How to Enjoy Your Engagement and Be a Stress Free Bride

May 11, 2015
Carol Sejd

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

How to Have a Stress Free Engagement

“So often we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to enjoy the journey.” ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Your engagement is the first step in your journey to becoming a bride. It’s a unique time and one that should be cherished and experienced. Of course you’re excited about the actual wedding day and probably already have tons of ideas that you want to get started on, but hold on a minute. Before you subscribe to five different bridal magazines and start combing Martha Stewart’s website for DIY place settings and guestbook ideas, take a moment to actually enjoy being engaged.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Whether you’ll be engaged for a year or want to elope in Vegas six months from now, your bridal journey is an adventure, so enjoy every last minute of it. To get the most out of becoming a bride, consider these pieces of advice to avoid wedding planning stress.

Planning a wedding is all about going with the flow, so go ahead and nix the word “perfect.” Nothing can ever be perfect, including your wedding. Having a realistic vision (meaning you accept that some things might not go to plan) will keep you less stressed and able to enjoy the moments leading up to your wedding.

If you’ve just gotten engaged, don’t feel like you have to go out and buy an armload of wedding books and reach out to vendors and pick a theme and….it’s exhausting and you’ll be overwhelmed before you’ve even begun. Take it slow. Do a little research if you have some ideas and create an action plan with your fiance. No one ever said you have to do everything in the beginning and all at once.

One of the best ways to enjoy your journey is to buy a notebook and write down your thoughts and feelings about becoming a bride. Treat it like a scrapbook, stuff it with photos and ideas and all your emotions. You’ll enjoy reading it on your first anniversary.

Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash

Work with family and friends and stay as organized as possible. Ask your bridal party and family members what roles they’re interested in and delegate tasks. Organization and outer support is the key to stress-free wedding planning, which means you’ll have more time and energy to devote to becoming a bride. And don’t assume the groom-to-be doesn’t want to help or play a part in wedding planning. You’re on this journey together, after all. Keep the lines of communication open and discuss your plans together.

With that being said, treat your friends and family with love and avoid becoming the bossy CEO of Bridezilla, Inc. Bridesmaids, moms, siblings, and in-laws are all there to support you and the groom. Relish in the team effort and don’t forget to take a few wedding-free days with those who are closest to you – those days where you go out for morning coffee and chat about stuff other than wedding planning.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Remember to have a life outside of wedding planning. Being a bride also means being a wife and your fiance’s best friend. Take some time out to just have fun, go on a date, and vow to leave the wedding talk out for just a little while.

Throughout your engagement remember to relax, take mental pauses from all the planning, get a good night’s rest, and refresh yourself so that you can enjoy each moment. Taking a time out to do the things you love and to practice self-care will allow you to take on the tough moments and feel ready for the big day.

Above all, keep your perspective and don’t get too bogged down in the details. If things start to feel overwhelming, take a moment to remember why you’re planning a wedding and what it’s all about. Love, of course! Consider your priorities. If you’re letting little things like how the tissue paper is folded get to you, refocus your energy on more important things. There’s no need in wasting your precious energy on things that you or anyone else won’t remember 10 years from now. Don’t create mountains out of molehills, as they say. It’s about celebrating love and joy, not about paper lanterns and color schemes.

Your wedding is one day, and yes, it’s a big one, but the journey to that wedding is an experience that lasts much longer than the actual wedding day, so treasure it. Embrace every moment, even the breakdowns and those moments when you want to chuck it all and elope on a faraway island.

This moment is the only moment you’re guaranteed so you must relish in it and love it for all that it is. When you enjoy the journey, you’ll create even more happy memories and won’t find yourself regretting all the moments you rushed through the engagement. It’s kind of like eating your favorite meal, but not really tasting it because you ate it so fast! If you are not sure if you are stressed and maybe some friends or family suggests you are, take a quick look at what the knot’s 6 Signs Your Too Stressed over Wedding Planning.

Take the path of a happy, well-balanced bride-to-be and you’ll end up as a relaxed, beaming-with-love bride on your wedding day.