With the clock ticking down and your bid day closing in, it can be very easy to have your stress levels soar. No matter how well you’ve planned your wedding and poured over each detail, you will likely find yourself double and triple checking everything up until you walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, this can lead to a lot of sleepless nights and added stress that won’t make your wedding day any more enjoyable, not to mention that you run the risk of looking tired or stressed out on your big day. The good news is that there are some techniques you can use to alleviate that stress and enter your wedding day with a relaxed attitude, and here are some of those things that you can do with very little effort.
Create a List
One of the simplest ways to stay on top of everything and keep your stress in check is to create a very comprehensive list of tasks that need to be completed leading up to your wedding. As you go down the list and cross things off, make sure you don’t revisit them. Sure, there are things that will need to be done at the last minute; but obsessing over details that are already taken care of can add unwanted stress and take time away from taking care of other tasks.
Assign Jobs
One of the easiest mistakes to make when you are a bride is to try to do everything yourself. Never forget that you have assembled a great team of bridesmaids that can help you with these tasks and make sure you assign jobs to each of them. Additionally, you’re friends and family will likely be more than happy to help out as well, so make sure you tap all the available resources and move as much responsibility as possible off of your own plate and onto others’.
Handle the Formalities
Whether you’re talking about changing your name or filing your marriage certificate, make sure you have your ducks in a row before your big day. There’s nothing worse after scrambling to pull off a great wedding than to move right to the next challenge, so making this stuff easy on you is always a great plan. Personally, I chose to sign the marriage certificate the night before the wedding ceremony to take some of the stress off on my big day, but that choice certainly isn’t for everyone.
Incoming Guests
Most weddings will have several guests that are traveling in from other states. If you wait until the last minute to plan for their arrival, this can create a whole new set of problems and challenges that can detract from other priorities. Make sure you have everything setup in advance such as accommodations and activities so you’re not scrambling to take care of them at the last second.
Final Counts
Make sure you get an accurate tally of all the confirmed guests and give that number to your caterer. The last thing you want to have happen is to run out of food or cake during the reception, so make sure you have a good final head count to give to the caterer.
Guest Seating
Though you would ideally have this done well in advance, chances are there will be some last minute additions and subtractions with your guest list that will require you to change some seating arrangements. If seats open up at the most important tables where parents, grandparents, and other close family will be sitting, make sure you fill them in with the next logical choice and work backwards from there.
The last two weeks before your wedding are always a little hectic and stressful, but that doesn’t mean you need to enter your wedding day exhausted and grumpy. By following some of these pieces of advice and making sure you have everything planned out in advance, you can have a relaxing wedding day that goes off without a hitch.
