Dear Stressed-Out Bride...

Dear Stressed-Out Bride,

I have been right there in your shoes. There are so many things to get done. You have to book a venue, catering, flowers, photographer, music, furniture rental...the list goes on. Not to mention, you also are buying a dress that costs more than the rest of the clothes in your closet combined, and you will only wear it once. Then comes the matter of fitting into the dress. Working out has never seemed so important to your daily routine. You also worry about stray acne popping up on your nose or forehead at just the wrong moment or that you will wake up on your wedding day with a rats nest on your head that not even a chainsaw could cut through.

All of that to say, it's stressful being a bride. This is a day you have been dreaming of your whole life. Or, this could be a day that you have never given a single thought. Either way, you want it to be perfect, or as close to it as possible. The pressure of perfection is weighing on you like a ton of bricks. No wonder you are stressed out!! 

I just want to encourage you today: it's all going to be okay. Seriously. I know that it really doesn't seem like it right now. Right now it feels like the world could spontaneously combust if the flower arrangements aren't just the way you imagined, or if someone doesn't show up when and where they are supposed to. But, contrary to what your over-wrought brain is trying to tell you, it's all going to be okay. 

What you need to focus on instead is simple. Think about what this wedding is ultimately about. Think about that amazing man you are about to marry. After this wedding is over, you get to start on the most wonderful journey together. You will be exploring this great and glorious world together, helping each other along the way as each of you inevitably stumbles and falls. There will be so much laughter that your stomach will get an incredible workout. There will be tears as you work through the tough and trying times that will surely come. There might even be some yelling, as you are both only human. But, you will get through it all together, and you will both be stronger for it. 

This wedding is, ultimately, a celebration of the journey you are about to embark on together. It is the beginning, when everything is new and exciting, and maybe just a little bit scary. But my dear, stressed-out little bride, it is a glorious journey. This day is only the beginning. The days to come are what will knit the fabric of your beautiful and exquisite story. So, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It's all going to be okay. 

With love,

Whitney