Preparing to marry the person you love is a special time in your life, but if you’re anything like me, wedding preparation makes you want to pull your hair out and consider eloping.
Being engaged is like being in limbo; you (most likely) still don’t live with your significant other, yet you’re trying to build this life together.
While I still smile and sense a rush of pink go to my cheeks whenever someone asks to see my ring or tells me they’re excited for me and my fiancé, Connor, I feel sad thinking about all of the things that need to be done and paid for before the wedding.
I’ve cried over researching where to find my wedding dress because I refuse to pay $1,000 for something I’m going to wear once. And there’s a whole list of things to cry about: narrowing down who will be our wedding photographer, who will do makeup and hair, a caterer, a florist, who will marry us, a guest list, etc. I can go on, but that would take the whole page.
Like any naïve little girl, I’ve grown up believing weddings are fairytales ending with happiness and no stress. Weddings can be “magical,” and a chance to prepare for one can be an exciting process, but you can become caught up in material things and distracted from the one person that matters the most — the person you’re marrying.
If you recently got engaged, are planning on getting married in the near future, or just want some advice to pin to your wedding board on Pinterest, then remember this:
Your wedding will not be perfect
Yes, I’m sure the perfectionist in you is screaming. Unless you are a billionaire, your wedding will not be like Prince William and Kate’s, and that’s OK. While beautiful flowers placed on every table and a cake that towers above your guests may be on your dream wedding bucket list, it may not be realistic.
You will have to compromise on some aspects. I would love to have both a photographer and a videographer at our wedding, but it’s too expensive. So, Connor and I settled for just a photographer.
You can’t do everything yourself
I have plans and a vision for our wedding, but I know I can’t execute it myself. It’s typical to have your bridesmaids or your family help with wedding preparation, but if you’re a perfectionist like me, it may be hard to hand over the reins to someone else.
I’m a senior trying to focus on my capstone, finding a job for when I graduate, finding a place to live with Connor, and now planning a wedding. I learned it’s OK to delegate tasks to other people and to focus on what matters right now.
Put your significant other before the wedding
It’s easy to busy yourself with tasks that you don’t notice when your significant other had a bad day or isn’t acting the same. Don’t be so blinded by the to-do list or stress that you forget the reason you are excited to get married in the first place.
To remain close and connected, continue doing activities you did before getting engaged like date night. Connor and I still have Friday date nights, and it’s the one day of the week where we don’t need to stress about anything wedding-related.