How To Ward Off Wedding Anxiety & Pre-Wedding Jitters
Many couples report having lots of anxiety in the months and days leading to their nuptials. The anxiety and stress comes from wanting to have a perfect celebration, wanting to make sure that all expectations are met and really to ensure that they have a memorable day with their friends and family. It’s common knowledge that nothing is perfect and something unplanned always happens. It may be as big as it raining during your wedding or your transport delaying causing the ceremony to start a little later than planned. Imperfections are a fact of life. However, we also are cognizant that anxiety is a part of life and it can be really daunting as you plan your wedding. We cannot guarantee that you will not be anxious at all, however, we can give you ways to cope and hopefully reduce its effect on your life.
Before Your Wedding….
Plan, plan & plan again: We need to emphasise the need to plan your wedding as much as possible. Have a date that you are working towards. This allows you to have a vision of how it will unfold, how all the parts of your ceremony will roll into one another, how your bridal party will dress, how your designer wedding gown in Kenya will be and many more things. Planning is what helps your brain to relax because you have tangible things that show you that you are well on track. Without a plan, it’s easy to get distracted by things your brain conjures and many worst-case scenarios which inevitably trigger anxiety.
Gauge expectations especially from your family members: We know full well that weddings are a family affair, they have been for centuries. Nowadays, the couples have the luxury of making many decisions independent of family influence however, because they are assisting in one way or another and they love you very much, they want to be involved in planning your big day. Now, the first thing you do as a couple is to ensure that you have your minimums down, the things that you will not compromise on regardless of what other people’s opinions – no matter how close – are 🙂After having these down, then go to the areas you can involve them. For these, you need to have conversations with them to gauge what they are expecting and how you can adapt. This assists you to be on the same page. Of course you cannot agree on everything, however, the more you agree on & have an understanding on, the less space for anxiety there is for you.
Get some Zzz consistently: You need to prioritise your sleep otherwise you may not like how you look on your wedding photographs. Sleep ensures that you are level headed as you make the decisions pertaining to your big day. Need I say more?
Spend time with your S/O: You are about to spend the rest of your life with this person. As you plan, take some time out to spend quality time with one another. No wedding talk, no family things, just you guys, having a quiet or loud time by yourselves like you always do. It will remind you why you fell in love with this human and for a moment it will be just the two of you. Trust me in this scenario, anxiety has no space here.
On the day….
Self care is key: You need to eat so that you are not hungry during the nuptials. The food comes way later during the reception and we would not want a situation whereby you cannot hold yourself as you make your vows. Also wake up to take a 10 minute walk or run just to freshen up and have your mind clear before your big day. It helps a lot to keep your nerves under control.
Your bridal party will be key: Talk to them, have a glass of bubbly to calm those nerves because your bridal party is your support system. They can help you ward off anxiety because you trust them. They will help you not imagine the worst as is the case when you are about to go through a major life event.
During the wedding…
Hire professionals to direct everything: This is your day, hiring professionals to handle all the questions will do a lot in helping you keep your anxiety down. It will allow you to relax and enjoy your day. If you have already hired someone, you need to trust them to execute your vision.
Lean on your partner: It is highly likely that your partner is also anxious that the day goes well and that you have a memorable celebration. Lean on them, have a few encouraging moments and it will be ok, it’s the beginning to an amazing life together ahead.
We admit, anxiety is not something you can wish away, however, you can totally work through it. With these tips, we can promise you one thing, your anxiety will not get in the way of you enjoying your big day!