Wedding Planning

 It’s a tale as old as time: wedding planning is stressful. No matter how excited you are or how laid-back you claim to be, planning a wedding will always come with some amount of stress and anxiety.

 

In the beginning, I was excited to plan things because I’m a planner and love to be organized. I still feel that way, but that feeling is now accompanied by a constant lingering amount of stress. It’s so easy to get caught up in the world of wedding planning, and sometimes it can make you lose sight of what’s really important in this whole process: your love.

 

I had been so focused on booking vendors and building my wedding Pinterest board, that I began to feel burnt out and detached from the whole experience. I started getting in my own head and worrying about things that I hadn’t even thought of before. I was worried that I would get tired of my fiancé and that we would lose the spark of our love. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle spending all of my time with someone because of my introverted and independent nature. Panic began to set in, and my head was spinning faster and faster with each negative thought that crept its way into my consciousness.

 

But then I took a deep breath and decided to look back at some old journal entries from when I had first started dating the man who would become my fiancé. The girl in those journal entries talked about how her love for him was eternal, how nothing could break them apart because no matter what argument or problem got between them, their love was strong enough to overcome it. She said that he was her best friend, the person she had been waiting for her whole life.

 

Tears pooled in my eyes as I read about this love. Back then, we were in the honeymoon phase; everything was beautiful and seemingly perfect. As time went by, the real world caught up to us, and with it, the anxieties of life. But in that moment, I understood something very important.

 

Love isn’t a fairytale. Love is real. Love is not perfect; it’s beautifully flawed. Love doesn’t mean you have to have it all together and have everything figured out; it’s about the journey. Sure, there will be highs and lows, peaks and valleys, but that’s the beauty of it. That’s what makes it all worth it in the end.

 

For me, getting married is so much more than a ring or a piece of paper. I’ve always wanted not only a place to call home, but a person. It’s exciting to plan the Big Day, but when it’s all over, when the party ends and the guests go home, it’s just the two of you. The day will come to an end, but your love will last forever, and that’s what’s most important.

 

Same Goal, New Mindset

First off, happy 2021, everyone! At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll spare you the typical “2020 was awful” speech and get right to the main event.

 

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is something along the lines of exercise more, lose weight, stick to a diet, etc. For the past few years, I had always started off the New Year with the intention of exercising more. I started off really strong, working out 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time. But after about a month or so, like most people, my motivation began to fade, and my goal became nothing more than a numbered bullet-point on a list.

 

I wanted this year to be different, but I didn’t know where to begin. Around December 2020, I discovered a woman on Instagram named Mik Zazon. Her motto is “normalize normal bodies,” and on her Instagram, she posts photos of herself, emphasizing and embracing what society would consider flaws. She praises her curves, rolls, cellulite, acne, etc. I am amazed at her ability to not only be so open about these imperfections but also that she sees them as beautiful. I wanted to be able to think like that too.

 

Towards the end of December, I saw on her Instagram story that she was having a sale on her HIIT 30 workout program (HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training), so I checked it out. The whole goal of the program is not to lose weight or tone your muscles or cut all unhealthy foods out of your diet. Although those things may inevitably happen along the way, what Mik suggests we focus on is feeling confident and strong in our body. We should exercise because we want to, not because we feel like we should or we have to. She encourages you to listen to your body, rest when it needs it, eat that cheeseburger and fries, and not to pressure yourself into having a perfectly regimented and scheduled exercise routine.

 

I am shocked at how well this new mindset has worked for me so far. My schedule can change day-to-day, so it’s always been hard for me to make a set schedule for working out. Now, I work out when I have time and when I feel excited to. On the days that I don’t do a full workout, I try to do something small like dance around in my room for a few songs, do a few squats or crunches, or go for a walk.

 

Sure, I’d like to lose a couple of pounds, get some abs, strengthen my legs, and get a booty, but even more than that, I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin. When I step into my dream dress on my wedding day this fall, I want to feel nothing less than a confident, sexy, and beautiful goddess. Exercising can be a chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Mindset is everything.

 

(This is not an ad for Mik Zazon’s HIIT 30 program, but I highly recommend it. The workouts are fun, challenging, and customizable. Plus, she has a big Facebook group for those in the program, and the ladies in the group are so incredibly supportive and lovely.)