“A woman whose behaviour in planning the details of her wedding is regarded as obsessive or intolerably demanding”
You’d sworn to not be that bride. Instead, you want to be calm and collected on your big day. Unfortunately, stress is part and parcel of wedding planning. For an event as big as a wedding ceremony, there are sure to be mini hiccups or disagreements along the way. However, being a grumpy bridezilla isn’t a must at all. Here are some tips and tricks to help us control and minimise our bridezilla tendencies.
Things can go wrong, that is life
Maybe the venue you shortlisted a while ago is no longer available, or some guests can’t make it at the last minute. The list of “things that could go wrong” is endless and pretty demoralising. Sorry Forrest Gump, but life isn’t always a box of chocolates, sometimes it just sucks and that’s completely normal. So, there’s really no point in getting overly worked up when things take a turn for the worst. Have contingency plans and backups in place. That way, when trouble crops up, you are better prepared to handle them.
Utilise the 24-hour rule
Do you have a wedding planner who can’t fit certain requirements due to budget or time constraints? Or a bridesmaid who didn’t appear to be as enthusiastic about the bridesmaid dress? Immediately sending them a text or email is all well and good but sometimes, the tone of our message gets misconstrued. When you re-read the message later, it may not be as it first appeared. Rather than having to apologise for being a bit of a bridezilla, it’ll be better to take a step back and reply when you’re calmer and more collected. Namaste, people.
Keep a close eye on the budget
The shortest route to being a bridezilla starts with a small ball of stress that goes unresolved. Over time, this small ball of stress gains momentum and before you know it, becomes unmanageable. One of the biggest contributing factors to this is the mismanagement of one’s wedding budget. Remember to keep your partner involved in your plans and be prepared to make some compromises in order to keep within your budget.
Give yourself a day off
Take a break from all the planning once in a while. We know it may sound counter-productive but hear us out. Taking the time to recharge our batteries is crucial. We don’t want to end up feeling dread when planning our own wedding and start to feel guilty thereafter. Go through your list of hobbies. Take a stroll in the nearby park, head out for a yoga session, watch a Netflix series (we recommend Queer Eye, by the way, just saying!).
Don’t take it too seriously, just have fun
Okay, it may sound like a no-brainer but remember to have fun! Right from the moment you get up, decide that you will enjoy the day, no matter what. That’s right, even if the napkin holders are stainless steel instead of the brushed steel that you were sure you’d ordered, or if the cake looks like a precursor to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You’re not likely to remember all the tiny details over the years but you’re sure to remember the feelings that the wedding day evoked. Make it a day worth remembering.
Comparison is the thief of joy
Don’t worry, we get it. It’s so so tempting to open a social media app, scroll through a few posts and start comparing it to our reality. Chances are, whatever it is you are seeing isn’t exactly their reality either. Even if it is, this is about your wedding, right? A wedding celebration reflects the ideas and preferences of the individuals involved. At the end of the day, celebrating a major life milestone with your close ones is what really matters. Give yourself personal affirmations aplenty, take a deep breath and bask in the glory of your big day. It’s not always that we are presented with the chance to take centre stage so, let’s enjoy it to the fullest!
When you are a bride-to-be, it can seem like the world revolves around your upcoming wedding. The pressure of planning for this happy event is often what makes people go from being excited about their big day to trying too hard and becoming less than pleasant in an effort to make everything perfect. Take our quiz here and find out how much of a bridezilla you are!
