Your wedding day – the event heralded as the happiest day of your life, joining you and your beloved partner in matrimony.
However, with this momentous occasion comes meticulous and careful planning to ensure everything is perfect ahead of the big day. And if this isn’t managed correctly, wedding planning can have an adverse impact on both the bride and groom, bringing unnecessary stress and anxiety. From getting the right dress, to choosing the perfect location and managing a budget, planning your wedding can become a highly pressurised and stressful process.
We’ve looked at ways to help relieve wedding planning stress and make sure you stay cool, calm and collected during the preparations allowing you to enjoy every moment of your special day!
Don’t let the budget be a burden
The cost of your big day can be a huge pressure point during the organisation process. The average wedding spend is now as much as £30,0001 – a figure which can understandably cause a rise in stress levels. So how can you make sure your finances don’t get the better of you?
Firstly, understanding that your nuptials don’t have to cost £30,000 is key in coping with wedding planning stress. Everyone has different financial circumstances, so your big day should only cost what you can afford – your guests aren’t going to judge you for not throwing a lavish wedding. It’s a joyous occasion, but make sure you stay within the realms of your financial capabilities. Decide in advance what you can afford, set a budget and stick to it.
Also, whether you create a spreadsheet to tally up the costs or opt for an online budget tracker, having a visual representation of how much you’re spending on the big day will help you keep track.
Delegate tasks out
Just because it’s your big day doesn’t mean you have to be tasked with sorting out every last detail of the wedding. Carrying the burden of planning a wedding on your own shoulders will create unwanted and unnecessary stress for you, so be sure to share the organisation among your trusted nearest and dearest – your partner or bridesmaids are always a good place to start!
Obviously, some of the bigger tasks like the flowers, food and venue you’ll want to manage yourself, but smaller tasks such as getting all your attendees’ dietary requirements, organising the drinks reception, sorting transport and hiring the evening entertainment can be passed down the chain. Trusting your wider family and wedding party to step up and take on some of less pressing tasks will mean you can concentrate on getting the bigger picture right.
Give yourself a break
Studies have found that, on average, planning a wedding can take up to 18 months.2 With such a long lead time, allowing your wedding planning to completely engulf your spare time can be a big factor in creating stress. As the pressure builds, you’ll spend more time on planning the big day and less time on doing the things in life you enjoy, which in turn can leave you feeling even more stressed – in short, it can become a vicious circle.
To reduce wedding planning stress, taking a well-deserved break is imperative. Set aside time each week to focus on the planning to separate it from your everyday life. Staring at a planner for hours or days on end will only drive stress, so give yourself plenty of breaks from organising to maintain a healthy balance for you and your partner.
Invite who you want to, not who you are told to
Choosing who to invite to your wedding is arguably one of the toughest task. Between you and your partner, you’ll have a long list of people you want to invite, but the reality is you won’t necessarily be able to invite everyone – and you won’t be able to keep everyone happy.
It’s your big day, so ultimately you should invite who you want to be there, rather than those you feel you should invite. If for example your mum wants to invite your great-aunt who you haven’t seen for 20 years, don’t feel as if you should. It’s about limiting your guests to an attendee list you want to be part of your special day.
Don’t let domestic issues dictate
A big pressure when compiling your guestlist and seating plan may come from your families, especially if there are some unresolved domestic issues. Divorced parents can often add tension and animosity to an occasion, which may induce more wedding day anxieties for you and your partner.
If you find yourself in this situation, according to Inside Weddings, seating divorced parents away from each other and offering them both the chance to toast you and your partner are practical and mature ways of ensuring there is no squabbling at the wedding.
Be realistic and allow for flexibility
The idea of flexibility might not sit well with some when it comes to their wedding day. Many of us have our dream wedding already ingrained in our minds, knowing the colour schemes, flower arrangements and the location we want for our nuptials.
In reality, things can go wrong and unforeseen circumstances can happen – whether it’s a rainy day or a delayed delivery, knowing how to cope with uncertainty and change can help you navigate these mishaps much better. It’s not about meticulously planning for what can possibly go wrong (which will inevitably stress you out even more), but more about embracing the unexpected, letting the little things go and focusing on what’s important.
Don’t be afraid to speak to someone
For some, getting married creates feelings of anxiety and nerves, and when partnered with the stresses of planning the wedding, it can begin to take a toll on your mental wellbeing.
The key thing to remember is that you aren’t on your own, so try not to let any negative thoughts get on top of you. If you feel overwhelmed by the stress of planning your wedding, the first person to speak to is your partner – after all, they’re in it with you too. You’re going to be spending the rest of your lives together, so seek solace in them by telling them how you’re feeling. If you feel like you can’t or don’t want to speak about your concerns with your partner, talk to trusted friends and family instead; or you might even want to speak to a professional.
A cash plan from Sovereign Health Care includes access to a confidential 24-hour helpline which can support you with a wide range of issues, including planning a wedding, through to married life and starting a family. So as well as helping you to keep physically well, a cash plan can also support your mental wellbeing.
To find out more about Sovereign and how our cash plans can help with your physical and mental health, visit https://www.sovereignhealthcare.co.uk/personal
1 Brides Magazine http://www.bridesmagazine.co.uk/planning/general/planning-service/2013/01/average-cost-of-wedding
2 Huffington Post https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/average-engagement-length_n_2411353.html