September 16, 2020

Hello beautiful,

It's Katie bringing you another week of tips, hints, styles, and trends to help you look and feel your best!

What an absolutely chaotic year this has been! Without a doubt at least every single person I am close with has had something happened to just put the cherry on top of the cake, including myself!

I was actually supposed to get married back in April right after everything started closing down and we had to postpone. However with extremely hopeful hearts we postponed to two days from now.

We get to have a small intimate ceremony with only close family and friends and I am ecstatic! Obviously, I am not the only bride that had to go through this particular stress so I want to pass along some ways I coped and managed throughout the entire process. If you are a mother of the bride, groom, or bride herself, I hope that you can find this useful.

Until next time,
Katie

Questions? Comments? Email me at:katie@gophercentral.com

*-- Handle Wedding Stress During a Pandemic--*

The bottom line is that Covid-19 has been stressful for every single person. But planning a wedding amidst it all seemed impossible especially when it's a day you have probably looked forward to all of your life.

The number one piece of advice I can give is that it is 100% ok to be sad. It is ok to feel disappointed. We were only 3 weeks out when we had to say good-bye to our original date and I was overwhelmed to say the least. I really didn't even get to "mourn" what had happened until after the date and even so, more people were asking me what my next move was before I could process what was happening. So take a break from planning for a little bit. Our original date was April 18th and I didn't start actually planning September 18th until July. Cherish the time in between, release the tears if you need too, and relay on those you love for support.

Start anticipating the "what-ifs". I knew there was a very big chance that with postponing our wedding to Sept. 2020 it was not going to be how it was pre-pandemic. But you can certainly find ways to be excited but to still expect the unexpected without stressing out over it. Have your PLAN A but still have a PLAN B.
Embrace change and learn to let go of some things that aren't a top priority for you. If the date is what's most important to you then proceed with a "minimony" or "micro wedding" on your original date. If having your full guest list in attendance is essential, then reschedule! Remember, your wedding is so much more than just a day. It's about marrying your best friend.

Most importantly, take care of yourself! It can be easy to get lost in the chaos. Some easy ways I used to practice self-care was keeping a regular sleep schedule. I was very strict on what time I was going to sleep and waking up the next day - even on the weekends. I started to eat a well-balanced diet. I cut out a lot of junk food and upped my water intake. I even started crafting more to add to my relaxation.

You got this! Your day will be everything you ever hoped for even if it isn't how you originally imagined it.