At the time my fiancé and I got engaged, I was working full-time, attending graduate school, and leading a non-profit scholarship program. We had just over a year to plan the wedding, so I put most of the planning to the side for a few months. Five months into the engagement, I was able to wrap up my grad school commitment and transition out of my role with the non-profit program. When I finally had time to devote to planning a wedding, I also had to cope with my fiancé leaving for deployment and plan for my transition to California after the wedding. This included moving all of my household items across the country, selling my house, and job searching. I can honestly say that this past year has been the most stressful year of my life!

Kelsi and her fiance, Joe

Stress reduction techniques are crucial when planning a wedding.

Planning your wedding should be as fun as you dreamt it would be. Unfortunately, we can’t always control other things in our life that may add stress during this special time. It’s a good idea to have some stress reduction techniques to use when things get overwhelming. Here are some stress reduction techniques that I have used during my engagement:

Give your mind, body, and spirit the attention they need.

• Get rest! Know when to stop perusing Pinterest and go to sleep at a decent time.
• Make time to stay active; those emails can wait! Go outside for a jog, then return to more wedding planning.
• Take time to eat well. It’s easy to get into the fast-food, high-convenience routine when you are so busy, but lack of nutrition can cause your body to tire more easily and your immune system can be compromised. Personally, I recommend reading these Paleo insights on food. I found it very difficult to follow completely, but it has definitely made me more aware of what I’m eating and why!
• Just breathe! If you research stress reduction techniques, you’ll always find something about breathing. Remember to take long, deep breaths when the wedding stress hits.
• Get educated. Check your work, health insurance plan, or school to see if they have any classes on stress management, and take advantage of them! I took a class through my work on the basics of meditation; it’s a great way to take a break from the constant “to-do” lists swirling around in your head! Image meditation works best for me. Here is the picture that I focus on to relieve my wedding stress:

Remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself.

• Delegation is key! For those brides who are a bit on the ‘control-freak’ side (like myself!), this is going to be hard to hear. However, your busy life continues on despite planning a wedding, and there are only so many hours in the day. When someone offers to help, let them! That’s what your bridesmaids and maid of honor are for!
• Stay organized. Planning your wedding will definitely put your organization skills to the test. Whether it’s hiring a wedding coordinator or creating your own system, the more prepared and organized you are in the beginning, the less wedding stress will build up as you get closer to the big day.

Find your “work-life-wedding planning” balance.

• Have fun! While exciting, planning a wedding takes a lot of time and energy. Make sure to schedule time for the other things that you enjoy, to avoid being consumed by wedding planning.
• Schedule date nights. Make designated date nights with your fiancé where wedding details are not brought up— both your wedding stress level and your relationship will benefit!

Best wishes on your big day! I hope your wedding planning journey is as stress-free as possible!

What stress reduction techniques would you recommend for planning a wedding?

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