When you engage your first wedding planner, you should feel a sigh of relief because they will now do all the heavy lifting for you. Your job now is to coordinate with the wedding planner to make sure everything is on track.

Ironically, you will probably feel just the opposite–even more anxious about how things will work out on your wedding day. Your mind will come up with many more things to fret over. 

Now, here’s the thing–this is your special day and if you’re not happy about it, then you’re missing the whole point. Don’t set yourself up by thinking that you’ll be happy during the event or after it. You’re most likely to continue to feel anxious both during and after the big day.

You need to enjoy the entire process–before, during, and after. 

So, how do you switch gears? How do you go from being highly stressed about how things will work out to feeling optimistic and enjoying the whole idea of getting married? Learn to de-stress now rather than aim to calm down in the future. 

Here are some ideas on how to feel cool, calm, and collected about the whole adventure.

Take on Fun Projects

Think about doing novel and exciting things. For instance, you could learn how to make the best French press coffee, tell better stories, or learn how to juggle. 

No doubt you can come up with a long list of things you wish you could do well, but never took the time to learn how to do them. Pick some fun projects. Since you don’t know how to do them, they will engage you long enough for you to take your mind off micromanaging the details of your wedding. Consider activities that spark your curiosity or bring you joy, like painting, baking, or learning a musical instrument. These pursuits can serve as a fulfilling distraction and help you decompress from the stress of decision-making, whether it’s selecting the perfect centerpiece or planning a dry wedding. Embracing new challenges not only keeps your mind occupied but also adds a sense of accomplishment to your journey.

Take up Journaling 

Most people don’t journal because they don’t have the time to do it. But that’s not a valid reason, because everyone spends some time doing things that they don’t need to do at all. The real reason people don’t journal is that they don’t understand the benefits that they are missing out on by not increasing their self-awareness. 

If you don’t journal or you don’t journal much because you’re preoccupied with other things, it might be fun to start journaling or spend more time doing it.

The best way of thinking about the benefits of journaling is to compare it to the pleasure you get from having a heart-to-heart conversation, perhaps spending quality time with your best friend over a cup of coffee, talking about what’s going on in your life. 

Conversing with your best friend is something that you thoroughly enjoy because it brings you much more clarity about everything that is happening in your life. You can also talk to somebody who understands you well and listens carefully to everything you have to say. 

Journaling will help you increase your focus, express your innermost desires, and figure out how to stop doing what’s not working and double down on what is working. 

Journaling will reduce your stress about all the things that bother you which you have suppressed because you didn’t want to acknowledge your feelings. When you write about all the things that upset you, they magically stop seeming problematic. Many simple solutions might occur to you. 

Enjoy the Journey

There are many more ways of getting de-stressed other than distracting yourself with something interesting or reclaiming a sense of perspective through journaling. You could, for example, spend more quality time with people you love, go for long evening walks, exercise more often, or take up yoga and meditation. 

When you disengage from worrying about how things will work out during your wedding day, you’ll notice something quite remarkable– everything will work out far better for you than you had imagined because you’ll be in a calm state of mind and effortlessly make the right decisions.  This clarity allows you to truly savor each moment, soaking in the joy and love that surrounds you on your special day. When you remain calm before your wedding, you create space for spontaneity, connection, and genuine happiness to flourish. Embracing this mindset helps you focus on what truly matters—celebrating your union and the beginning of a beautiful chapter with your partner.