As I watched the Royal wedding, I marveled at how poised and confident Meghan, the Royal bride, looked. With millions of onlookers, specific protocol to follow, and marrying into a Royal family in a country not her own, she looked radiant and relaxed. I have a friend who is a wedding planner. She tells me horror stories of “bridezillas,” as she calls them, who have emotional meltdowns planning a wedding for 100 of their closest family and friends.
This is wedding season, and even though most brides won’t be marrying into the Royal family, there are some tips to avoid the natural overwhelm of this significant and often stressful event.We’ll never know if Meghan was truly as calm as she appeared, but you can’t go wrong with these strategies for any significant event you plan or attend!
1) Chunk it down into manageable, non-overwhelming pieces. If, on the first day of Meghan’s engagement, she had to tackle everything she needed to do for the wedding day, I guarantee that she wouldn’t have looked so relaxed.
2) Keep it in context. As much as it feels like life or death, it isn’t. If you focus on everything you fear, Focusing on the worst-case scenario, you’ll feel like you’re in a death-march, not a wedding.
3) Have a trusted supporter to keep you calm. Whether that’s a bridesmaid/groomsman, a family member, or a clergy person, having someone to confide in to “talk you off the ledge,” can be so helpful. I almost forgot to pick up my wedding dress right before my own wedding. Thank goodness my good friend and maid of honor had her wits about her.
4) Remember what’s important. Although your wedding (or whatever significant event) is important, what really matters most? If you see it as an opportunity to share an experience with the people most important to you, you’ll remember that it’s not about the flowers or the food. It’s about the love and sharing of life.
There was another factor that I believe was important in the relationship between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. I suspect that part of what drew Harry to Meghan was how she handled new and potentially overwhelming situations. I’m sure there are many factors contributing to what appears to be a truly loving, connected relationship. However, I can’t imagine that the relationship could have flourished if Meghan were easily overwhelmed.
Although you may not be planning a Royal wedding, or even a wedding at all, think about how the ability to handle potentially overwhelming situations would improve your future. Maybe your boss would see you as capable of taking on more, or a friend would feel safer to confide in you, or you could better weather financial setbacks. Whatever comes up, life gets bigger and better when you can be as poised and confident as the Royal Bride.
