Planning the details of a wedding and the life you’ll be sharing after that circus is over is an excruciatingly stressful experience. With all the little decisions that weigh down on an engaged couple, they often forget to care for their honey as much as when they were in the carefree dating stage.

Remember your spouse-to-be by taking a few minutes to relax together. Try doing the following suggested activities or coming up with your own ideas. The criteria are they can be neither elaborate nor expensive—twin evils that usually accompany stressful weddings.

1. Give each other a reflexology foot massage-and if you don't know which toe

corresponds to the kidney, don't worry. Even untrained hands can do relaxing

wonders.

2. Go bowling at the BYU gaming center...for free. Take advantage of the one

free game you are entitled to per year at the BYU Games Center. All you need

is your BYU I.D. and your date.

3. Run an errand for your betrothed so that he or she can catch some ZZZs between

class. Sleep has probably been a diminishing priority as your engagement has

progressed.

4. Engage in some refreshing yoga. Either check out an instructional video from a

library, or join up with the Thai club, which meets every Saturday at 10 a.m. in the

Wilkinson Ballroom.

5. Cook up something scrumptious and quick. Even fresh sandwiches will provide the

energy you need for a busy day. Pack it up if you prefer a picnic on the go.

6. Watch one of those classic wedding movies and be assured you’re in good company

if anything goes wrong in your planning. Find a hilarious film like "The Philadelphia Story,"

the original "Father of the Bride" or "Royal Wedding," which features an incredible sequence

of Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling.

7. Buy the funkiest board game you can find at D.I. A 1970s version of the Newlywed

Game might fit the bill. When you are done playing it, pass it on to another engaged couple.

8. Make a list of things that need doing, divided into the categories of “crucial,”

“important,” and “could be let go.” That way you are both focused and agree on

where to spend your time. Don’t worry too much about the lower items on the list.

Re-evaluate the list together as necessary.

9. Watch somebody’s kids together as a service project. Make sure you have fun movies, games, snacks, plenty of creativity and good humor on hand.

10. Take a leisurely stroll through a quiet residential neighborhood, and remember that

one day you will look back on this period with fond, grandparently nostalgia.



Copyright Brigham Young University 18 Feb 2005