1 week to go...

Well, one week to go and I'm all about the lists. even to the point of needing a list of the list's I might need! Anal right?

Anyhoo, my other half piped up this week gone and decided he had some amazing ideas to input into the decorations for the reception. Don't get me wrong, the suggestions were great and looked really good, but I've had some of those decorations ready for months and changing them a week and a half before the wedding made me a little wound up, edgy and felt pushed for time (which I was trying to avoid being all 'prepared') But, as it is I love the changes we've made and they're all done now anyway with plenty of time to spare.

So, my list of lists:

 - Things to do the week of the wedding
 - Things to take to my parents house to get ready the morning of the wedding
 - Things for the overnight bag for the night of the wedding
 - Things to take to the venue
 - Things to bring back to the venue
 - Things we need for our 'mini-moon' in Paris

Yes I've gone completely ocd, but in a very controlled manner where only my hubby-to-be is seeing the slightly crazed look in my eye...surely this is a good test for the longevity of our married lives together!

I've also done a whole 'breakdown of the day' which I've shown to the bridal party so everyone knows who needs to be where and when.

Pretty prepared. The last thing I need to do is finish off the favours bags, but I cant add the sweets until a couple of days before to keep them fresh.

Here are some pics of my fiancé's great added ideas. The candy buffet was a stroke of genius as we'll have quite a few left over sweets from the favours, so figured we'd pop the rest out for anyone wanting extra but also for the evening guests who wont get favours bags!

New post box sign, now in frame to match table settings

Sign for our candy buffet

Candy buffet signs for use with the left over sweeties we'll have from the favours bags

Sweetie bags and scoops :D

Bowls for candy buffet

Jars for candy buffet with matching purple ribbon/lace

Does the calm come before or after the storm?

So the last couple of weeks I had my mini-freak, what I'm now calling my 'Bridezilla moment' I got angry and annoyed with people, short tempered and full of despair, negativity and dread; fearful of everything going wrong - I was generally a bit of a pain.

Today it is 3 weeks to the wedding, I have found a new sense of calm but I honestly can't tell you where from?!? I really hope this sense of calm remains with me for the next 3 weeks. I can't be doing with the worry taking the shine off the 'Big Day'.

So, 3 weeks to go and what is there left to do? To be honest, not a lot until the actual week of the wedding, and I love a list, so here we go...

- I have a few things to organise for the honeymoon (re-named our mini-moon as we're only away for 4 nights!) so we can just grab our bags and go!

- We need the CD making of songs for the ceremony
*shakes fist at Mr.Groom-y who I've been asking to do this for over a week*

- Finish off making the favours, which I am not doing until the week of the wedding as I'm doing 'retro-pick'n'mix-sweet-bags' and want to keep the sweets as fresh as possible

- Get some flowers for 2 of the 'Thank-you' gifts (again, no can do until the day before the wedding!)

- Have my hair practise (WHICH IS TOMORROW!! SQUEE!!)

- Make a timeline for things to do on the day

- Chase money for my Hen-Do as I paid for the spa in advance

- Make sure bridal party knows who needs to be where and when on the day (they're coming over next week to discuss!)

- Pick up the suits (2 days before wedding!) ensure on pick-up all men re-try suits and shoes to ensure all fit and nothing is missing (any issues will then have time to be rectified!)

- Make a list of what needs dropping off at the venue (favours, table decorations etc.)

So, not much doing right now...just waiting, next week working a decent amount so that'll keep me busy...the week after may be challenging and 'thumb-twiddling!)

xlove'n'stuffsx

Wedding nerves

So, today is Friday 1st August 2014. We get married on Friday 29th August, which is 28 days time, exactly 4 weeks, its now august and 'the month we get married' and sad to say it but my adrenaline has gone into overdrive. The last few days I've been anxious, irritable, short tempered, impatient, not sleeping properly, having no appetite and like I can't shake that nervous feeling in my stomach every time I think about the wedding - which is constantly at this point - every one I see asks if we're "All ready for the big day?" I go to bed thinking about it and it is my first waking thought every morning.

I cannot keep up this level of anxiety for 4 weeks. It may kill me.

So I decided to read up on ways to control wedding nerves, which from what I've read most people don't suffer from until the night before or the day of the wedding because they're 'so busy' doing all the preparations before that they don't have time to get nervous.

This is not so for me, it is 4 weeks to go and I'm completely ready - obviously the last week of the wedding there are a few things to do such as pick up the suits, drop off the favours and make sure everything is at the venue but I'm off work that week and so are some of my nearest and dearest so I'm not worried about anything like that.

I have know weddings where they were cutting out the place-names the night before in a blind panic - Why on earth would you leave it that late? Mine have been done for weeks. And I think that is the problem, I can be a bit of a control freak - if I had not made all the artsy-craftsy stuff by now I would be panicking that I would run out of time and forget something, but I'm not, its done, I have time to spot anything I might have missed and any changes I need to make.

And there in lies the issue, I have too much time to think about it now, I'm not crazy busy preparing stuff, I'm not even crazy busy with my own day-to-day life as I've been working my basic hours at work for a couple of weeks and I finish work in 2 weeks (after the wedding I'm starting uni full time so leaving my job just before the wedding makes sense) Other than thinking about the wedding I have very little else to do with myself.

Anyway...read a few various blogs about calming nerves. They're all fairly obvious and basic techniques which I have used to try and control my panic attacks for years - the 'try' in that sentence worries me more as I never find any of them to be that effective for very long when I am in full panic mode.

Some of the top tips are a bit rubbish to be honest...drinking alcohol seems to be most peoples popular way of 'taking the edge off' but this doesn't work for me as I don't really drink and alcohol overstimulates my other fears and anxieties - so being a lushy bride is not really an option for me.

Saying 'Relax and Let go' is also a rubbish tip - if I could just 'Relax and Let go' then I wouldn't be googling relaxation tips now would I?

Deep breathing is obvious but effective - There are a million and one different breathing techniques to try, I have found 'square breathing' quite effective (breath in for 3 seconds, hold for 3 seconds, breath out for 3 seconds, hold for 3 seconds) however the 'hold for 3 seconds after you breath out does sometimes leave me feeling a little light headed!

I find it useful to grasp my wrist (- not as random as you think!) there is a pressure point in your wrist which subsides feelings of nausea ((if you ever seen 'travel sickness bracelets/wristbands they are supposed to press on this pressure point)) and I find the brief moment when you grasp it initially seems to drop my blood pressure and allows a moment of calm as your stomach is doing backflips.

The best advice I read is to put it into perspective - remember why you're there and what really matters. Write down what your worries are and rationalise ways to avoid them or deal with them if these problems do arise and share the concerns with your nearest and dearest because letting them fester will make it worse. I have 'unloaded' an awful lot on Andrew, but less so with others and I maybe need to collar my parents and have a bit of a word.

Links to blogs I read:

http://www.getwed.com/articles/top-10-tips-to-calm-last-minute-wedding-nerves-gb-en/

http://www.weddingideasmag.com/wedding-day-nerves-how-to-stay-calm/#.U9s-WpV0yP8