Avoiding Wedding-Day Amnesia

Feb 3, 2020

I’m delighted to welcome another guest to write for this blog. This time it’s Chloe Walker. She describes herself as:

“a twenty-something year old, freelance writer who’s focusing on wedding and event planning. When she isn’t thinking about her very own dream wedding, she can be found curled up by the fire with her dog, Bruce.”

Enjoy her thoughts!

Wedding-day amnesia affects a surprising number of newly married couples.

According to a survey from Sony, “More than 1 in 4 [married couples] admit to not remembering their wedding vows”

Many couples say that their special day has become just ‘a big blur’ and that they’ve forgotten all the finer details, even if everything was utterly perfect and the day itself was an emotional and exciting experience.

It’s hardly surprising that this happens. Weddings can be stressful and the day itself can often feel busy and even chaotic, even if you’ve carefully planned every detail and are head over heels in love with your partner.

But there is good news.

You can prevent wedding amnesia from rearing its ugly head and allow yourself to cherish the memories for ever. Here are six ways you can do just that.

1. Choose the right venue

Your wedding venue can make your wedding memorable for all the right reasons, or all of the wrong ones. That’s why it’s vitally important to get it right.

Make sure it feels like the venue of your dreams and offers everything you hoped it would. Let your heart guide you when making your decision here- that’s what will truly make the day feel memorable.

Opt for something that helps the two of you make the most of your big day and feel special, not something that you feel pressured into choosing by family or friends.

The venue should also give you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the venue and surroundings, your guests should feel comfortable and it should provide a sense of intimacy that helps you form those special memories that you can share with your grandkids.

Finally, ensure that you have full privacy on your big day and don’t have to share with anyone else.

Luxury wedding venue, Manor by the Lake say it best; “ The last thing you want is to see random people you don’t know wandering around your venue on your wedding day!”

2. Step away for a moment or two

On your wedding day, make sure that you find time to break away from the stress and busyness of the occasion and really enjoy the moment.

This will help ensure that your nerves don’t get frazzled and you have enough energy to make it through the day, and help your brain form those memories that will last a lifetime.

Stop what you’re doing, close your eyes (if you can) and take some slow deep breaths. Aim to make your exhales longer than your inhales to help you feel a deep sense of calm.

As you do this, soak up your beautiful surroundings, your gorgeous dress and the exciting event as a whole, then go back to enjoy the celebrations feeling refreshed.

3. Connect and reflect before you walk down the aisle

Just before the ceremony itself starts, take time to sit and reflect. Be quiet and sit for five minutes or so. Bring to mind memories from your relationship so far and soak up the moment.

If you can, sit with your partner, hold hands and enjoy this sense of deep connection and union before you get married. Doing this will help you escape from the organisational chaos that has led up to the event and you can reconnect with your loved one.

4. Enjoy a short walk after the ceremony

Instead of finishing the ceremony and rushing off for photographs or to the reception, get outside into nature and take a short walk. Even 15 minutes will be enough for you to reconnect with your partner and absorb the exciting fact that you’re now a married couple!

This also provides a great opportunity for your wedding photographer to snap some beautiful, scenic shots that you can enjoy for the rest of your lives.

5. Eat together

When you’re trying to talk to everyone and have so much to do, you might find yourself forgetting to eat at your own reception. Don’t make this mistake! You’ll only find your stomach grumbling and your stress hormones going through the roof!

Just take five minutes with your partner, grab a plate and fill it with as much food as you like. Then sit and enjoy it together, uninterrupted. You’ll build beautiful memories, feel better and have enough energy to make it through the day too.

6. Write it all down

Prevent your wedding day memories fading away by writing down everything that happened on your special day as soon as you can.

This will create a vivid record of your wedding day that you can refer back to whenever you want. When you have it down on paper, you’ll stand a far better chance of remembering those tiny details like conversations, expressions and events that you loved so much on the day and really bring those memories back to life.

If you’re not a fan of writing, you can always record your memories digitally using the voice recorder app on your smartphone. Just be sure to back it up afterwards for safekeeping.

Final thoughts

Even though you’ve likely poured months or even years into planning your wedding, it can all go by in a flash.

That’s why you should do your best to preserve those memories and cherish them forever.

Choose your dream venue, take moments through the day to soak it all up and enjoy the occasion. Then you stand a better chance of avoiding wedding day amnesia and of remembering it all.

If you want to contact Chloe, her e-mail address is chloe.walker@harbourmail.co.uk.

Photo: Matt Penberthy