How To Reduce Your Wedding Stress

I want to start off today by saying that every couple has wedding stress.

Literally EVERY COUPLE.

And here’s the honest truth… It doesn’t matter if you have a DIY wedding or you have a full service wedding planner…

It doesn’t matter if you start out feeling great or get a ton done in the beginning…

Inevitably you will get stressed out by your wedding.

It’s just going to happen.

Because no matter how much help you’re getting or how plug and play it is, you will still have to do some things.

And you will have to make some decisions.

And it all happens in a short amount of time!

When you have work or school, life and responsibilities, having all these extra things to do can be really stressful. Especially because money is tied to everything.

And to kick things up a notch, this is a once in a lifetime event, so everything has more weight.

So, today I’d like to bring your wedding stress levels down.

Because while I can’t remove all your wedding stress, I can help to make it much better. So, let’s practice some wedding planning self care with 5 tips to less wedding stress and more wedding bliss.

5 Tips To Less Wedding Stress and More Wedding Bliss

Tip #1 – Tackle tasks step by step

One of the biggest issues I see with stressed out couples is that they get ahead of themselves. They start thinking about step #26, when they’re only on step #5.

It’s really easy to get stressed out when you’re working on something you’re just not ready for. When your brain just isn’t there yet.

So, don’t plow ahead until you’re ready for it.

For example, don’t start thinking about favors when you still need to hire a photographer.

Instead take things one step at a time.

One step is much more manageable then 19 all at once.

Because it’s a process!

Because one thing informs the next and next and so on.

So jumping ahead will create wedding stress because you’re working on something that you’re not ready for. And you’re tackling more at one time than you should be.

So slow down. Hit the brakes.

And then focus on one thing at time.

Focus on the step you need to take right now. Then take it. Then work on the next step.

You’ll take one step and then another and then another.

It will significantly reduce your wedding stress and make all much easier and more manageable.

Tip #2 – Think ahead

Whether you have 1 month left in your planning, 6 months or 14 months, reducing your wedding stress is also about thinking ahead.

Now you might be saying, but you just said not to work ahead. And you’re right, but I’m not talking about working ahead on tasks here.

I’m talking about thinking ahead.

Thinking about what you may encounter and then planning ahead for it.

For example, if you have busy times of the year at work or you know you’re going on vacation, plan around that. You know you won’t be very present or available during those times. So you’ll want to make sure you get things done before and after.

Or let’s say you know your mom will need a project otherwise she’ll bug you.

Or you have an opinionated best friend who will want to weigh in on things.

Maybe your partner is the financial one and will need see how the budget is working before making decisions.

Whatever the situation is, you’ll want to think about what you need to do to make sure that person or situation doesn’t become a stressor.

So, you’re thinking ahead about the potential situations and issues and then planning ahead for them.

The goal here is to not only identify the potential issues, but to do what you need to nip those situations in the bud before they can even become a thing.

This is preventative and will only help reduce your wedding stress during the wedding planning process.

And as I said before, it doesn’t matter how much time you have left in your planning. Think ahead with the time you have and what you can do now to make it easier later.

Tip #3 – Delegate

I probably say this too much, but I don’t care. Delegate, delegate, delegate.

Everything is easier when you have more hands and minds.

And it’s amazing how much better you feel when you don’t have to do everything.

Now of course you can’t delegate everything for your wedding. But what you can, you should.

And your partner is the first person to start with. Make sure you’re both taking on tasks and make it equal if you can.

The more you can share the load, the lighter it will be.

Then there’s your support system, which are parents, siblings, other family, wedding party members and friends.

Now you don’t want to force anyone into doing wedding stuff for you.

But, if there are people willing to help you, utilize their help.

If they’ve offered, take them up on it!

They can do some research or try something for you, go shopping with you or help you put something together.

They can help take steps for you or make them faster so you can focus on the next one.

And when not everything is on you, that helps a ton with reducing your wedding stress. Which leads me to Tip #4…

Tip #4 – Give Up Some Control

Delegating is great, but like I said, you can’t delegate everything. But you also don’t have to own everything.

You don’t have to control everything.

You don’t have to be the final decision maker for everything.

Being the final decision maker means you have to weigh in on everything. It means you have to think about every single thing and make a decision on literally everything.

And in a lot of cases you have no idea what the right decision is.

That’s a lot to deal with. Even if you’re taking it step by step and delegating.

So, this is when you need to utilize your vendors and let them help you to make decisions.

You hired them for a reason, utilize their experience!

Because nobody knows weddings and their particular area of expertise more then them.

So, get their recommendations and suggestions to help you.

You can even leave many things in their hands from music choices to flower choices to design decisions.

Once you’ve given them direction and had a conversation, you can let them do their thing.

And honestly, it usually turns out better that way.

Giving up control to your vendors means less on you and more in the hands of the pros. And that will help reduce your wedding stress a ton.

And of course, hiring a wedding planner is no brainer here.

Tip #5 – Take a break

If you’re doing all the right things and you’re still feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, take a break.

That could be for a hour, a day, a few days, a week or more.

And sometimes all you need is 5-10 minutes. And maybe a cookie too (wink).

Any time you’re working on something big, you need breaks.

Because it’s too much otherwise.

Your brain and your body need a rest.

So take a break and go do something else for a bit. It really doesn’t even matter what.

And then come back to wedding planning when you’re feeling fresh and pick it up then.

In most cases, you won’t cause a problem by taking a break. Only a few things have real deadlines. Everything else is a little more fluid.

So use that flexibility and take a break when you need it.

It will reduce the amount of wedding stress you feel, and you’ll be more productive at the same time.

Wedding stress is no joke. It’s a real thing that every couple experiences.

But you can reduce your wedding stress with these tips.

These are real ways to do it that will help a ton!

It may not make your life completely stress-free (because whose is?!), but it will help a lot.

And it will make the wedding planning process much easier and happier for you.

And of course, we’re here to help! Contact us today to learn more.