After months of preparations, the wedding day comes and goes so fast! With so much going on, and excitement running high, the day goes by in a flurry, with memories becoming a blur. Wedding day mindfulness helps you enjoy and remember the details of your big day.
“Enjoy the moment” and “Don’t sweat the small stuff because it’s not worth it” are the most common pieces of advice from married brides. But it’s easier said than done. Here is how to use mindfulness (and some careful planning) to get the most out of your special day!
Schedule moments for mindfulness during the wedding day and night
Mindfulness for the night before the wedding day
Enjoy last moments with your partner
Say goodbye to your betrothed. Spend time together, chatting over anything that you’re feeling anxious about, then say goodbye early in the evening so you can have an early night. Lack of sleep is the biggest enemy to memory-building, so set yourself up with an early night.
Close your eyes without stress
As you go to sleep, write down any last-minute thoughts on your mind and practise gratitude, thinking about the things you are grateful for; your future spouse that you love and loves you, your loyal friends, a helpful family, an exquisite dress, good weather forecast etc. Writing down our anxieties and what makes us grateful are both proven to reduce our stress levels and encourage a good, restful sleep.
Mindfulness when you wake up
Practise self-compassionate mindfulness
Keep your eyes closed and practise self-compassionate mindfulness when you wake up on the morning of your wedding day. Wish yourself a self-compassionate wish for your day. Starting a marriage by having love and compassion for yourself with allow you to show those same kindnesses to your future spouse. So, imagine you are your best friend and wish yourself what a best friend would wish for you. Examples of self-compassionate wishes you might wish for yourself on the morning of your wedding:
- Today as I begin my marriage, I wish myself peace and happiness
- In this busy morning, I wish myself calmness
- As I wait for the ceremony to start, I wish myself patience
Split your wish across your breaths. As you breathe in, meditate on the first half of your wish “today as I begin my marriage” and as you breathe out, complete the wish “I wish myself peace and happiness”. Breathe in and out several times and mindfully focus on this self-compassionate wedding day wish for yourself. Later in the day if you feel stressed, you’ll remember your self-compassionate mindful wish to feel peace on your wedding day, and it’ll help you stay in the zone you want to be in on your special day.
Set intentions
Set intentions to help you approach your wedding day the way you want to, rather than passing through the day without being present in it. Some ideas for intentions to set for yourself are:
- I will stay calm in stress
- I will set aside time to mindfully enjoy my special wedding day
- I won’t let small details upset my day
- If I am worried, I will breathe out deeply and smile
The morning of
Eat, drink and get ready mindfully
Instead of inhaling breakfast, eat slow and chew your food. Use your senses to fully experience the day and apply this principle for everything you do; enjoy the warmth of the warm shower, the smell of your perfume and make up products, the taste of a glass of bubbles, the sound of relaxing music and see the beauty of your wedding dress.
Wedding day activities for mindfulness
Planning a group mindfulness activity gets everyone in your squad on the same mindfulness level so you will all enjoy your wedding day.
- If you have time, organise for a relaxation expert to come for a yoga or meditation session.
- If you don’t have time for a thirty-minute or one-hour session, use an app like Calm or Headspace to do a short group meditation during the morning.
Leave mindfully
It’s easy for the last hour of “getting ready” to get quite busy and stressful. You could have a quiet group mindfulness minute in the car on the way to the ceremony, or just before walking down the aisle. If you’re religious, you could share a prayer with your bridal squad.
Mindfulness during the wedding ceremony and reception
Enjoy the moment during the paperwork
Spend a minute talking to your new spouse while your witnesses sign the registry. Have a hug and share your feelings.
Have a long first dance
No one will interrupt you during your first dance. Enjoy a gentle sway together and look each other in the eyes to feel all the happy vibes.
Take a break from the crowd with just the two of you
- As the sun sets, head out for photos with just you, your partner and your photographer.
- When the dance floor is in full swing, pop outside for a quiet moment together
At the end of the night
Before crawling into bed, run a bath and relax with your new spouse. Reminisce on the day and share things you didn’t experience together, such as those funny getting ready stories.
Get your squad in on the mindfulness
Ask your photographer
Make sure your photographer knows you want to have a quiet moment together and ask them to stand a distance away while you two just cuddle or chat. They’ll get plenty of authentic shots during those five minutes.
Ask your bridal party to join you
These people are your closest friends and being part of the bridal party means it’s their job on the day to help you out. Tell them you want to plan “mindful moments” during the festivities and ask them to support you in this. You might assign one of your bridal party to organise these mindful moments, so you don’t have to coordinate them on the day.
We hope you have a beautiful wedding day and enjoy every moment of it!
For more wedding guides and resources, see here
For more on mindfulness and other mental health topics, see here.
Comments
Please share with us! What techniques or mindfulness exercises have you used for special events?
