We all know planning a wedding can be stressful. So much so, that it’s easy to forget why you even had this crazy idea to begin with. Oh yeah–because you want to make a promise and commitment to spending the rest of your days with the love of your life! How lucky are you?! Oftentimes, the planning can fall on the shoulders of one half of the relationship more heavily than the other, and that’s okay! There’s no rule that says you have to be psyched about the process just because you are having a wedding. However, no matter if it’s your “thing” or not, we still want to give you a few ideas to keep the spark alive during this time.

1. Menu Tasting

Surely more fun that choosing linens or determining your seating chart, is selecting your menu. From appetizers to mains, signature cocktails to desserts, this will be a treat for your belly and your heart.

Many caterers will come to you, lending the opportunity to set up a special dinner date in your home. Why not get a little festive by decorating with flowers and candles to set the mood? Whether it’s at home, or on location, use it as an excuse to get dressed up. Then, continue the date after you dine with a romantic stroll, or a cocktail in a dark bar, and reflect on the experience you just shared. Menu tasting doesn’t have to be a chore; food is often an aphrodisiac and can be a sexy adventure for the both of you to reignite the excitement you felt before your engagement

2. Honeymoon Prep

Another fun idea is to incorporate planning for your honeymoon into your pre-wedding dating activities. If you’re heading somewhere tropical, book lessons to become scuba-certified or practice rock climbing at your local gym to build strength for honeymoon hikes. If you’re heading somewhere more city-centric, why not take a cooking class to acclimate your palettes and familiarize yourself with the local cuisine?

Spend some time together researching activities in the area and putting together a loose itinerary to maximize your time there together (making sure to leave plenty of time for some spontaneous romance, of course). Adding these activities to your daily lives pre-wedding will not only get you excited for your honeymoon, but will allow more opportunities to spend quality time together, learning something new that you can apply for years to come. 

3. Dance Night

Regardless if you are doing all the traditional wedding dances or not, chances are you will be shakin’ what your mama gave you at some point during the big day. In an attempt to alleviate jitters and any pressure from those (at times, daunting) first dances, allocate a few nights at home to practice. To be clear, we’re not referring to any sort of traditional dance lessons here–that should happen before, if at all!What we suggest is clearing your living room of furniture, turning the lights down low, and the romance all the way up. Not only will this help you get your rhythm and timing down so you’ll look like pros when the time comes, but the physical activity and closeness will naturally stimulate a more intimate, loving environment for your relationship to thrive in.

4. Wellness Date

Leading up to the wedding day, you may, like many couples, kick the diet and exercise into high gear. After all, this is likely the biggest day thus far in your relationship; you want to look your best even if, as the decades pass, you do end up regretting some fashion and décor choices!  These are the photos, videos, and memories you’ll hold dear to your heart for many years to come.

 Sharing your journey to a healthier appearance will create a bond, knowing you endured it as a team. Take this time to create mini-dates once a week such as cooking healthy meals together, going on a walk or hike, playing a sport, or hitting the spa. Not only will you motivate each other, you’ll share in the fact that you worked towards and completed a goal together. When you do look back on those wedding photos years later, you’ll delight in the memory of pushing each other to become the best versions of yourselves. 

5. Staycation

We can only imagine how many conversations between yourself and your significant other leading up to your wedding day revolve around the wedding itself.  Some of these may be agreeable, even enjoyable. However, we’re not naive to thinking many may include some disagreements, and compromise on both sides. Before getting stuck in a rut and completely squandering the magic feeling you had just a short time ago when the question was popped, consider a little getaway. Since your finances may be feeling a little pressure at this time, we suggest keeping it small, but effective. An overnight road trip, a romantic night in a local Airbnb, and camping under the stars are just a few ideas. The goal is to yank yourselves out of the space you share and nudge you toward a new, fresh environment–a break from any monotony that may have been brought on by planning a wedding. Put down the electronics and make a “no wedding talk” rule for this excursion. Be present and in the moment, enjoying each other and the love you’ve built that’s led you to this engagement.

The takeaway from this blog post is simple: instead of treating the planning process for your wedding as a “to-do” list to simply check off, make it fun and romantic. We guarantee if you continue to give your relationship TLC by creating these moments, they’ll increase your excitement and decrease your stress, allowing more opportunities for you to create memories and a lifetime bond that you will look back on with fondness rather than any sort of disdain. Now break out the calendar and start dating your significant other again!