📷: Pixabay
Everyone knows that your wedding is possibly one of the most stressful — if also one of the happiest — days of your life. There are a million things that could go wrong at any given moment, and if rom-coms have taught us anything, at least something probably will — but have no fear! We reached out to some newlyweds to get their tips and tricks for powering through the big day, and they had some wonderful ideas.
By Gavi Klein
Things To Do For Yourself.
This seems like perhaps the most basic category. Taking care of yourself is something we all know is important, wedding day or not, but often, it’s hard to focus on the specific things we need to do to make sure we as individuals are happy and healthy.
- Make sure you get enough sleep the night before the wedding. While it may be tempting to drink heavily at your rehearsal dinner or to stay up all night, you’ll be much happier to wake up the next morning well-rested and clear-minded.
- Eat throughout the day. No matter how stressed or nervous you are, make sure that you are fueling your body. Carry a water bottle and a snack bag with you, with foods you actually like so you’ll eat them. It wouldn’t be great to feel fatigued or light-headed during the ceremony, so just make sure you are taking care of your body’s most basic needs.
- Give yourself five to ten minutes alone in the morning, or really at any time you feel overwhelmed throughout the day. Weddings are chock-full of people, and while it is mostly those who love you endlessly, it can still be intense to plow through all that love for twenty-four hours straight. Make the time to reflect, breathe and reset, by yourself, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
- My personal favorite tip: Make a playlist! Get your heart pumping and energy moving in the room while you get ready. Imagine you’re in a movie and this is your soundtrack. It’ll also help you push past some of the stress and remember that this day can actually be fun — turn up the tunes and enjoy it!
Things Other People Can Do For You.
This section is a reminder to lean on the people around you for support. Whether you are having a wedding with a thirty-person wedding party and 500 guests or a ceremony with your spouse-to-be and no one else, remember that the person or people around you are there to be leaned on — so lean away!
- Have someone who is good at organization and has a strong memory by your side who knows your itinerary, important contacts, etc. to help you throughout the day. Whether it’s a family member, a friend or your mailman — just make sure you have someone with you who you are comfortable with and trust.
- Delegate, delegate, delegate! Assign someone to each moving part on your wedding day: guests, food, flowers etc. If it’s in your budget, a wedding planner is a good substitute for this, too.
- In general, hire caterers, makeup artists, etc. who will create a calm and hopefully even fun environment for you. Talk to the people you are hiring before you hire them and try to get a sense if they are going to notch up your and/or your fiance’s anxiety on the big day — if you think they will, hire someone else, or better yet, save some money and enlist friends and family to help out as well (just as long and they won’t stress you out, either).
Things To Remember.
Lastly, some things to keep in mind throughout your big day. If you’re feeling it, write them on a slip of paper and glance at it every few hours: there will likely be a lot going on, and it’s often easier to physically see the things you want to remember instead of just trying to recall them.
- Stay present. Almost every newlywed couple will tell you: the best advice you’ll get for your wedding day is to try to truly be in every moment. Take time to step back throughout the day and actively think, “This is my wedding. That’s awesome!”
- Don’t underestimate the importance of breath. Try breathing in for four seconds, holding it for seven, and breathing out for eight as a calming tactic. Use your breath as the powerful tool it is to get you through the more intense moments of the day.
- Finally, when something goes wrong — and at least one thing probably will — remember that it’s not the end of the world. Your college roommate might not like their seat placement, the flowers might make your cousin sneeze or you might forget to put on deodorant and yet, none of that really matters. Your wedding day is for you to get married to the person you love more than anyone else. The rest are just details. No matter what happens or doesn’t happen, the only thing that is absolutely imperative is the person who will be standing next to you at the end of the day. It may seem impossible, but do your best to remember that, because if you can, and if you can really believe it, it’ll make your day perfect, even if nothing else is.
Thanks to Alana Cerrone, Cody DeSouza, Colleen Riley Thompson and Mehry Schmitt for their wise and thoughtful contributions! All of their weddings can be found on engagedsne.com.