Tips for Wedding Bliss by Lorraine Murray

Having just got married recently I have first hand experience of what it is like trying to organise a wedding and live a normal life! Although I practise meditation and other therapies, even I had a wobbly moment or two! However Bridezilla didn't get the better of me and I thought it would be useful to share a few tips of my experience which may help others.

Own Your Own Wedding Day

This is your wedding day and by 'your' I don't just mean the bride. If you are going to be a team as husband and wife then you need to share this day and all its preparations together too. So making a list of things to do, who is doing what then sharing the tasks between you is not only a relief but it is more fun as you both 'own' your day.

Money Worries About Your Wedding

I swear I could see £ signs in the eyes of some people I met when we mentioned the wedding word. Have a budget and do you best to stick to it. Even if it means doing things differently. Don't be swayed by anyone as it is important that you can afford the day. Although it is great for family to offer to pay some/all of your wedding, it can mean that you have to do things they way they think, rather than the way you think. We decided to keep our costs down by choosing a fabulous venue that didn't need to be decorated as it was so ornate (and it meant everything was in the one place). We didn't have a sit down dinner but had canapes and drinks during photos then had a buffet for all guests (inlcuding evening) before the dancing started. We used artifical flowers instead of real ones and some of our friends/family bought a specific item to help us - eg the car for bride and groom, flowers etc. Of course it's the dress that is often the most expensive - I am proud to say that I bought mine in the Monsoon Christmas sale and it did everything a dress should! So be creative, not costly and you'll enjoy it more.

Being Practical About Your Wedding

We decided to email invite everyone we wanted there (okay we sent a few more bought invites for the tradionalists) but it was the quickest and easiest way for us to do it. We also ran a feature on my husbands blog website so that guests could find out details, know how the plans were going etc. One of the good things about using artifical flowers was that we were able to pick these up way in advance so we knew how they looked (very nice) and everyone had what they needed on the day.

Panic Attacks About The Wedding

Undoubtedly this is an emotional moment, so either you might panic or on the day itself just flood your new make up with tears. A very quick technique for keeping yourself and your energy grounded is to imagine you are breathing in and out through the soles of the feet. Not only does it help you stay calm but you can also think more clearly too. It's a technqiue I teach in my classes but anyone can try it. Just breathe in through the crown of your head, take the breath right down and breathe out through the soles of your feet. Then do it the reverse way.

Saying No

Lots of people will have ideas about how your wedding should be. This can be a tense time as you are really keen to make a good impression with the people who are important to you. But just ask yourself the questions "am I doing this for them, or for us" (you and hubbie to be). It's your day - enough said. If someone is driving you nuts - another technique you can use is called 'pink light'. Just imagine the person in front of you, take a breath and then as you breath out imagine it comes from the centre of your chest and you're breathing out pink light towards them ... until they are surrounded in a fluffy cloud of pink light. Sounds silly? Yes I know but it is really effective as it helps to change the energy between you and them - very useful for all tense moments!

Taking Care Of Yourself

I was fortunate to have the ability to swop treatments with another fellow therapist ever month. But if you think you could do with a series of treatments like Reiki (good for stress) or massage - then negotiate with the therapist. If they are good and professional they will be interested in giving you a discount for advance or bulk bookings. Don't just see this as a beauty treatment - the 'me time' is really important to help you switch off/slow down and bring your stress levels back to normal. Chronic stress builds up when we are coping with lots of change so having more 'me time' can really help keep stress in check.

Copyright Lorraine Murray. Feel Good Therapies also runs meditation and relaxation classes/workshops which includes information to help balance stress and increase wellbeing. If you want to know more about the these please visit the 'workshops' section on the website or have a look at the treatments we offer.