Seven Wedding Planning Stress-Busters

by: Michael Kabel

How many details do you think go into planning a wedding, from beginning to end? A hundred? Two hundred? It might feel like even more when you're "in the trenches" of the wedding planning hustle.

But with any other kind of stress, there are ways to relax and refocus your mind before you lose it. The seven strategies presented below are guidelines more than rules, and they'll likely work better for some than for others. But keep in mind there's always a light at the end of the tunnel – and it's the light of a perfect wedding, once you regroup and get back to the business at hand.

Take a day off.

We've included this tip because it's the simplest and yet also among the most effective.

Consider this: most successful artists and writers, when working on a painting, sculpture, or written work, often put the work down and avoid it for a definite period of time. When they come back, they find their enthusiasm refreshed and their perspective cleared. Planning a wedding is at its roots a huge, creative endeavor. Taking a break gives you perspective and recharges your emotional and mental batteries.

Ask for help.

Sometimes we get so close to a problem we can't see anything around it. A fresh set of eyes, on the other hand, can cut to the heart of an issue.

"Giving in" is NOT the same thing as "giving up." Taking whatever help is offered, as long as it's from a trustworthy source, doesn't mean you've failed. It means you care enough about the wedding to see beyond yourself.

Get your bridesmaids together and take a poll.

Like the comment above, this is for the bride who needs some fresh input but who wants to make sure she's making the right decision. And let's face it - you trust your bridesmaids because they're your closest friends.

Watch a wedding movie.

Out of ideas but tired of the help offered in bridal magazines (and even Web sites?) Take a night to watch your favorite bridal movie. They've got the benefit of designers and costumers from major movie studios to make their weddings perfect. You'll likely come across an idea to get you around your current stumbling block.

Exercise that stress right off.

Getting in shape before the wedding is probably already on your agenda. Why not use it to beat stress, too? Exercise is a proven method to feel better about your self, and with renewed emotional calm comes more energy to get the wedding itself into shape.

Remember you don't have to put yourself through boot camp. Just get out and take a walk, or spend an afternoon exercising in the park or around your neighborhood.

Take yourself out to dinner at a nice place.

If you're the hardcore stress warrior who skips meals or lives on yogurt and potato chips, stop what you're doing right now. Go out to dinner and enjoy a nice, filling meal. You can even take your fiancé along and make it a romantic date.

Reconnect with your hobbies.

Your favorite pastimes tend to go out the window when the wedding planning details eclipse everything else. But the truth is, we rely on our hobbies for emotional and mental stability. Depriving ourselves of their fun and emotional rewards is a recipe for weakening our stamina. So, go back to what you love. The wedding planning will still be there when you return.