5 Surefire Stress-Busters for Busy Brides and Grooms
Photo: Courtesy of Galia Lahav
These days, the average bride or groom, in the months leading up to the wedding, are expected to be not just a member of a betrothed couple, but an interior designer, fashion stylist, arbiter of excellent taste, digital scrapbooker extraordinaire, webmaster, family-conflict mediator and attendee at countless appointments, consultations and fittings. And that’s just the average bride and groom. You, of course, darling, are much more than average. So it’s no wonder you’re feeling just a bit stressed out…um, make that utterly overwhelmed. We can’t eliminate all the extra responsibilities you’ll be taking on as you make your way toward your beautiful day. But we can offer some simple, practical, even delightful, ways to reduce pre-wedding stress and actually savor the pleasure of this special time in your (crazy busy, insanely overscheduled, totally hectic) life.
Burn off anxiety.
Exercise packs a double punch as part of the busy bride’s pre-wedding routine. It’s well known that regular aerobic exercise reduces pesky stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. But cardiovascular exercise also stimulates endorphins—those awesome “feel-good” chemicals that reduce pain and lift your mood. Which means that a rigorous hike, run, bike-ride or spin class just might make it easier for you to actually enjoy that fifth cake tasting or shopping appointment. Which brings us to exercise advantage #2: Those regular workouts, while they’re snuffing out stress hormones and getting you all endorphin-high, will also allow you to have your fifth cake tasting AND fit into your couture wedding attire, too!
Journal your way to joy.
OK, maybe not joy, maybe not right now. But keeping track of your pre-wedding experiences, from walking through the doors of that perfect ballroom, to giggling over a DIY project with your giddy mom, to enjoying a profoundly romantic picnic with your partner-to-be, lets you reflect on moments that might otherwise be lost in the tumult of daily activities. Plus, taking time out each day or a few times a week to write, longhand, for 20 or 30 minutes, means ensuring a quiet escape (with or without wine) in the midst of the mayhem. Doesn’t hurt, either, that those journals you keep will stand as a document of this wonderful moment for decades, even generations, to come.
Take care of yourself… by letting others take care of you.
Even if you’ve always been the one who takes care of others—no, especially if you’ve always been the one who takes care of others—when you’re prepping for your wedding, it’s vital to let others take care of you. Whether those doing the caretaking are your friends (who are eager to plan girls’ nights out, showers, special outings), or professionals you pay for their services (facialists, massage therapists, fancy hair stylists), now is the time to give someone else the reins and just…indulge. You need it. You deserve it. And yeah, they want to do it for you. Really.
It’s once in a lifetime; have the time of your life.
From the proposal to the preparation to the pre-wedding celebrations to the big day itself, the average engagement-to-marriage span is about one year. Though that may seem like a long time, most brides find that it flies by. And while pre-wedding stress might make you wish, at times, that the planning phase would be over and done with like…now, the truth is that you’ll likely wish you remembered more about these months when all is said and done. A great way to ensure that you do is by doing things you enjoy. New things. Interesting things. Silly things. Fun things.
Remember what matters.
The absolute worst thing you can do is lose sight of what it is that got you into this whole insane, exhilarating mess in the first place: true, forever, blessed love. Take time, all the time, to stay connected with your spouse-to-be. Whether that means walking the dogs together every Saturday morning, surprise dinner and margaritas at your favorite Tex-Mex joint, or planning a quickie escape to that romantic Hill Country B&B you’ve heard so much about, make sure to make each other feel as adored now, during these crazy months, as you will pledge to adore each other forever on that one amazing day.