Stress Relief

Planning a celebration for hundreds of guests can become quite stressful, and at times you may lose sight of what’s really important. Remember, your wedding is a celebration of your love – not a display of how much money you have to spend or how other people will perceive you.

Look after yourself

The simplest way to reduce stress is to eat and sleep well. Stress and fatigue are counter-productive, so give yourself a good night’s rest. A great way to relieve stress is to exercise, hit the gym or do something outdoors to give yourself a chance to unwind.

Take a break

When it feels like things are getting too complicated or becoming too much to handle, take some time out for yourself. Forget about the wedding for a few hours and do something that you enjoy. Take a walk with your partner, or do something so romantic it reminds you of exactly why you want to get married. A break from all things wedding related will help clear your mind and get you more relaxed so that when it comes back to planning the wedding, you are much more resolute and focused than you otherwise would be.

Making decisions

Decide on what you want and stick to it. Altering your plans at the last minute will just be another cause of unnecessary stress. Also, changing your arrangements with service providers so close to the wedding date may attract a fee, so be careful. To minimise stress, receive all service agreements in writing and in the form of a contract. Be clear about prices, dates, packages (if possible, get an itemised list of costs), extras and any other important details.

Learn to delegate

There is no rule that says you have to do everything yourself, so learn to delegate. Your Bridal Party is there to help you plan your day and make sure that everything goes to plan so use them! The last thing you should be worried about on your wedding day is paying vendors for their services and other tasks. It’s your wedding day, so enjoy yourself and entrust others to look after the small tasks.

Plan for emergencies

In the unlikely event that something might go wrong, pack an emergency kit that comprise of items such as:

For the Brides and Bridesmaids

• Make-up for the Bridal party for touch-ups before photos
• Make-up remover to remove make-up from face and clothes
• Extra pantyhose
• Clear nail polish for runs in pantyhose
• A nail file/emery board
• Tissues
• Bobby pins, hairspray, brush and comb
• Deodorant
• Perfume
• Aspirin and any prescription medication, band-aids, tampons and pads
• A sewing kit with spare buttons, needle, thread and scissors
• Mouthwash and breath mints
• Mobile phone and some spare change

For the Groom and Groomsmen

• Mouthwash and breath mints
• A razor or electric shaver
• Cologne and deodorant
• A comb
• Mobile phone and some spare change

Other issues

It’s also a good idea to have someone organise some food and drink for the Bridal party to snack on during photo sessions. Make sure that all members of the Bridal party have directions to the reception, as well as the contact details of all the service providers for the wedding.

One final piece of advice when it comes to wedding stress relief – you don’t have to get worked up and upset over the little things. It’s very unlikely that anything will go wrong and even if something does, it is rarely something to blow out of proportion and get upset over. You might see a particular predicament as being a disaster, but chances are good your guests won’t even notice.

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