What does wedding planning look like when you have anxiety? Well, it actually looks pretty much the same. Only, you overthink everything and it feels like making decisions is twice as hard. Thankfully, there are some really great tools available to help make things easier and as stress and anxiety free as possible.
When I got engaged in April of 2022 it was the most exciting moment of my life and I couldn’t wait to be married to my fiancé. We had eighteen months to plan our perfect wedding and while that was exciting, it was also a little daunting.
I was never one of those girls who had dreamt of their wedding day since they were a child. I also knew that because of my anxiety I didn’t want a big wedding. Something that was on the smaller scale with just close friends and family felt more like me.
Trying to figure out what we wanted our wedding to look like wasn’t actually that hard. The hardest part was figuring out where we needed to start beyond that.
Thank goodness for the best wedding planner because I would have been LOST without it. I had no idea what the first step in planning a wedding was supposed to be and this book helped me to do that.
Included in the book were checklists and worksheets that helped my fiancé and I identify what sort of budget we were looking at, what kind of vision we had for the wedding, and literally everything else in between.
This book was not only a life saver for wedding planning, but it also helped keep me on track and level headed so I didn’t get overwhelmed by all that we had to do.
Helpful Apps
There are plenty of wedding planning websites out there to help aid you in planning your big day.
The two that I found to be the most helpful (and are also apps) were: Zola, and The Knot. Both are great multipurpose apps that allow you to do a wide variety of things.
Zazzle is great for any stationary needs you have like wedding invites and thank you notes. Zazzle also frequently runs promotions so you’re never paying top dollar for what you need.
Note: The links listed above for Zola, The Knot and Zazzle are not affiliate links. They will just direct you to their website.
Zola & The Knot offer:
- Wedding checklist
- Guest list
- Vendors section to help you find venues, photographers, DJ’s, caterers, beauty artists, etc.
- Wedding registry
- Wedding website
- Save the Dates & Wedding Invitations & more (and free samples! Yay!)
Zazzle offers:
- Save the Dates
- Wedding invitations
- Wedding Banners or Posters
- Menus
- Thank you cards
- So much more!
These apps are like digital versions of the wedding planner book which makes them handy because you can have them on the go instead of carrying around the book with you.
For myself, while I really liked using the app, I preferred to have a physical book on hand where I can scribble notes and comments.
I used each app, and the book, for different things, so you really can’t go wrong if you decide to have all three.
Make a list & check it twice… or three times… or four times
Not only was the wedding planner extremely helpful in easing the wedding planning anxiety, but so were the many, many, many, lists I complied. I love my lists and I love my organization.
Whether it came down to finding the right dress, venue, photographer, DJ, etc. I had a list for it. I kept hand written lists in a specific notebook, spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel, and documents in Microsoft Word.
I kept a record of all possible contenders, their prices, and what was included in their services. I compared each of them to one another and against our budget to find the right fit for us.
If you’re a list person, having a notebook strictly for you wedding planning endeavors is a good way to go. It’ll help you keep organized and you can always add or remove from it.
Find support
Planning a wedding is no small feat and having a support system around me made a huge difference in how I handled the stress and anxiety of it all.
I leaned heavily on my parents and my maid of honor for support and a boost of morale when I needed it. Any time I began to feel overwhelmed, or if my brain was running a mile a minute, they were there to help ground me.
My friends and family were always there when I just needed to rant, or cry, or bounce ideas off of them. They helped me stay focused on the things that mattered and set aside the things that didn’t.
Without them, this entire journey would have been far more stressful.
Take a break
Far more goes into planning a wedding than I realized and it took a toll on me mentally and physically.
There were plenty of times when I had to put things on the back burner and walk away from them completely because I found myself getting more agitated or upset than was necessary.
Allowing myself to take a step away and take a break helped me relax and gave me clarity about things that were once causing so much turmoil.
Don’t run yourself ragged. Everything will work out and all the things that need doing will get done.
The big day
The countdown is ON! We’re actually just over two weeks away (16 days) from the big day and the stress is real.
I’ve been sticking to my timeline in my wedding planner book and I’ve got all of my lists handy to keep me on track and to keep things flowing. I wrote out all the rest of the things that need to be accomplished and I assigned specific dates to them so I don’t get overwhelmed by the entirety of it.
My mom has been on speed-dial and we talk just about every day. Sometimes it’s wedding related and sometimes it’s not. She always knows when and when not to bring up wedding things so I don’t get all wigged out.
I’ve also been making sure I have enough down time where I’m not dwelling on every tiny detail about the wedding.
Planning a wedding is already stressful enough, but when you have anxiety it can feel even more stressful.
Do your best to keep organized, whether that’s with a wedding planner or lists upon lists upon lists (or both), and don’t forget to take breaks. Surround yourself with people who can support you in times of stress or overwhelmingness, and who can help keep you grounded.
Also, definitely don’t forget to allow yourself to have fun and enjoy the process. Getting married is such an exciting thing and I think it’s easy to forget that when our heads are filled to the brim with everything we have to accomplish.
Have fun & happy wedding planning!
With Love & Support,
Molly.
