Planning a wedding can be tricky business, especially for brides who get saddled with the brunt of organizing the entire event. A survey conducted by Zola revealed that 96% of newlyweds find the wedding planning process very nerve-wracking. And although it isn’t always the case, it happens all too often that brides must handle practically every aspect.
Another study from Voucher Cloud even revealed that 51% of grooms have no involvement in wedding planning. Whether or not brides get the help they need from their partner or inner circle, there are tons of elements that contribute to a very high anxiety period before the actual wedding.
The Strain of Wedding Planning
There are plenty of factors to consider when sorting out a wedding. Even if you aren’t trying to make everything perfect to a tee, you still need to think about the wedding venue, the date, budget, guest lists, clothing, catering, decorations, musicians, photographer, and any other vendors that may be involved with setting up the entire thing. Our writer Steven has written about taking time to switch off and asking for help to maintain a stress-free lifestyle, and this advice is even more important for brides who will likely be dealing with a lot of different moving parts.
Weddings consume a lot of time and energy leading up to the big day. Aside from the anticipation of the day itself, there are just so many decisions that need to be made and finalized ahead of time. It’s not just about saying yes or no either, as brides often have to deal with tastings, fittings, rehearsals, and any issues that may be brought up by potential guests.
On top of all of this, there also comes the financial aspect of the whole affair. CNBC has found that around half of millennials and Gen Z say that weddings are getting in the way of their monetary goals. While this report concerns attending a wedding, the budgetary burden only increases tenfold for the actual couple.
Post-Pandemic Wedding Pressures
As if weddings weren’t stressful enough, the sudden challenges introduced by the pandemic only served to make things worse. The total lockdown experienced globally meant brides everywhere suddenly had to postpone their weddings. This comes with the hassle of rearranging every little aspect and trying to get vendors and venues to show up on a new date.
After restrictions loosened up, this introduced a new hurdle – dealing with a wedding boom that saw more demand than supply. With everyone fighting for the same vendors, suppliers, and venues, an already demanding period only proved to be more troublesome. Even now that the world has mostly recovered, brides also face the stress of new health concerns becoming more prevalent among guests. A feature by 77 Diamonds found that 72% of newlyweds found the wedding planning process extremely stressful. Some of the most common stressors mentioned are venue service fees, giving notice, transport, familial expectations, fixing the bridal party, and managing the guest list. This compounds pre-wedding nerves and can easily make brides feel overwhelmed.
It’s important for brides to remember their support network during this time. It also begs the question: ‘Should Parents Pay for a Couple’s Wedding Invitations?’ Various factors like sourcing, bulk ordering, and budgeting will lead to the right answer here but it’s worth noting that plenty of parents cover around 42% of their children’s weddings.
Bridal Expectations in 2023
Getting out of the “everything must be perfect” mindset is hard enough, but 2023 has seen a lot more expectations with brides. Social media has created a pressure pot for people in general, with rising tensions across the globe hitting hardest on women. UN Women has even released a statement noting how 2023 looks to be one of the most challenging for long-term impact after COVID, the Ukraine war, climate impact, and gender discussion with an increasing hostility against female voices.
Even women in more comfortable positions in life face higher stress as there is an expectation to be “the perfect bride.” This can lead to a host of other issues like breakouts, recurring headaches, and yoyoing weight – all of which ironically just lead to even more stress. The American Academy of Dermatology has found that stress is one of the biggest reasons for clogged oil glands leading to acne breakouts. Despite all that, brides are expected to look amazing for their wedding day and their photoshoot. Of course, this can all be remedied with some self-care and mindfulness (as long as there is an active circle of support during this time.)
Even movies like Bridesmaids, which take a look at weddings and bridal parties from a humorous lens, shed light on the immense strain of all those pre-wedding weeks on the bride and her party. In a tumultuous year that has inflation on top of growing societal expectations from every corner, it’s no wonder that today’s brides are finding their big day to be one the most stressful experiences in life. This only makes it more important to emphasize the true priority for such a day, which is to celebrate love and do what makes them happy more than anything.
