Nothing beats the excitement of counting down to your wedding day, but that doesn’t mean the process of planning the wedding comes easy. Don’t ask me why I had a baby 12 days before my own, we won’t talk about that!
As many as 72% of couples deem wedding planning “very” or “extremely” stressful. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious about how it will all pan out on the big day, but here are four techniques that make wedding planning as fun as possible to keep stress at bay.
1. Come up with a rewards system
To keep yourself motivated and maintain a celebratory air to your planning, reward yourself for each task you successfully tick off. Immediate rewards give us more positive experiences in completing tasks than delayed rewards, so try to enjoy the reward right away. For example, you could pop a bottle of bubbly after booking your photographer or go for a romantic dinner with your partner once you’ve finalised your venue and registrar. Rewards are also a brilliant way to motivate and thank those who are helping with the planning – if you’ve invited your bridesmaids over to help you prepare the wedding favours, you can promise them pizza and a few glasses of wine once they’re finished.
2. Create some healthy competition
Competition can be a great way to keep yourself and others motivated because we all love the buzz that comes with winning. After dividing up planning tasks with your partner, you could see who is first to finish their to-do list or place bets on who can tick off the most tasks each week. When it comes to repetitive tasks like writing wedding invitations, compete to see who can do the most and offer a small prize for the winner. If you’re looking for ideas for a specific aspect of the wedding, ask friends and family for input with the prospect of choosing a winning idea that will feature in the wedding. For example, you could ask people to create a unique cocktail recipe with the winning drink set to be served at the wedding reception.
3. Unleash your creative side with DIY tasks
Creativity is a great stress-reliever because it puts us into a state of flow which helps to reduce anxiety and boost the feel-good chemical dopamine. By throwing yourself into some fun DIY tasks for your wedding you can find the time to be creative while ticking off some important duties. Making table decorations, creating homemade invites and constructing floral arrangements are all examples of creative projects you can incorporate into your wedding. Plus, there’s the added benefit of saving some money when you DIY these elements
It’s common for couples to feel like wedding planning absorbs their every spare minute, and there’s little wonder when you consider all the factors that go into creating a wedding day. Not only do you have to hire a venue, arrange catering, book suppliers and prepare decorations, but you’ve also got a strict budget to contend with, guest lists and table plans to sort out, and you need to find time to pick out the perfect outfits.
A great way to alleviate stress is to put aside wedding-free time. Plan a regular date night with your other half in which you promise to spend quality time together without talking about the wedding. This is a great way to remind yourself that the small details of the wedding don’t matter anywhere near as much as the love you share together.
The most important thing to remember is that your wedding day is a celebration of the love between you and your partner. With that in mind, even the dullest of tasks becomes a reason to celebrate and have as much fun as possible.
