Take a Deep Breath: Dealing with Wedding Stress

That heart-warming glow of your engagement. Those beautiful and exciting moments with your new fiancé. Aren’t these some of the best feelings you’ve ever had? It’s like reliving those tingly, first-date and first-kiss moments. It’s right up there with cracking the tops of crème-brûlée, feeling the sun on your face, and snuggling with puppies.

Some people will tell you that an engagement is also a time of incredible amounts of unavoidable stress, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of things you can do to maintain your mental health and overall well-being.

Keep yourself organized

If you don’t have a wedding planner, now’s the time to recruit the Monica Geller in your life. Put together a wedding spreadsheet or a binder. Most importantly. create a schedule for yourself so that you know what you need to do and when. Your Chandler might think you’ve gone a little insane (but he hasn’t really seen true crazy yet, has he?).

Self-care

Wedding prep is a great excuse to indulge in a lot of self-care! Get some bath bombs or bath bubbles. Give yourself a full service manicure or pedicure. Get your body into tip-top shape for the wedding.

Working out might seem like a huge pain, but those endorphins will help your skin, health, and mood. So, hop on that dreadful Stairmaster! Or just go for a walk and drink the rosé. I mean smell the roses…

Keep going on dates

Jokes and levity aside, keep in mind that this is meant to be a period of love and preparation with your spouse-to-be. It’s a good idea to schedule one or two days a week where wedding-planning talk is off limits. Talking about it every night can get a little overwhelming.

If you don’t already do this, go out on a date with your fiancé at least once a week. This doesn’t mean you have to spend lots of money going out, either. My husband and I love hanging out at the book store to find our next favorite read or competing to find the most ridiculous book cover photo. Often times, we don’t even go out. We love playing Mancala, card games, hosting happy hour with a few friends and the occasional HBO binge – Game of Thrones, anyone?

And when you do have stressful moments, let each other know. Take a break (have some chocolate).