Anyone who has planned a wedding knows first hand that it can completely take over your life and can become insanely stressful. Whether you want to admit it or not, you will find yourself perusing Pinterest every free moment of your day, will have enough things on your to-do list for an entire army, and will feel like you are talking about your wedding 100% of the time. With that being said, I can't stress how important it is to also take a step back and actually ENJOY your engagement. People always say 'you only get married once,' but you are also only engaged once, and you need to enjoy it. In order to make this possible, we have compiled five tips for enjoying a non-stressful engagement.
TIP ONE: Create A To-Do List At The Beginning Of Every Week
Chances are you have heard of 'pregnancy brain,' and I like to think their is also something called 'wedding brain.' While you are planning a wedding you are constantly trying to accomplish tasks and tend to forget exactly what was on that to-do list. In order to prevent this from happening, I suggest starting everything week with a brand new to-do list. Take an hour to sit down with your fiancé and write down everything you want to accomplish that week. Not only will this help you be more productive, but it will also prevent you from constantly trying to remember exactly what you were hoping to accomplish. And from my experience, the less you have to rack your brain to remember things, the less stressed you feel.
TIP TWO: Set Aside 'NO WEDDING' Days
Yes, you heard me right. You need to set aside at least one day a week where you don't talk about your wedding or work on planning it. In doing this, you are taking a step back from all the craziness and staying focused on your life.
Setting aside 'no wedding' days will also be a lifesaver for your relationship. Believe it or not, your fiancé isn't going to want to talk wedding 24/7 and is going to get frustrated if that ends up being the case.
TIP THREE: Ask For Help
Believe it or not, this can be one of the most challenging aspects of wedding planning. If you are anything like me, you think that you are the only one that can get things done the way you want them, and don't ever think you need help. Unfortunately, if you maintain this mindset throughout your wedding planning journey, you are going to completely stress yourself out. There are WAY to many moving parts that go into a wedding and you need help in pulling it all together. Don't be scared to ask for help from people like your fiancé, your parents, and your bridal party. More often than not, they are going to be excited to lend a hand.
TIP FOUR: Delegate Tasks
Being able to delegate tasks coincides with being able to ask for help. There are SO many people that want to be apart of the planning process, so let them! Delegating tasks to people that are constantly 'bugging' you is actually going to get them to back off. For example, if your mom calls you twice a day to ask how the planning process is going, give her something to do! This can be anything from researching potential vendors to searching for the perfect guest book.
When it comes to delegating, it's also important to delegate to your fiancé. I can't tell you how often I hear brides getting frustrated because their fiancé isn't doing anything. Well, to be honest, he probably doesn't know what to do! Give him a wedding specific 'honey do' list, and things will start getting accomplished - I promise! Oh... and if you are wondering what to put on this list, I suggest anything related to food & beverage, music and the honeymoon, as they tend to be the perfect groom-to-be tasks.
TIP FIVE: Make Time For YOU
Wedding planning is going to feel like it is completely taking over your life, and I can't stress how important it is to still make time for YOU. This includes everything from enjoying happy hour with your girlfriends, relaxing with a good book, and clearing your mind over a long run. All those things that filled your time pre-wedding still need to be apart of your life. There are going to be moments when this feel nearly impossible, but I promise, it will help you enjoy your engagement and will help you stay as stress-free as possible.
