Chances are that you have planned a formal or informal, but probably not casual, wedding. After all the hard work, stress, fuss, craziness, sniping, snarling, hair-pulling, threats, tears, screaming and general chaos, it’s a really good idea to have a No-Stress-Allowed rehearsal.
Meaning… do what you’re supposed to do to make sure that everyone knows their parts and then go do something fun! This does not include bar hopping – think you feel sick now? Try your wedding day with a hangover. If you’re going to drink… please – keep it in moderation.
No, what I mean by fun is do something other than a formal sit-down dinner. The following depicts great ways for everyone to let their hair down and de-stress before the big event:
Ditch The Formal
Don’t do the formal sit-down dinner (unless you really want to). You’re gonna stress. Plan a big cookout (weather permitting) at a local park or a relative’s backyard. Have it potluck style and just kick back and relax.
Play some yard games or board games
Play games that require physical activity and concentration or board games that require concentration (like Trivial Pursuit). Both will help you sleep if you are both mentally and/or physically tired. Just go easy on the alcohol… if you want to know why, go back and read the first paragraph again.
Go Bowling
You’d be amazed how much fun you can have and what a great stress reliever this is. Knocking the heck out of a bunch of pins may be just what you need after all that planning. If you’ve just had a manicure, you may want to re-think this unless your nail technician has already been put on alert status.
Go Miniature Golfing
Same principle… whacking the heck out of a ball will make you feel better. Plus, concentrating that hard on something else will ease the wedding out of your head for a little while.
Go To a Movie
A light comedy or action thriller without too much gore. Watching a movie with a big tub of popcorn and getting involved in the plot is relaxing and removes reality for a little while. Great way to de-stress.
Stay At Home
If your wedding budget didn’t allow for you to go anywhere, when you send out your invitations, invite everyone back to the house for some light refreshments. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy… some munchies and finger sandwiches and beverages. You can insert a note to those you want to invite that the only requirement is to come prepared to share their favorite story about the bride or groom. Invite them to bring pictures or anything that provoked a favorite memory to share as well.
While the whole point of a rehearsal is for everyone to know exactly where they stand and what they do the day of the wedding, there’s no reason that it has to be kept as formal as the wedding itself. You’ve probably been planning for months. Some light-hearted fun the night before may be just what you need to calm down before that good night’s sleep you’re going to need. The vast majority of brides and grooms sleep terribly the night before their weddings. Finding a way to do something calming and restful can be the best sleep tonic for you both.
