There are essentially five things you can do to avoid wedding stress and trust me, as a recent bride, I should have followed them!

1. Don't sweat the small stuff!
The thing that you have to remember is that weddings are a lot like life, they are beautiful and memorable but they are a lot of hard work and filled with mishaps. The weather may not cooperate (Ask ME about that! June 10th, 52 degrees and rain....how's that for hitting a snag!?!), your DJ may not call you back, your wedding date may be taken, there are so many things that can and will go wrong with everything from the planning up to the big day. Just remember that the wedding is to celebrate the love of you and your husband. Don't sweat it!

2. Don't blow the budget!
If you are trying to buy a home and plan a wedding you know that money is tight. Create a strict budget and stick to it. There will be nothing worse than getting home from your honeymoon to a stack of bills to pay off the wedding that you just broke the bank on. You can have an amazing wedding within your budget. Money is the root of a lot of wedding associated stress and it's one of the easiest things to control.

3. Give yourself time!
Time will fly when you are planning the wedding. You will meet with caterers, photographers, florists, DJ's, etc, etc, etc. Make sure to plan far enough in advance that you can easily get everything done on time without stressing yourself out. Starting to plan at least a year in advance will give you plenty of time to get everything nailed down without rushing and stressing.

4. Choose your wedding party wisely!
This is a BIG one. Your bridesmaids (most importantly your maid of honor) will be by your side through the whole wedding process. Are you having a hard time choosing between two friends as your maid of honor? Is one of them a drama queen who loves all the attention? Don't pick her! You need someone who will be calm and level headed and can ease your stress, listen to you and comfort you while you are going through the wedding.

This last one is the most important and if you do nothing else make sure to at least do this!
5. Spend time with your future husband!
Our wedding planning and big day flew by so quickly that I barely remember being there. Between all the photographs, toasts, cake cutting, dances, etc. I didn't get a moment alone with my husband until the very end of the reception but, I was glad that I did. We sat out in the rain on a swing and just smiled at each other. It made me realize why I married him and what the year of planning had been all about.

There is no need to get stressed out over planning a wedding. Sure, we all want things to go off without a hitch but, chances are, that's not going to happen. Face the fact that you will hit snags but your wedding will still be beautiful and you will have an amazingly beautiful, stress free, wedding!

Enjoy each beautiful bloom!

Learn more about this author, Felicity Flowers.
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