8 Styles of Wedding (Part II)

(Continued from Part I. If you haven’ read it, check it out here)

8. Know You’re a Slammin’ Hottie!

You’re gorgeous. A beaut. You have great hair. I like your face. Your upper arms/eyebrows/teeth are most definitely ‘wedding ready’, ya hear? Another big source of anxiety for both brides and grooms is how they’ll look on their wedding day. We’re all for indulging in some pampering and doing what we need to feel our best (double-up those fake lashes please!), but please know that you don’t need to worry about your body, your skin or your hair. We’ve yet to see a couple who didn’t look like a million bucks walking up the aisle. There’s just something about that loved-up wedding day glow that makes everyone look like a massive hottie!

If it doubt, look in the mirror, and repeat “I am gorgeous” ten times in a row. I promise, you’ll start to believe it!

9. Don’t Get Involved in Drama

Two of your friends bought the same dress and both are refusing to return it. Your bridesmaids can’t agree on what to do for the hen. Your dad’s brother is refusing to come to the wedding unless he can make a speech. And your mother-in-law is just not getting on board with the idea of an outdoor ceremony. Couples shouldn’t come out of a wedding with a marriage certificate, they should come out with a Nobel Peace Prize and a job at the UN.

This is going to be a hard one to do, but try not to get swept up in other people’s “stuff” around your wedding. Yes you should be considerate, take suggestions politely, and do your best to accommodate certain needs, but when it comes down to it, you and your other half will still get married, and everyone will just have to suck it up, get on and have a great day. To save you a lot of stress in the mean time just step back and let individuals deal with their own issues on their own time.

10. Decide to Enjoy It

This might seem silly, but sometimes as a bride or groom, you feel like you’re supposed to be anxious about your wedding, or like you’re not doing it right if you’re not stressed. Sometimes you need to actively decide to relish the planning, enjoy the butterflies, and bask in the unpredictability. Your wedding day, and the lead up to it, will be all the better for it!

11. Try Not To Get Hung Up On Minor Details

‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’ is the advice given to us by nearly every real wedding couple we feature, and we couldn’t agree more. But it’s often hard to see the grass for the trees – or the napkins for the centrepieces – when you’re knee deep in wedding planning. Try to keep perspective. If you feel the panic set in, ask yourself, “Would I care about this if I was throwing a birthday party?”. Remember that while the details are lovely, none of them will matter when you wake up on a high the day after your wedding, with your new spouse!

12. Remember It Takes Two to Plan a Wedding

A lot of pre-wedding anxiety comes from one person feeling like the weight of the wedding planning is on them. The endless to-do list, the emails with suppliers, fielding questions and opinions, it’s pretty exhausting. Make sure you and your other half play an equal role in planning and decision making. Don’t just delegate tasks to them like a manager (that’s just another job on you!), make the list together and split the jobs so you’re equally invested from the start. Oh and use Trello – it was invaluable for my husband and I in divvying things up. If you don’t have time to plan together, hire in some great professionals like these to help (it might cost less than you think!).

13. It’s Okay To Have a Meltdown

Every bride I know – and lots of grooms too – have had a bit of a pre-wedding meltdown. It might come in the form of a strongly worded email, a rant among friends, a sobbing call to your parents, a row with your other half, or a full on panic attack. It’s definitely not pleasant, but hey, better out than in! There’s nothing worse than feeling overwhelmed and not having someone to talk to, open up and acknowledge any fears you might have, shed some tears, and feel all the better for it. Oh and hold off on sending that strongly worded email ’til tomorrow!

One Last Note…

Wedding planning is supposed to be fun and exciting. Yes, there are inevitable stresses, but you’re making a choice to throw a big party, so the lead-up should be enjoyable. If you’re totally overwhelmed by the idea of planning a wedding, or not enjoying the process at all, think about whether or not it’s worth it. Don’t forget, you can always pull the plug or elope – all you need to get married is a registrar and two witnesses. So don’t worry about disappointing a relative or losing a deposit, your wellbeing is so much more important!