Planning for a wedding and a baby at the same time? That’s a lot of celebrating at once! First, congratulations are in order. Getting married and having a baby are two of the most exciting and life-changing experiences you can go through — but both can be stressful in their own ways. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when your plate is so full, even when it’s full of things you’re excited about.
It’s important to take care of your mental and physical health during this time, not only for your own well-being but for the well-being of your baby. So don’t feel pressured to put on “the perfect wedding.” In fact, the perfect wedding should be a reflection of what you need and want. When you’re pregnant, that should mean having as little stress as possible and as little fuss as possible.
The good news? It’s possible to have your dream wedding and plan for a baby at the same time. This kind of unique situation gives you so much to celebrate it all at once, so you should embrace your pregnancy and make it as much a part of your wedding as possible. Show off your bump in your engagement/proposal pictures, tie in some baby-themed decor, and let everyone know how excited you are for this next chapter in your life. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how to make the most of these exciting events.
When is the Best Time to Have the Wedding?
The best time to have a wedding is whenever you’re ready. Your wedding date needs to be realistic when it comes to just how far along in your pregnancy you’ll be. For instance, you might not want to add extra stress to your life by planning a wedding that would end up being in the third trimester of your pregnancy. You don’t want to risk potential complications or even your due date causing a hitch in your big day.
During your second trimester, you might start to experience that “pregnancy glow,” and you’ll get some of your energy back. Things like morning sickness also tend to subside in the second trimester — all things that make it pretty ideal for a wedding. As a bonus, your “baby bump” will start to show during the second trimester, so you can showcase your gift to the world on your wedding day.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to timing, including things like venue availability, sending out invitations, and making sure vendors can get locked in for a specific date. But underneath all of the technicalities, you need to think about how you might feel throughout the pregnancy and base your wedding date around that.
Keeping Things Simple & Stress-Free
Stress can be harmful to a pregnant woman and her baby. Women who experience excessive stress during pregnancy have a greater risk of premature delivery and babies with lower birth weights. Unfortunately, weddings are usually very stressful, even if most of it comes from a place of excitement.
Before you start to get worried, there are things you can do to lower your stress levels and still have the wedding you want while pregnant — from the decor, to the photography, and even to the sermon itself.
One thing you can do to immensely reduce your stress levels is to hire a wedding planner. You can give them your ideas, share your likes and dislikes, and they’ll deal with the logistics for you from start to finish. Unfortunately, wedding planners can cost thousands of dollars and don’t always fit everyone’s budget.
In lieu of a wedding planner, lean on the support of family and friends. Ask your wedding party to help you decorate, or ask one of your closest friends to officiate the wedding and create a sermon to recite at the ceremony.
Prioritizing can really help to lower your stress levels, too, and it starts with invitations. For example, maybe you want to invite 200 people, but you don’t want to worry about the financial strain it’ll put on you as a couple (remember, babies cost a lot of money, too!). So, you cut back your guest list to 50 people to avoid that extra stress.
Food, Friends, Family, and Fun!
Once your big day has finally arrived, it’s time to celebrate — and you have a lot to be happy about! One of the biggest parts of a wedding day is the reception after the ceremony. Weddings can be notorious for open bars and lots of flowing alcohol, but if you’re pregnant, you’re obviously not going to be joining in on that “tradition.” It’s certainly not impossible to survive a wedding while sober, but you can make it easier on yourself and tie in the baby theme to your special day by having a dry wedding. Create fun “mocktails” with wedding or baby-themed names for your guests to enjoy.
You’ll also want to make sure you have plenty of food choices for your guests to enjoy, with healthy options like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to keep on track with a healthy pregnancy (that doesn’t mean you need to bypass your wedding cake, though!).
Speaking of a healthy pregnancy, keep in mind that it should be your priority throughout the planning of your wedding and on the big day itself. Your mental, physical, and emotional health are all important when it comes to the well-being of your unborn baby. If you need to take breaks throughout the planning stages, give yourself time to do so. If you’re feeling tired on your wedding day, take a few minutes to rest and drink some water.
Your wedding day is about you and your partner, not anyone else. It needs to accommodate your needs as an expectant parent. So, don’t be afraid to voice your needs and wants, take care of yourself throughout the process, and have fun celebrating two of the biggest events of your life!
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