New Year's Resolutions for Brides

Resolve to Make Your Wedding Planning Less Stressful

Oct 24, 2007 Naomi Rockler-Gladen

You're getting married this year-- now there's something to toast! Here are some New Year's resolutions for brides to help make your lives a little easier.

If you're planning a wedding and are about to get married, you know this is going to be an unforgettable year-- and probably a stressful one at times! So why not take a moment to make some New Year's resolutions to make your wedding planning less stressful? Lots of brides make resolutions to lose weight so they can look better in that gown, and while there's nothing wrong with that, other resolutions can be helpful as well.

Here are some New Year's resolution suggestions for brides-to-be! Choose the ones on the list that are the most helpful.

1. Don't be a Bridezilla. It's easy to get caught up in all the planning and the fantasy of an ideal wedding, and sometimes a bride can forget for a second that she's not a princess. Be kind to everyone who helps you with your wedding and try not to lose your temper if things go wrong.. This relates to the second resolution on this list, which is:
2. Accept that everything won't be perfect. Perfection is impossible, as something always goes wrong when you're planning a big event like this. The image in the magazines of a bride's flawless wedding day is a myth. Accept this, and you'll feel much less stressed and enjoy your wonderful, although not perfect, wedding. This goes for your body image too! If you're heavier than you want to be or your skin is blotchy, so what?
3. Resolve not to do all the wedding planning. Brides seem to get stuck with all the phone calls and trips to the flower shop and all of those other tasks. You don't have time for that, girl! Make sure your fiance understands that this is both of your responsibility. And don't' be afraid to delegate. Asking your friends and family to help you with tasks isn't being a Bridezilla-- it's smart planning (as long as you ask nicely, of course).
4. Stick to a reasonable budget. The bridal industry is a money pit, and you're going to be dealing with an awful lot of people who want to sucker you into buying stuff you really don't need. Resolve to think twice about added expenses.
5. Create a wedding planning schedule (if schedules don't make you crazy). If you're the kind of person who works better with detailed to-do lists, then make yourself one, complete with deadlines, and resolve to stick to your schedule. However, if to-do lists make your feel more stressed out instead of less, this might not be the best strategy.
6. Resolve to send your thank-you notes in a timely manner. Wedding etiquette isn't nearly as strict as it used to be, but this is one rule you have to follow or you'll have hurt feelings. Simplify this process with a system. As you start to receive gifts, make a master list of who sent what. You can also create a stack of pre-addressed and stamped envelopes before the wedding.
7. Be nice to your partner.. It's almost inevitable that you two are going to bicker a little bit about all this stressful planning, but resolve to keep this to a minimum. Spend as much time as you can together doing something other than wedding planning.
8. Be patient with your family, including your new in-laws. Your mother might be a little obsessive compulsive about the seating chart, and your sister might be uncooperative because she's jealous. Let them be. As for your in-laws, recognize that this is probably the first major events where you'll be relating to them as family, so you may discover some of their more annoying traits. Forgive them. Understand that wedding planning can be stressful for everyone.
9. Resolve to concentrate on your new marriage, not just on the wedding. This commitment you're making is much more serious than your choice of party favors. Spend some quality time talking to your fiance about your relationship and about this big change you're about to experience together.
10. Remember to enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be a joyful occasion. Don't forget that!

For more tips, stop by Suite101's Wedding Planning page!

The copyright of the article New Year's Resolutions for Brides in Wedding Planning is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish New Year's Resolutions for Brides in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Resolve to Enjoy Your Wedding Day!