Not only has your life been taken over by dress fittings and wedding lists, but you’re starting to get anxious about the big day ‐ not to mention that you’re about to make the biggest commitment of your life! …So, if someone shows you another table setting you’ll scream? Here’s how to beat pre‐wedding stress.
Above: BookaSpa.com
Relax and indulge
The run‐up to the wedding is the time to have those facials, massages, pedicures and manicures you’ve been promising yourself. Lots of health spas do pre‐wedding packages at reduced rates for parties, so phone round and see what’s available.
Clare, a fundraising manager who’s engaged to Patrick, says, ‘I’ve booked a weekend in a health spa for myself and about 20 friends a month before the wedding. The plan is to have everything organised by then, so that I can have a nice, relaxing weekend.’
Breathing helps!
If you feel like exploding, take a deep breath. ‘Breathe in for four, then out for five, consciously relaxing your shoulders as you breathe out,’ suggests Gladeana McMahon of the Centre for Stress Management. ‘Or, if you’re worried about something, visualise a big red Stop sign, then think of a really nice image to replace the negative one.’
If you’re feeling super‐stressed, try Bach Flower Remedies Rescue Remedy, an instant homeopathic soother available from chemists and health food shops. Alternatively, put a few drops of lavender essential oil in a candlelit bath or have a calming cup of chamomile tea rather than your usual coffee.
Don’t do it all yourself
Delegate! Decide with your fiancé early on who’s going to do what and stick to it ‐‐ that way you’re less likely to be railroaded into things later on. You should also build some planning‐free zones into your timetable.
‘I used to run away to a friend’s house for the weekend to escape,’ says Catherine, a journalist who’s married to Dominic. ‘Or we’d go out for a meal and agree not to mention the wedding’.
However, If you’re about to throttle your beloved fiancé, haven’t slept in weeks or find yourself feeling tearful and unable to cope, don’t be afraid to ask for help. ‘If you no longer feel in control, talk to someone,’ says Denise Knowles, a spokesperson for Relate. ‘Your GP can put you in touch with a counsellor and we would love to see more couples before they get married’.
And finally. . .
Don’t sweat the small stuff ‐‐ stay calm. Every bride who lay awake for months on end panicking that her toe nail polish might not be perfect reports back that she didn’t even notice when the cake was pink instead of blue, or the DJ forgot to bring YMCA.
Take a moment for the two of you. In all the hustle and bustle of greeting guests, making speeches, cutting the cake and having a first dance, don’t forget to just check in with each other and share a quiet moment on your first day as husband and wife.
You can find more health tips and advice throughout our articles pages, and you can talk about this topic and more with hundreds of brides in our Confetti forums.
