Disney Bride Bianca is planning a Disneyland wedding at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel for 2019.
Hi, I’m Bianca and I’m a stressed out bride. You might be wondering how a self professed stressed out bride can give tips for smooth sailing up to and during your wedding, but read on and hopefully I’ll convince you!
During the course of our engagement and planning, we’ve had some serious life changing events come up including the death of my fiance’s father the day before our planning session. We encountered blow back from family and guests alike. There have been moments I’ve wondered if this was all worth it because I thought this was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life!
As with most big events in life, there is usually some amount of stress to be expected. Unfortunately weddings can bring out the worst in people, even those you’d least expect it from. Sometimes stressors like budget, guest list and travel can get really overwhelming and I found that a few things have helped me to cope a bit better when we’ve hit bumps in the road.
8 Important Tips for Wedding Planning from a Stressed-Out Bride
1. Log Off!
Log off wedding websites, Pinterest or other internet sites for a day or so. I found myself comparing my wedding day to the perfectly edited images I saw online and got discouraged. Logging off, unsubscribing, and looking at real weddings helped me feel more in control.
2. Wedding-Free Weekends
Much like logging off, take a weekend a month to put any planning on pause. If you are close to your date this might not be possible, but if it is a possibility, take a break and step back. If you and your partner take trips, perhaps find new places to go and venture out from Disney or where your venue will be. Put your planning guides and magazines away for a little bit.
3. Get Back to Basics
Enjoy some time (maybe your wedding free weekend?) with your partner just being together without wedding talk. Date nights out or in remembering why you and your partner want to be in it for the long haul are a great way to bring it all back to perspective.
4. Find a Non-Wedding Hobby
I got really caught up in planning and I knew I needed something else to focus on that would bring my stress levels down. Of course there are a million great things you can find to do—meditating or yoga, charity work, a new craft, getting involved with your place of worship. Get your partner involved, but keep it wedding free for the duration of your new hobby. I started to redecorate and do some work on our house and it felt really good to get out of my head and use my hands!
5. Remember, You Can’t Please Everyone
Unfortunately not everyone will be thrilled with your DFTW. That’s really a shame, because Disney weddings are incredible! The thing is, everyone has an opinion on everything and sometimes they think it’s appropriate to share it, even if it isn’t kind or constructive. This is a great time to get comfortable with boundaries.
Let others know that if they can’t come (for any reason!) you’ll miss them and it would be great if they can make it, but you understand it might not be possible for everyone to come. This is one of the harder parts of planning—hearing “no’s” from people you thought were a sure thing.
If nosey questions get you down, leave your answers short and simple and veer the conversation in another direction. Some days I had to tell my mom I just couldn’t have a wedding talk with her that day and she was understanding.
This is the day for you and your beloved, so do what will make you both happy. Your guests might not notice a lot of the little details you fretted over for months like finding the perfectly matching colors, specialty linens or your unique favors. Just remember this day is for the two of you.
6. Trust Your Team
Your planners and bridal party are great resources. If you don’t have a bridal party, your planners are still just as trustworthy and invested in giving you your best day.
Throughout the time we’ve been planning, our team of planners has been amazing. They were very understanding when things came up and we had to make changes. I felt so lucky to have them and I trust that Disney Fairy Tale Weddings will do it’s very best to make my day beautiful not only for me, but because Disney has a reputation for quality. I trust them and I trust my bridal party for their honest opinions when I need them, help in planning and being a shoulder to cry on if need be.
7. Delegate!
Asking for help is one of the easiest ways to bring down the stress for your day. Even small tasks can be given to friends or family; give yourself time and space to take it all in! Ask your partner to give you support and reassurance when you start to feel anxious.
8. Some Things Won’t Go As Planned
Every bride has at least one blip on the radar. For the most part, it’s something small and they hardly noticed the day of or it just didn’t matter. Just know there might be a few hiccups, but you’re marrying your dearest friend and that’s the most important part of the day. Trust your team to tackle any issues and designate someone to handle the little things.
Plan as best you can and then as a queen once said, let it go!
