Happiful October 2019

1 PLAN A MOMENT FOR YOURSELF
No matter what kind of wedding
you have planned, you’re bound
to have a busy day ahead of you.
Build-in time for yourself in the
morning, before the hustle and
bustle begins. Take this moment to
reflect, breathe, and enjoy.
2 BREATHE
Mindful breathing exercises can help
to not only quieten your mind, but
help you feel more grounded and
calm while refocusing your energy.
Take a moment to pause; inhale
deeply for three seconds. Hold for
six. Breathe out for eight. Repeat.
3 EAT SMART
Being mindful of what you eat
ahead of your ceremony can help
you to feel calmer. Make sure you
have enough B and C vitamins
by incorporating bananas, dairy
products, oranges, or tomatoes
in your breakfast, which can
help decrease stress levels while
boosting your energy. Or, try eating
whole grains or Brazil nuts, which
can help reduce anxiety and relax
your muscles.
If you’re concerned nerves may
have an impact, share breakfast
with your wedding party. This
can help you to feel more present
in the moment, while creating
memories together.
4 TAKE A STEP BACK
Let someone else be in charge on
the day. The last thing you want
is to be worrying if the seating
plan has been laid out perfectly,
the centrepieces are just right, or
whether the officiant is running
behind schedule. Designate one
(or more) people to take charge of
different aspects of your day, and
make it clear to your venue and
vendors who to speak to. Setting
these boundaries will allow you to
focus your attention elsewhere.
5 FORGET PERFECT
You can’t control every little detail.
Perfection is out of your hands –
and is highly overrated. It’s those
little unexpected moments of
humour, emotion, and beauty that
will create memories that will
stay with you for years to come. Is
anyone really going to remember
if your main was served mediumwell-done
instead of mediumrare?
By letting go of your need
for perfection, and forgetting the
what-ifs, you can begin focusing
on – and savouring – each moment
as it comes.
Take a moment to
reflect, breathe,
and enjoy
6 MAKE TIME TO BE TOGETHER
Once the ceremony itself is over,
many couples face hours of photos
and food before the evening
festivities kick off; that can be a
long time to have all eyes on you.
Catching a few moments for just
the two of you can help you to
connect, savour the moment, and
bask in each other’s company.
While it can be tempting to split
up to cover more groups of friends
and family during the reception,
time will fly by quicker than you
may realise. Ensure you spend
time celebrating together, rather
than trying to please everyone else.
7 UNPLUG
Leave your phone at home, in
your bag, or safely in the hands
of a member of your wedding
party for the day. Being more
than an arm’s-length away from
our phones can sound daunting,
but ask yourself: do you really
need it? If someone needs to get
in contact, designate a member
of your wedding party who will
keep their phone on them, and
save updating your marital status
for the next day.
8 PLAY THE 5-4-3-2-1 GAME
Focus on five things you can see,
four you can feel, three you can
hear, two you can smell, and
one thing you can taste. This
helps recentre and ground you,
breaking any negative thought
patterns that may be making you
feel anxious on the day. It can
also help you pick up on some
of the small details you may
otherwise overlook, cementing
them in your memory, and
allowing you to enjoy the little
details.
9 REMEMBER YOUR WHY
Remind yourself what your
wedding is all about: getting
married is a new step in your
relationship. No matter what may
happen on your special day, you
will have countless more moments
to share, and memories to create
together, still to come.
For more advice on protecting your
wellbeing while wedding planning,
and how to beat pre-wedding anxiety,
visit happiful.com
October 2019 • happiful.com • 83