How To Be Present On Your Wedding Day 

 

Possibly every brides’ number one fear about their wedding day is that they won’t remember every second of it. After months of manifesting and planning - it can be a challenge to fully appreciate every moment of your special day. Especially when there are expectations to be met and a whirlwind of emotions to navigate through. So, to help you get the most out of every minute of your wedding day, here are some practical tips for you and your partner stay fully present! 

 

 

1. Meditate In The Morning 

 

In fact - make it a habit to meditate as often as you can throughout the entire wedding planning process. Having at least 10 minutes of stillness to yourself everyday is a productive way to gather your thoughts, destress and inspire you to stay in the moment. Among the many proven scientific benefits that meditation has to offer - helping you stay calm on your wedding has to be one of them. For even better results - encourage your partner to meditate with you! Learning new healthy habits with together makes the task seem way less daunting - plus, you can hold each other accountable. A month before the wedding - challenge each other to 30 days of 10 minutes meditation a day and pay close attention to how you feel throughout the process. By the end of the thirty days, you’ll find it much easier to stay positive and enjoy the present moment. If you are new to meditation - there are many free videos, podcasts and apps for guided meditation that are quite helpful so that you can meditate from the comfort of your own home! 

 

1. Go Technology Free 

 

Our smartphones draw out much more energy from us than we think, and take up much more of our time than we think. Checking your social media apps first thing in the morning can have a serious effect on your mood throughout the rest of the day. So, to slow down time and make the day seem as long as possible - go technology free. Turn your phone off. Don’t watch TV, check the news or your email. Just wake up and be. The digital world doesn’t need you on your wedding day - so take full advantage of it and completely unplug. Remind your guests of the power of the present moment and encourage them to keep their cell phone usage to a minimum too.  Being around people who are also living fully in the moment makes tuning into the present feel much more effortless.  I've seen so many moments ruined by guests recording, standing in the aisle all to capture a picture and post it first!

 

Also- limit the number of people you have documenting your day. You can't concentrate on the important things if you feel like the paparazzi is following you around. Be sure to ask all vendors in attedence including those who manage your venue not to record or film during your event. You'd be amazed at how many times I've seen 3 or 4 vendors transform into photographers during the special moments- imagine how distracting this becomes! 

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1. Properly Nourish Yourself 

 

Perhaps the most important factor for an incredible wedding day is making sure that you are fully nourished. This means that you should avoid staying out late the night before the big day and do your best to get a full 8 hours of sleep. Drink heaps of water and fill your stomach with fresh, whole foods. Have a big breakfast and  plenty of healthy snacks on hand. If you aren’t eating enough or don’t get too little sleep - you may be too busy worrying about feeling better rather than enjoying the moment. Try to stay away from extreme diets and cleanses when it gets close to your wedding day. You want to feel as much like yourself as possible on your special day. And I can almost guarantee that calorie restricting will not make you feel yourself. If you are looking to get in tip-top shape for your wedding day - then start cooking 100% of your food at home for a month or two instead. Giving up fast food, processed foods and restaurant food is an amazing and effective way to stay on top of your health and glow from within. Throw out all the junk food in your home and stock your fridge with a wide variety of whole foods. Try new foods together and cook the healthiest versions of meals you both love. This way - you can “diet” but still feel like yourselves! 

 

1. Release Expectations & Honor All Emotions 

 

It is difficult to not have expectations for your wedding day. But, let's be honest - even with countless hours of planning, it is likely that your wedding day won't go perfectly to plan. I don’t know if there is a single bride on earth that could honestly say their wedding day went 100% as expected. So, it is important to mentally prepare for the inevitable imperfections. Make space for mess ups and be grateful for them because it will probably end up being a fond memory. The weather may not be what  the forecast suggested, or you may have unexpected emotions surface - but that is okay.

 

Embrace the wide range of emotions your day may bring. You may not experience happiness in every moment on your wedding day. Crying is okay. Being scared or anxious is okay too because all the complex emotions you are feeling are what make the day real and genuine. You arrive to this day with a unqiue backstory. Honor the path you've traveled here on by embracing the emotions that come with it.  The best way to deal with any unplanned situation that may arise is just to remind yourself how thankful you are to be having a wedding in the first place. It is a wonderful privilege to be able to celebrate the rest of your life together with the people you hold the closest. So shift your focus away from the schedules and material things and focus on the little things that make the day feel special. 

 

1. Let Loose

 

Most importantly - don’t forget to have the time of your life. Embody love on this day in every way you can. Kiss like it’s your last. Dance like there is no tomorrow. Lock eyes with as many people as possible. Hug as many people as possible. Say a speech even if you are scared. Tell your partner you love them and then tell them again. Wear something that makes you feel entirely you. We are about to enter into a new decade and new social norms are emerging - where there is no longer so much pressure to be traditional. So, take full advantage of it. Ask yourselves - what would your wedding look like if there were no “rules”? If you didn’t worry about others may think - who would you be? And how much would you dance? Your wedding day is the perfect day for you and your partner to let loose and be entirely yourselves. 

 

The more positive energy that you put into this special day, the better it will be. Staying present on your wedding day is all about your perspective and having a healthy mind and body. Sometimes staying present means finding grand meaning in the silliest things or being unapologetically yourselves. At the end of the day - your wedding day won’t be about whether you touched your phone, did yoga or danced enough - but about all the emotions you felt and the human connection you experienced. So, feel everything and don’t be afraid to vocalize it. Staying present will feel incredibly uncomplicated when you stay true to yourselves and prioritize authenticity.