By Paula Clark Ramirez, Historic Mankin Mansion
Planning a wedding ranks highly on any list of life’s most intense experiences. Managing details, relieving family tensions, worrying about a budget – not to mention the enormity of launching a new life with a loved one! It’s easy to end up completely stressed.
Brittany Lowe Photography
The constant pressure of wedding planning isn’t just inconvenient or uncomfortable, it can have negative consequences on your health, overall effectiveness, and even on your relationship. De-stressing is a matter of wedding survival! Luckily, there are many great ways to relax before a wedding!
Go Back to Nature
Leave behind the cell phones and devices, and plan an outdoor weekend. Try hiking a scenic trail or spending the day kayaking or paddle boarding on a local river. Time communing with the outdoors offers quiet reflection, a chance to observe the beauty around us, and endorphin-releasing exercise for a healthier feeling inside and out.
Find a Festival
Richmond is world-famous for its many arts, food, and music festivals. While it’s easy to feel like there isn’t the time when all of the wedding details are weighing heavily on your mind, it only takes a few hours of distraction to “reset” your attitude and allow you to let off some steam.
Plan a Night Out
When was the last time you got together with the girls for dinner at your favorite restaurant, or gathered the guys at a local sports bar or pub and just relaxed? It’s common for couples to go weeks, even months without checking in with friends outside of the wedding party. A night out could be just the break you need to start planning afresh in the morning.
Do a Good Deed
One of the best ways to restore personal balance and feel closer to others is to perform some kind of service together. Help a local school revive its gardens in the spring, participate in a local river clean-up, or offer to prepare meals for an underserved population at your house of worship. Maybe commit acts of random kindness – buy a stranger’s coffee, finish paying someone’s layaway account, or help an elderly lady cross the street. Giving to others has a unique way of healing one’s soul – and putting stress into a perspective that makes it feel manageable again.
Take a Weekend Escape
When stress hits an all-time high, it may be time for a weekend escape. A ski weekend, spa trip, or short cruise to nowhere is enough time for an escape, usually without breaking the bank. Head to the beach for some romantic walks on the shore, or check into a historic Bed and Breakfast for personal service, gourmet breakfasts, and local access to all of the best that a region has to offer.
More important than how you find peace is accepting that wedding planning and stress go hand-in-hand. De-stressing helps restore humor and unity and allows you to enjoy what’s most important…a joyous wedding day!
Paula Ramirez is the Proprietor of Historic Mankin Mansion Wedding & Event Estate. Paula and her husband Martin have lovingly restored this National Landmark to its original grandeur and are honored to share the treasured estate for events. Paula, Martin, and the Mansion have been featured in Forbes, Orbitz, Travel Channel, MSNBC, Martha Stewart Weddings, Oprah Magazine, Huffington Post, New York Times, and Apple TV.