We tell our couples all the time that part of having a happy wedding day is having a healthy wedding day. By this, we don’t mean that we offer nutritional advice or anything (trust us, we love a good donut splurge every now and then, too!). We do tell our couples, however, that staying healthy during the wedding planning process and up through the big day is imperative.
It’s all about balance!
It wouldn’t be right of us not to practice what we preach. As wedding professionals (read: long nights, working 6 or 7 days a week, standing on our feet for 8+ hours with nothing to eat but a granola bar), we need to make sure we’re staying healthy as well. How, you ask? By heeding the advice we give our couples: maintaining stress levels, eating properly (especially the day of the wedding), and not letting planning get in the way of their exercise routine.
If any of our fellow wedding professionals are like us, there’s a chance you’ve felt it – the mid-season slump and the post-season sickness. The mid-season slump occurs, like it sounds, mid-season, when things slow down for a fraction of a second. Just as your body starts to relax – BAM – you’re hit with another round of weddings. Because your body had that moment to relax (or at least think about it), jumping back into things, and with such force, really can reek havoc on your body. Similarly, at the end of wedding season (just when flu season is starting up, too) your body finally gets a chance to slow down and the sickness tends to roll in. Like we said, we don’t consider ourselves experts in nutrition, but we do have a few ideas for how to stay healthy and stay on top of the game during wedding season and beyond.
Increase Your Water Intake
While it sounds pretty obvious, it’s so true – drinking more water can help you to stay healthy, especially on wedding day. If anything is true of this summer, it’s that the weather has not played very nice. 8+ hours in the blinding sun or in a hot barn can make for a very unhappy and dehydrated professional! Skip the soda and the tea and keep a hefty water bottle with you at all times. Your body will thank you!
Staying Healthy by Eating Regular Meals
It’s so easy for us to remind the bride and groom to eat, all the while forgetting to do the same ourselves! During wedding season and on the big day, it is imperative to eat regular meals and have healthy snacks! A few of our favorite go-to snacks for wedding day include almonds, granola bars, and veggie straws. They are easy to conceal in our packs and keep us going between breakfast and the vendor meal!
Prioritize Family and Friends
We’re not the only professionals who do it. You run into a friend on your morning Starbucks jaunt and promise that we’ll get together! or that you’ll make plans as soon as possible! How many times do those plans actually happen? Put an end to empty promises and broken plans and make time for your family and friends – it’s part of staying healthy mentally (which is just as important as physical health). Even for those of us who are lucky enough to absolutely love what we do, there is a time for work and a time for play. Even if the two seem to intermingle sometimes, everyone needs a break from work. Your work isn’t going anywhere, but time with your family and friends is. We challenge you to actually keep that movie date with your mom and don’t cancel drinks again with your best girlfriend!
Save Some Room for Me Time
Whether this means sticking to your exercise routine, making time for a weekly yoga class, or unwinding after a long day with a hot bubble bath and the new Harry Potter book (#potternerds), take time for yourself. Even if you are a business owner (or, should we say, especially if you are a business owner), you need time away from the daily grind to breathe. Yes, we understand there are to do lists to cross off, meetings to have, and calls to make, but if you’re not at the top of your game, your business will suffer for it. Surprisingly, relaxing can take practice so don’t be afraid to designate a certain day or certain hours of each day to unwind.
They seem simple, really: four steps to a healthier you. With that said, you won’t be the first or the last to fail at staying healthy this wedding season. Nevertheless, strive for your best, as you do in everything else, because your health and well being can only make you a better, happier wedding professional!
Have any other ideas on how to stay healthy during wedding season? We’d love to hear from you! Share them with us on Facebook or Instagram and #stayhealthy !