Your wedding day — a day of excitement and anticipation for those who have yet to experience it, and a day of remembrance for those who have once experienced this special day.
The term “Bridezilla” is a condition no soon-to-be brides hope to experience as they prepare for their wedding. As the stresses of getting married are immense to begin with, how does adding on the complexities of a full semester schedule add to the pressure of creating the perfect day for you and your significant other?
Ethan and Ellie
Ethan del Toro, a senior exercise science major from St. George, sealed the deal to the love of his life, Ellie del Toro, a senior nursing major from St. George, on May 1, 2020. Since both lovebirds were students at Dixie State University during the time of their wedding, this added some unforeseen stresses the couple didn’t plan on experiencing as they planned for the big day.
“It was tough to get everything done that we wanted to in time,” Ethan del Toro said. “Trying to balance all of my homework along with figuring out the wedding plans was a lot more than I thought it would be. We ended up having to throw together a couple of things at the end to finalize all of the details.”
Ethan del Toro wasn’t the only one who was feeling the pressure of accomplishing all they hoped to before the big day. Ellie del Toro also expressed some anxious moments she felt.
“It was tough to focus on both school and the wedding plans at the same time,” Ellie del Toro said. “I’d make a to-do list for the week, and it seemed like there were 15+ tasks I needed to accomplish every day and never seeming to find the time to get them all done.”
Planting a big kiss on her husband’s cheek, Ellie Del Toro said, “But regardless of all of the stresses we had, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
The business side of things
Annie Olsen is a videographer who works with engaged couples planning on getting married, including the preparation it takes to help put together an incredible day for these couples.
“I feel like I deal with two different sets of brides: those who are prepared and ready to plan, and those who are not,” Olsen said. “Unfortunately, most of the time it is the brides still in school that seem to be struggling with the preparations the most.”
Olsen also mentioned how different the planning goes when comparing couples getting married while they are in school to those who are not.
“[Those} who aren’t in school seem to have a lot more time to prepare and are more organized,” Olsen said. “Those weddings always seem to have a better flow and avoid a lot of problems that I see in other weddings.”
Harrison and Sarah
Harrison Labrum, a senior exercise science major from St. George, also recently tied the knot with his partner-in-crime, Sarah Labrum. Harrison Labrum started the conversation off with a deep laugh as he remembered how stressful this time was for him.
“We had a lot of restraints on the dates we could get married, [which made it difficult for those attending] because of the dates I had assignments due for my classes,” he said. “There was only one or two weekends out of the month where we could have done it.”
Not only was the actual wedding planning stressful for Harrison Labrum, but the way it encapsulated his mind when he needed to study for classes was an unforeseen difficulty.
Harrison Labrum said: “I remember a week or two before the wedding, I wasn’t thinking at all about my tests, but I was thinking about other topics like, ‘I hope it doesn’t rain on my wedding day,’ and ‘What would we do if it did?’ I played those scenarios out in my head for way too many hours than I’d like to admit.”
The chaos of planning a wedding is like no other, but doing what you can to create the day you have always dreamed of will always and forever be worth it.
“The pressures and stresses I felt before getting married was crazy,” Harrison Labrum said. “But I love my wife, and creating the perfect day for us was worth all the craziness that came with it.”
