So, you were finally proposed and you’re probably staring at your beautiful ring right now and thinking of his goofy face. Maybe you’ve been together for what feels like forever or perhaps it’s only been a few months but you just know in your heart that he’s the one. No matter what the circumstance is, this is a time to celebrate and enjoy the wonderful things that make life and love so special. However, sometimes a wedding can feel less like a celebration and more like a funeral, so how do you learn to relax and take a breather during all this chaos and planning? Just like you, I was having a daily panic attack when I first started planning but using these five tips I learned to smile through the insanity and actually grow closer to the goofy guy I call my fiancé.

  1. Meditate and Incorporate Relaxing Elements: From Yoga to Oils

Meditation can actually be a wonderful way to relieve tension and it’s surprisingly easy to do so. For me, I chose to join a local yoga group and take some time to myself every week stretching out my tense muscles and relaxing mymind. At first, I was seriously skeptical but I am happy to say that I really have seen massive improvements in my mind and body overall. However, if you’re not the most extroverted individual, taking an online yoga class can still be a wonderful way to relieve that muscle tension, relax your mind, and reap the benefits of doing so in your everyday life.

When I lived with my parents, I remember my mother constantly putting tiny droplets of patchouli oil throughout the house to ‘relieve stress’and ‘open our minds’. I remember thinking ‘great, now the house smells like an old lady and she thinks she’s a genius’ but, after I got engaged, I began to look into the effects of oils for your skin and diffusing oils to breath them in. The truth is, I’ve never been one of those ‘shakra’ preaching granola chicks but, surprisingly, I purchased some essential oils and was actually impressed with the outcome. I found that there are actually all kinds of essential oils that improve your concentration and clarity and, when I used them, I could actually see myself focusing more on the tasks at hand and completing work I was initially worried I wouldn’t be able to complete.

  1. Moving In: Focus On Decorating Your New Home Together

So, maybe you’re like me and my fiance and you’ve already moved in together years ago, but for the brides who have not or even the brides who simply want to revamp their homes before the big day, this is a wonderful way to relieve some stress and focus on something much more fun that you can do as a couple.

Redecorating your home could mean a few simple furniture changes all the way to an entirely new interior at the end of the process, but the most important things to keep in mind are what you want it to look like when it’s completed, what your color themes will be, and how you can incorporate both of your tastes into one home seamlessly.

Achieving these things can often seem like more of a hassle than it’s actually worth and you may find yourself heading to the thrift store and giving up on a cohesive theme altogether, however, when my fiance and I chose to move into our new apartment a few months back, we found some pretty awesome apps for redecorating your home that helped us do everything from picking out our colors to choosing the furniture we could fit in the space provided. At the end of our home decorating excursion, it was pretty clear that we both love galaxy-print things and the color black but, hey, that’s just us and we’re pretty damn weird.

  1. Get Away From It All: Take A Spa Retreat

Okay, so seriously, who doesn’t want an excuse to take a beautiful retreat up in the mountains or in some quiet and serene place outside the city? Luckily, spa retreats are pretty easy to find and also a wonderful way to relieve some of the tension involved in getting married. Although you can do this alone, it can also be a great way to spend some quality time before the wedding with your significant other and can help you bond on a deeper level before your big day.

Enjoying the serenity of a nice, warm jacuzzi before your massage in the afternoon can be a wonderful way to put your worries behind you and focus on what really matters. In the end, it’s a wedding and choosing to spend the rest of your life with your soulmate is a beautiful thing that not everyone gets to enjoy in life. So, taking the time to relax and know that you were lucky enough to find the one can be a great way to get ready for the best day of your life without worrying about the chaos it entails (at least for a little while).

  1. Freebies: Ease Some of That Financial Stress in Style

Let’s face it, the worst part about getting married is how much money you have to wave goodbye to in the process. For me, I started to panic the minute he got down on one knee and, luckily, we aren’t alone, ladies. In fact, there are some seriously awesome freebies guides for weddings that can help you acquire both discounts as well as free items for opening registries, joining particular newsletters, and even just using their templates for your invitations, ‘thank you’ cards, and menus.

The best part about this factor is that, once I followed through to receive these freebies, they came in the blink of an eye. So, despite the fact I’m pretty crazy and am already planning for a small wedding nine months in advance, even the most last-minute of brides can reap these benefits in no time.

Also, one of my favorite free items was actually a site itself that allows you to plan pretty much anything and everything from start to finish. If you have even remotely looked into your wedding, you’ve probably seen WeddingWire once or twice, but seriously, it’s kind of a lifesaver, especially if you’re anything like me and want to do the entire wedding on your own. You can plan all the way from budgeting to seating arrangements and even set up a website for your wedding. My wedding website looks pretty fabulous so far and I did virtually nothing to create it.

There are a billion things to plan for when getting married and choosing what crazy uncle or nephew sits at what table, whose friend’s cheesy band is going to make an appearance, and what silly song your first dance will be accompanied by should be the kinds of things you spend your time focused on. After all, the memories are what weddings are all about, not the planning or the stress. So, sit back relax, splash some patchouli oil on your other half, see if you can do the splits at a yoga class and know that you have found the one and your big day is going to be the best day of your life, not the worst.