectations and boundaries. Make sure to explicitly explain these to family members so they can uphold your wishes. If some family members are contributing financially, boundaries may have a slight gray area, but by announcing your wishes early in a clear and healthy way, brides ca avoid some of the family pressure.

Be Realistic
Setting a wedding budget is one of the first decisions couples make when planning. It will inform your approach to everything that follows. Making a wedding budget isn’t a one-and-done activity, however. Sticking to the numbers you previously decided on at every step in the planning process will help you keep your wedding scope realistic and stress free.

Stay Organized
If planning seems overwhelming, try setting SMART goals to help you stay on track – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. This method helps organize tasks efficiently so time is maximized and mental health is protected. For instance, instead of “booking the reception venue” you can set a SMART goal by “booking the reception by a specific date.”

Help Wanted?
Whether it’s hiring a wedding planner to make sure you don’t work on your wedding day or asking a trusted family member to complete specific tasks, a little help can go a long way. Another option is to use a wedding website. By placing key information and details into your pages, you can help avoid some difficult conversations by putting it in writing.

Despite the desire for support, a staggering 79 percent of brides reported that they planned everything for their big day themselves without assistance from friends, family or professionals. If you’re undertaking the planning on your own, remember your vision and take some time for yourself.

Couple Care
A couple is often busy with regular jobs and family matters, so adding a wedding to plan may tip the stress scale. Try adding time for a little self-care. Enjoy a night out with friends, watch a movie or take a long walk together. If you want to decompress separately, do what you like to do, exercise, get a massage, have lunch with a friend or take a soothing bath (Well, you could do that together too).

While it’s perfectly okay to plan every detail, it’s also healthy to smile and laugh off some of the things that will invariably go wrong. Let’s face it, no wedding is perfect, so it might be best to let go and enjoy yourself. Accepting that there will be missteps and preparing for at least a few things to go wrong will help ease the tension that comes with them. What could be an upsetting wedding situation could actually make for a funny, heartwarming story for many years to come. Best wishes!

Sources: brides.com, verywellmind.com, theknot.com and calm.com.