Managing stress around your Wedding Day

Stress is a normal and essential part of the Wedding planning experience.  The key to stress is knowing how to manage it.  I come across so many brides and grooms who get so worked up that on their Wedding day they are a mess.  What you need is to manage your stress way before the Wedding day.

A very important part of the amount of stress in your Wedding day is the vendors that you choose.  Speak with people who have used the vendors you want to select and ask them about stress on their day and how the vendor dealt in the situation.  I like to think that I don’t add any stress to a Wedding and help sooth the stresses of my clients, family, and friends.  A smile goes a long way in helping to relieve stress.

You may want to consider a master/mistress of ceremony if you don’t hire a Wedding Planner.  This person will oversee the Wedding and will handle any problems or stresses before they grow.  I find that having a relative who knows everyone is a good choice for this position.  A lot of times the Wedding Planner doesn’t know the people involved in the day and the relatives so this extra person(s) will be essential to managing stress and problems.

I personally speak with my brides and grooms the week of their Wedding and we walk through the Wedding day.  I do this to be on the same page as my clients but to also let the bride and groom get some of the feelings that they will feel on the Wedding day.  This also gives me a chance to gauge the degree of nervousness and help sooth some nerves before they increase.

The Wedding day morning brides and grooms typically do some sort of activity with the ladies and guys.  I would suggest getting an appointment at the spa to have a massage and spend some time in a hot tub relaxing.  Let your mind clear out and focus on something other than your Wedding.

As the Ceremony draws near make sure that the bride and groom have friends that can joke with them and get their mind off of coming moments.  A lot of people are nervous about being the center of attention and stress ensues.  Telling old stories, laughing, drinking lots of fluids, stretching, getting fresh air, and keeping moving air are all good suggestions.

When the Ceremony starts just remind yourself to breathe and take everything in during the day.  Your Wedding day will go by so quickly.  When the bride walks down the isle make sure that both the bride and the groom are breathing.  The groom should have a bit of bent knees so that they don’t faint too.  If the bride and groom have managed their stress prior to the Wedding day they should remember their day as the best ever.

I can visually see the relaxation after the Wedding Ceremony.  It progresses more as the day goes along and the reception runs its course.  The goal is to try to start the day with little stress so that the images are emotional and personality-filled all day long.  As a Wedding Photographer, I love the events where the bride and groom are not reserved and stressed out when I first meet them.  With the right Wedding plan you can be one of those brides and grooms.

Hope this helps you visualize your stress-free Wedding Day.  Please visit my Wedding Photography website at Paul Retherford Wedding Photography