By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
Excerpted from Wedding Goddess

Self care is as essential as breathing for a bride-to-be -- especially when you are stressing about wedding planning!

It is the time spent nurturing yourself, taking care of your unique needs and consciously preparing yourself for marriage that will make your journey to the altar so much more enjoyable and graceful. While planning your wedding -- and managing the myriad of responsibilities, relationships and emotions that come along with the package -- it is truly important that you try not to cut corners on nurturing yourself!

There is so much pressure on a bride to please others while planning her wedding that sometimes she forgets to take care of her own needs. My friend Dr. Patti Britton, a relationship coach, suggests for a happier trip down the aisle, it pays to be a little selfish. She calls it “extreme self care.”

Some brides get so caught up in the preparation – and things to do – along with the pressures from others that they are afraid to slow down for a little “me time.” Britton suggests that if you feel guilty about being selfish with your time and energy,give the word a new meaning. Take each letter of the word and imbue it with a more expansive and positive definition. Here’s an example:

S Nurture your SPIRIT.

E ENJOY moments alone.

L LOVE yourself.

F Keep FIT and FEEL good.

I Make your unique needs IMPORTANT.

S SHOWER yourself with gifts.

H Be HAPPY and open-HEARTED as you plan your wedding.

Fortunately, brides today are blessed with many options for self care. Massage, facials, manicures, pedicures and other beauty treatments are a standard part of the bride’s ritual preparation for her wedding day. Many brides include dieting, fitness and exercise in the months before the wedding. Go beyond the typical and into the realm of the fabulous by making traditional pampering more meaningful … and by seeking self-expression, physical exercise, emotional support and spiritual pursuits that massage her spirit and exercise her soul.

Photo by Lensgirl, reprinted from Wedding Goddess.