The day you get married is one of the biggest events of your life. A lot of planning goes into your big day, and you might start to feel a little overwhelmed in the days leading up to your wedding. It’s important to give yourself time to wrap your head around all the changes being married will bring to your life, as well as prepare for the practical things that need to happen on the day.
It might be a smart move to actively take steps to mentally prepare yourself for your wedding to make sure you are the calm, radiant bride you want to be on your dream day. Here are five ways to get yourself in the right frame of mind:
Expect to feel emotional
Unless you are the Ice Princess, you will experience strong emotions. You are taking a huge step! If you know to expect it, you will feel more in control. Remind yourself why you are doing this, how much you love your partner and how excited you are to get married. Other factors might come into play, like close family that can’t be there, which can also turn on the waterworks. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Emotions are healthy and as long as you know it’s normal, you can instead choose to be grateful for the joy and happiness coming your way.
Things will go wrong
Without trying to sound like doomsday prophets, we can almost certainly guarantee some things will go wrong. It’s Murphy’s Law, and no one is above it. However, that doesn’t mean your day is ruined. There is always a plan to be made! Trust your bridesmaids to get creative, and try not to worry too much over things you can’t change, like the weather.
Your partner is nervous too
Believe it or not, your partner probably feels just as nervous as you. Try to be encouraging and supportive. After all, you’re in this together! A sweet note before the ceremony or a tight hug when you see them at the altar will help reaffirm them. Focusing on your loved one will also help to forget your own nerves.
Double check the arrangements
To help put your mind at ease, try to double check all the arrangements at least two or three days before the wedding. If you have a wedding planner, check in with them, and then leave the rest up to them. If you planned the wedding yourself, go over everything with your maid of honour/mother/mother-in-law so you have someone else’s input and guidance and to make sure they know what needs to fall in place. This is not the time to “play it by ear”.
Your bridesmaids are only doing their best
The last important thing to keep in mind is that everyone is there to help you make your dream come true. They are all doing the best they can and they are only human. Turning into ‘Bridezilla’ will just make them nervous too and will keep everyone from enjoying the special event. Rather let them know how much you appreciate all their hard work, support and help!
Also read: How to keep calm on your wedding day
Image: Pixabay
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A surprise proposal, a public proposal, a quiet and intimate proposal. All considered extremely romantic. But, you almost never see people talking about mutual proposals while gushing about how romantic it is. We’re here to tell you they can be just as great.
A mutual proposal is exactly what it’s name suggests. Both people propose to each other. Getting engaged is a choice; a choice made by both parties involved. So why not have both parties be involved in the proposal too!
Take Love is Blind couple Giannina and Damian for example. While Damian was unaware the proposal would be mutual, he was tearful with joy as Giannina proposed in return. This is one of the best pro’s of a mutual proposal – both parties get to feel adored, special, loved and wanted. What could be more romantic than that?
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Another reason couples are choosing to go the mutual proposal route is because of the greater meaning of equality. More and more, people are shedding the expectations that come with being a certain gender.
“Couples we’re seeing who are doing mutual proposals really want to be equal partners in every way, and don’t subscribe to heteronormative, socially prescribed gender roles,” said Kirsten Palladino, editor of Equally Wed magazine, to the Guardian.
On top of all of this, proposing can be a huge source of anxiety! You want it go be perfect, so you put extreme pressure on yourself to ensure everything run’s smoothly. If both parties are in on the proposal, this stress is significantly decreased. This means the proposal will be much more enjoyable.
While a mutual proposal may seem as though it takes some romance out of the equation, we beg to differ. It actually prolongs the proposal period, which means more romance. Everything that one partner usually does alone, can be done side-by-side. Choosing a ring, planning the day, making dinner reservations, you name it.
If you really want to surprise your partner, but still want a mutual proposal there’s a way around it! Each partner can take one half of the day to carry out their proposal plans. This way the plans are a surprise, but the proposal remains mutual.
If you’re not yet convinced about how great they can be, check out these real life mutual proposals. They’ll definitely change your mind:
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Image: Instagram / proposetoo
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If you’ve ever wanted to get married in the bush, then you’re lucky to call Africa your home. Say “I do” with a pair of elephants as your witnesses, or ask a giraffe for a post-ceremony selfie. Surrounded by nature and potentially some wild animals, here are a few wedding venue ideas for your bush wedding inspiration.
Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya
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Khaya Ndlovu Manor House, Hoedspruit, Limpopo
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, Oudtshoorn, Western Cape
Kuthaba Bush Lodge Wedding Venue, Limpopo
Monate Game lodge, Limpopo
Lake Eland Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
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Geelhoutkloof, Eastern Cape
Having your wedding in the bush will be an experience unlike any other. No matter the time of year, the bush is guaranteed to bring you epic post-wedding photos and an extremely beautiful wedding venue. Guests who have never been to the bushveld will hold this special memory in their heart for a long time. There really is no place on earth like Africa’s wild terrain.
Image: Instagram
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The engagement-moon is a new trend worth participating in, and we have Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to thank for it. This trend is ensuring couples are stress-free throughout their wedding planning process, while allowing them to celebrate their recent engagements at the same time!
We know millennials love to jump on board with any trend that comes their way, but this one – with more than 16 000 hashtags on instagram – is really taking off.
Essentially, it’s a pre-wedding, post-“yes i’ll marry you” honeymoon. As if you needed a reason to take a vacation, right?
The time away will give you an opportunity to celebrate, and will allow you to take a step away from the stress of wedding planning. You’ll also get some quality time together to discuss things about the wedding without the opinions of anyone outside of the relationship!
It seems that most couples take the engagement-moon just before they start their wedding planning. However, it could be a good idea to plan for the getaway to be halfway between the time you said yes and the date of your wedding. This is perfect for a mid-planning breather.
Megan Velz of DestinationWeddings.com told Brides that the marriage is about the couple so they should go off on a pre-wedding getaway to “put a cherry on top of their love”.
“Couples love to celebrate their soon-to-be-nuptials, and while an engagement party is often the first thought, we’re seeing more couples jet off to celebrate the big moment with an engagement-moon,” says Velez.
“An engagement-moon allows the couple to decompress while enjoying some one-on-one time, and it keeps your budget in check by avoiding the costs of a lavish engagement party,” she added.
Relais & Châteaux (a resort in Quebec) has capitalized on this trend by hosting engagement-moon weekends. Julia Broulillard, the resort’s groups and events co-ordinator told Brides that they expect the trend to become as popular as baby-moons. “Couples often get inundated with all the details of planning their wedding, and many feel like the wedding day itself is a blur and goes by too quickly,” she said.
Image: Unsplash