Yes, weddings are serious business, but all seriousness aside, this a a big day for you and your significant other, it should be full of love, laughter and loads of fun. If you want your wedding to be remembered by your friends and family, make sure everyone is having a good time, and the best way to do that is for you to relax and truly enjoy your day.
To be honest, we’ve looked at a lot of wedding photos where you can actually see the stress on the faces of the couple, and by the end of the event, all you can see is exhausted relief. I think that’s why the New Orleans wedding of Alissa Hart, M.D. & Steven Sanchez, D.O. is one of my favorite weddings of the year. This pair of medical professionals is not just Grey’s Anatomy-level gorgeous, they had a freaking BLAST at their event! From pre-wedding prep to that final jump into the Race + Religious pool, this couple celebrated their joy, and everyone from their wedding party to their friends and family joined in the fun.
Every couple wants their wedding to be remembered. They want their guests talking about their wedding for years to come. You know what people remember after some time passes? It’s not the dress, or the particular flower you chose, or the cute seating chart. What people remember is how they felt. They remember if they had a great time with you. That’s it. That’s the ultimate take-away from your year of planning and stressing. Yes, there are some who will remember a flower arrangement, or a detail, especially if the details are super personal and unique, but mainly, they will connect those details to the memory of celebrating with you on your special day.
We know planning your event is stressful. There are hundreds of moving parts, and even the best organizer is still going to worry about things. We suggest a few ideas to help you relax and enjoy your event. First, hire a wedding planner. Let me say it louder for the folks in the back. HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER. Hire someone great and remember that you are paying them to worry for you. Let them do their job. Yours is to focus on your honey and enjoy your day.
Second, plan way in advance, then be like Elsa, and let that stuff go. The week of your event is not the time to create 150 of those adorable guest favors you saw on Pinterest. If you haven’t bought it, contracted for it, paid for it, etc. by the week (or month) of your wedding, LET IT GO. You don’t need it. We have a saying around here, “Nobody else knows when the doves are supposed to be released.” If they don’t fly majestically over the heads of your guests the moment you kiss at the altar, so what? Nobody was expecting them, so they don’t know what they missed. Let. It. Go.
Third, plan some relaxing activities for yourself the week of your wedding. Work in a couples massage for you and your fiance’. Plan a mani-pedi session for your group. Grab lunch with a friend, do some light shopping, or spend an evening curled up on the couch watching your favorite shows or reading a good book – whatever you find relaxing – that will take your mind away from your wedding planning for a few hours. Take afternoon naps, and get several nights of really great sleep. If you spend every waking hour stressing your wedding details, it will certainly show the day of your event.
Fourth, as we say in the south, Let Go and Let God. Wake up to your wedding day knowing you have planned a wonderful event full of personal details that reflect who you are as a couple. When those fears and doubts start to rise up, squash them by saying, “No.” Remember that today is the day you start your life with your partner. Stay in the moment and the excitement of your new journey together. Your wedding is a time for unabashed joy. Your joy is infectious. Revel in it. Share it with everyone, and they will celebrate with you. Dance, sing, laugh. Jump in the pool if you feel like it.
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