Planning a wedding can be a roller-coaster of emotions and events that no one prepares you for. It can prompt many brides to run into situations with friends, family and their fiance they haven’t faced before, which can bring out the best and the worst in those relationships.

The other night before I went to bed, I was contemplating some of the less than wonderful moments I’ve encountered during my six months of planning and realized I’ve learned some valuable lessons.

So in my journey to help other brides, I decided to write those lessons out for you all. Here we go:

Five Lessons in Avoiding the Bridal Blues

1. It’s OK to be unhappy once in awhile. So you’ve met your prince charming, you’re madly in love and you’re planning your dream wedding. That means you should be feeling pure bliss all the time, right? WRONG. With an engagement comes a lot of stress, anxiety and worry. It’s normal to feel less than chipper sometimes, which brings me to my next lesson.
2. Don’t mask your feelings with “wedding planning.”Going from a single girl, to a fiance to someones wife is a HUGE transition. You’re likely going to feel a wide array of emotions that can sometimes be uncomfortable. I think sometimes brides try to avoid dealing with those emotions by throwing themselves into planning their wedding to the last detail. This may work for awhile, but eventually those feelings will rise up and you’ll explode- either in the form of a fight, stress overload or tears. Allow yourself time to feel your feelings for just 10 minutes and you’ll be able to put them behind you and enjoy the moment.
3. There is no scorecard.Keeping track of who’s done what for you and comparing that to what you’ve done for them in the past is a recipe for disappointment. Give people the benefit of the doubt and trust they’ll support you when you need it.
4. Don’t ask for opinions about the things you’re REALLY excited about. If you’ve fallen in love with a dress, flower type or necklace, don’t ask your friends/family for their advice unless you’re willing to hear that they aren’t as amped about the object as you are.
5. Adjust Your Expectations.Not everything you’ve dreamt up for your wedding will happen. You’ll have some disappointments. If you expect them in advance, you won’t be crushed when it doesn’t work out.

There are a lot more I’m sure, but those are the five I can think of now. What do you guys think? Any lessons you’d add to the list?

Happy Friday!