Wednesday, May 12, 2010

How To Feign Cool Under Wedding Planning Stress

I can hardly believe it, but today is our one month mark until the wedding!

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And I'm sure only insanity is to follow! I've re-done my 'to do' calendar, updated my lists, added making more lists to my lists, and am constantly thinking of one more little detail that needs to get done in the next month.

The closer we get to the wedding, the little inconveniences like late RSVPers adding a guest, packages of supplies not arriving on time, and people reminding me how close it's getting to the wedding are becoming more and more frustrating.

But all in all, I feel like I'm handling the stress pretty well. I come off as one calm, cool, and collected bride....at least to most of my coworkers and friends!

I'm usually the type of person who thrives under deadlines and pressure at work, but for a while there the wedding planning was really getting to me, as evidenced by a constant barrage of bad dreams. But after making my contingency plans list, and actually giving myself time to freak out, I'm now more in a constant state of anticipation, instead of constantly stressed.

That's right, I've been allowing myself to have mini freak outs about the wedding!

Instead of bottling up my stress, or letting it take over every minute of my life, I've found that giving myself some time each day to get it out of my system has really done wonders! And I have the perfect time for it too, on my 45 minute drive home from work.

Every night while driving home, I go over lists in my mind, sweat a little, design our last few projects in my head, freak out about the details still left, and talk to myself. I even call myself and leave voicemails with things that need to be added to one list or another. I'm sure I look crazy to other drivers on the road, but giving myself this time to get it all out is really important. And because I'm allowing myself this time, I walk in the door and greet Mr. Cola in a much better, less stressed mood. And it doesn't hurt that he offers to pour me a glass of wine while I change out of my work clothes either!

So if you're feeling stressed out about wedding planning, maybe try setting some time aside for yourself, and just let it all out. It's worth a try!

What methods work for you to relieve wedding stress?

5 comments:

  1. I think you’ve got the right attitude! We’ve got 23 days to go, and I’ve also been pretty calm and collected throughout the process, although I’ve had my small meltdowns, too. For me, talking with my mom really helps, as does writing about whatever is bothering me. When I recently blogged about my gown drama (alterations not being complete until a week before the wedding!), the support and advice I got from fellow bloggers was fantastic and really helped me calm down.

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  2. I like your plan! We all need time to get it out of our systems when things don't go according to plan, and sounds like you found a great solution. We are still a little far away from the actual wedding so not yet stressing enough for breakdowns. I did have several when we were looking for a venue last year though!

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  3. Oh my gosh, do I ever need some de-stress tips right now! With less than six months to go, I just found out on Monday that the bridal store never really ordered my dress. This week has been one of the most stressful ones ever for me, but I think it's going to work out. Full post coming tomorrow.

    Congrats on one month, by the way!

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  4. OMG @PartyPlannerGal, I'm so sorry to hear about your dress troubles! I would be livid, especially when you had to drive so far out of your way to try on the dress in the first place! I really hope it's all going to work out, 6 months should still be enough time! Let me know if you want to meet for a drink sometime after work to vent!

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  5. I think it's going to be OK, but at this point I'm having to put a lot of faith in a lot of different people. I'd LOVE to meet up for a drink. Let me take a look at my work schedule for next week and I'll email you :)

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