Stress-Free Weddings: 7 Brides Share Their Secrets

Planning a wedding can be stressful. In between adjusting to the idea of starting a new chapter of your life and putting together one of the most important events in your life, there are countless details to take care of. While creating innumerable WhatsApp groups, downloading the best wedding planning apps, or hiring the best professionals in the industry can help you assuage your inner bridezilla, stress can still show up as an uninvited guest in the run-up to the wedding.

We spoke to former brides and bride-to-be's about their experiences with how they dealt with wedding stress. From laughing out loud at silly mistakes to investing in new hobbies, read on to find out how these brides kept it cool during the run-up to the wedding.

Real Brides Share How They Handled Wedding Stress

In Excel we believe

“I met my husband via an online matchmaking portal which had been launched in the year 2007 and we courted for a year before we decided to finally tie the knot. I was single-handedly handling everything, the entire responsibility of planning the wedding fell onto my shoulders. My mother had anxiety issues so I had to take care of her as well. There was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and hence, I forgot to call my makeup artist and had to do my makeup on my own, with just a foundation, kajal and lipstick. I was handling things as they were coming their way. My wedding was a great learning lesson for me. It taught me the importance of organising things in advance to reduce last-minute chaos. It’s just like approaching a project at work. If we can list down everything, define those tasks, add deadlines, outsource as much as possible, and most importantly not hesitate to ask for help from friends and relatives, the process resembles a cakewalk."

-Nidarshana Saikia Das, wedding planner and founder of The Bartan Company

Namastaycalm and composed, thank you!

“Although I had a lot to do before my wedding, I decided to opt for yoga classes that helped me calm my anxiety. My inclination towards spirituality helped me divert my stress from the wedding anxiety. I used to go to spiritual sermons and listen to spiritual music which helped me have a lot of clarity in thought. Another thing that helped me ease my stress is my undying love for Henna art. I used to spend my time designing and articulating henna designs amidst the chaos that helped me reduce my stress, tremendously.”

-Jyoti Chedda, celebrity Henna artist

Communication is key

“Even if it’s a small wedding, I want to tell people there are still a lot of things to plan. I wanted to have a courtroom marriage because I didn't want to get into debt in the name of the wedding right and I also did not want to zero down on my savings. Secondly, my mom is a widow and certain traditions don’t encourage widows to be a part of wedding festivities. I wanted my mom to be the primary person in the wedding and not hide in a corner because society expects her to. The only stress before my wedding was that my relatives wanted to influence my opinion and persuade me to opt for a big fat Indian wedding. My husband, Krishna, gave me the confidence to stick to my decision and asked me to do what makes me feel happy. New ideas kept coming, suggestions kept pouring in, but Krishna’s mind remained unchanged. On the day of my wedding, I was so happy that I was marrying this man, that I ordered a customised pen with our names on it, i was so elated that I told my friends  to get photocopies of the wedding documents and I repeated the process after I had officially signed the documents because I was over the moon.”

-Akhila Nookala, research scholar in grass root technology

Relax, relax and relax

“My entrepreneurial journey taught me a lot of skills, be it managing stress, dealing with crises and most importantly, adapting to changes. During my wedding, one thing that worked for me magically was having a support system consisting of friends, relatives, cousins and my spouse, as they ensured that I got the best output without making way for any unwanted intervention. Like every other working woman, I was replying to emails while getting my hair and make-up done. The support I received from the people around me and my spouse was that they understood my priorities. They did not expect me to take on more responsibilities, just because I was the bride. I enjoyed the process, but I also told myself that while this is an important day in my life, it’s not the only day I will get to celebrate, there were certainly bigger days coming ahead.”

-Komal Rukhana, Founder, Mint + Milk PR

Don’t forget to have fun

“By the time I was preparing for my wedding, my entrepreneurial journey had already begun. At just 16, I was juggling my final year of high school, while also managing my father’s business.  I was deeply involved in running the enterprise. From managing finances to making decisions, I was prepared for my wedding planning way ahead of time. In 1993, things were not as they are today. It wasn’t so common for a bride and groom to casually meet before the wedding. While my soon-to-be husband was fast asleep the night before our big day, I was in quite a different zone. I had decided to celebrate my “last night of freedom” and found myself slipping into Taj Bengal’s vibrant discotheque, Incognito, for a night out with my gang of crazy cousins. I danced until my shoes practically fell off, not wrapping up until 5 a.m., just hours before thepheras. My advice to all brides is don’t forget to have fun on your wedding day”.

-Sagrika Rai, Founder & Creative Director of Warp 'n Weft

Take a break

“Balancing a wedding and work commitments wasn’t easy. I tackled it by being super organised, making schedules, and most importantly, learning to chill out when things got out of hand. Handling a wedding with ease happens when you set clear boundaries with people and know when to delegate responsibilities accordingly, take breaks when you need a breather and most importantly don’t try to be Superwoman.”

- Neha Tandon, Managing Director Limited Edt India

Laugh it off

“As a person of business, balancing work and wedding planning is a real hustle. There’s a lot to juggle—venues, outfits, endless guest lists. Once, I was so distracted by the décor choices that I accidentally sent my vendor contracts to a client. The best part- they asked if I was hiring them to coordinate my sangeet! After a moment of panic, I had to explain that I couldn't plan a corporate event with dhol players and mehendi artists. Even though my fiance and I have known each other since we were kids, the wedding stress and anxiety is still there. Going through this process has made me realise that sometimes things don’t go as planned, but when you roll with it and laugh through the chaos, the whole process feels a lot lighter.”

-Tamanna Miglani, a fashion designer and a to-be-bride

Cover Image Credits:

Editor: Chaiti Narula;Creative Direction: Neha Ahuja; Photography: Nitin Sadana; Styling: Palak Valecha; Fashion Assistants: Tanushi Goswami and Smriti Mishra; Hair and Make-Up: Bobby Uppal; Production Editor: Neha Ahuja;Location Courtesy: D’Monde Members Club; Model: Ayesha Siddiqui; Sari: Tarun Tahiliani; Jewellery: Shree Jee Jewellers