When I think about my future wedding, I'm filled with both excitement and, quite honestly, premature stress. Being a bride is one of the most glorious and enchanting times in a woman’s life, yet it can also be one of the most stressful times as well. Although it is a time that she has dreamt of since a very young age, the reality of being a bride can be kind of tough too. Stress management in times such as these can seem unreachable to say the least. Modern day brides often are working full-time jobs and performing lots of demanding day-to-day duties. We have even seen lots of brides planning their wedding while in graduate school or while in the process of buying a house. Talk about stressful! Today we want to remind our beloved brides that stress management is an option when planning a wedding! We're here to help you master the skills necessary to master wedding stress management. 

Mastering Wedding Stress Management

After the initial surprise and excitement of the proposal has worn off and the wedding planning begins, things can quickly snowball into a stressful endeavor. We understand that there are so many decisions to make regarding colors, décor, flowers, seating charts, and a thousand other things that most brides cannot find time for themselves. Many brides don’t eat properly or practice proper skincare while planning their wedding simply because they are just too busy. It is important to remind yourself during times like these that you can utilize stress management in lots of viable ways. Not only are these ways viable, they are also enjoyable! 

One way to master stress management while planning your wedding is to make time for yourself. I have a list of relaxing, refreshing, and rejuvenating activities to do to best manage your stress. One of the best ways to manage your stress levels is to take time to pamper yourself and your skin. Not only will you feel relaxed, you will also be helping your skin look healthy and glowing for your wedding day! 

If you had to choose one day to have perfect skin and a beautiful glow, I am sure that you would choose your wedding day. After all, it will be the most photographed day of your life, so having a clear complexion with a warm glow is very important.

Here are some of my tips for both wedding stress management and getting that wedding day glow! 

Stress Management Basic: Start Early - Good Skincare Habits Don’t Give You Perfect Skin Overnight

Skincare experts everywhere recommend that you implement a pre-wedding skincare regimen at least one year before the wedding. Follow these easy steps and you will see a change in your skin over time.

• Wash your face every night before going to bed.
• Apply a moisturizing cream to ensure your skin is properly hydrated.
• Don’t forget to treat your neck and hands as well. They will be in the photos, too!
• Wash or rinse your face again in the morning and apply a day time cream--be sure that it has SPF in it! 
• Apply a rejuvenating mask once a week.
• Exfoliate your skin from time to time to remove dead skin cells and reveal younger and fresher looking skin.
• Maintain or decrease your stress levels. You would be surprised to know how much impact your stress levels can have on your skin, especially your face. 
• Cut out smoking – this destroys and ages your skin quickly.
• Limit alcohol intake. Trust me we know that sometimes a glass of wine is needed to help relieve some tension. Just make sure to cut out late night partying with a lot of drinking. Alcohol dehydrates you and your skin will pay the price. 

Maintain Your Glow – It Takes A Little Work To See Results

While we would love to say that you can follow these simply steps for a few days or a few weeks and have healthy glowing skin forever, it just isn’t true. The key to looking and feeling youthful is continuing proper skincare treatments along with managing stress. Crows feet are inevitable but can be delayed so keep it up, brides; beauty is yours to have forever!

• Continue your daily washing and hydration treatments.
• Schedule an appointment with a dermatologist or esthetician to get to the root of skin problems.
• Pamper yourself with a facial at a local spa (or check out at home do-it-yourself treatments you can try if you're short on cash).
• Have deep set wrinkles? Schedule a consultation for Botox but make sure you do this months before the wedding so if you have a bad reaction there is time for it to wear off before the wedding).
• Get your teeth whitened.

Embody a Peaceful Mind – Take Time To Pamper Your Mind and Soul Too

This may be one of the hardest things to do because we are so busy today but there are a few good and simple things you can implement that will help keep your peace.

• Turn the radio off on the drive home from work. This will free your mind of noise and allow a gentle relaxation. Too much noise and chaos in the world adds to our stress and frustrations.
• Take a hot bath surrounded by beautiful flickering candles.
• Find a craft that you like and do it weekly with your friends or family. This will free your mind of the stressful thoughts about work and schedules.
• Put down your cell phone. Stop obsessing over social media images and what everyone else is doing. 
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Drink plenty of water.

Check out The Bride’s Ultimate Guide to Tackling Wedding Stress for more ideas to keep you from losing your mind. 

Do-It-Yourself Ideas – Not A Spa Kind of Bride? Get Flawless Skin At Home!

We know that not everyone can afford or wants to go to a spa to be pampered, so we want to share some at home remedies and regimes you can implement yourself. 

At Home Facial – Experts recommend getting a facial every 4-6 weeks which can impact your bank account quickly. Not a fan of the spa treatments or cost? Try these tips for a do-it-yourself facial.

• Cleanse your skin twice to remove makeup and dirt and provide a clean slate so the products can penetrate the deep layers of your skin. Use lukewarm water, not hot or cold as it can harmful to your skin. Cleanse in an upward circular motion with your middle and ring fingers. This helps to stimulate muscles and give a lifted and tone appearance. 
• Exfoliate!. This helps to even out your skin tone and refine your pores while smoothing out the wrinkles and lines. Apply a dime sized amount of scrub using upward circular motions with light pressure for 60 – 90 seconds. 
• Steam! The easiest way to do this is to simply boil some water in a pot, take a towel, and drape it over your head. Slowly lean over the pot so your face is over the steam. Be careful to not get too close, it should feel warm not hot. Steam for 10 – 15 minutes.
• Apply a mask! All skin needs hydration and rejuvenation and sometimes your daily routine cannot provide enough. There are many over the counter masks you can purchase and apply yourself.
• Whiten your teeth! Oh, do we punish our teeth, and yes professional teeth whitening is expensive so try these steps to whiter teeth:

1. Mix baking soda and coconut oil into a paste, using a 1-to-1 ratio.
2. Start brushing.
3. Let the paste stand for approximately 60 seconds then rinse.
4. Repeat a few times a week until desired results are achieved.
5. Avoid drinking beverages such as red wine, dark colas, ice tea etc. These stain your teeth.

Being a bride is a blissful and memorable experience and we hope that every moment of it brings you tremendous joy. We want to remind all brides that the most important part of the wedding is to stay true to you. You still have a life to live, a fiancé to love and enjoy, a job to go to, and tons of other responsibilities. Wedding stress management can seem unobtainable at times, but whatever you can work into your schedule and budget to pamper yourself and your partner will be well deserved and appreciated, remember that! 

Let's Chat

What are some the ways that you utilize stress management throughout your wedding planning process? We'd love to hear some of your tried and true tips!