“I feel like I haven’t seen him since he was down on one knee!” one of my 2019 bride’s said as we sat across from each other at Starbucks. I continued to listen and took a sip of my herbal tea. “All we do is plan, research, talk to our moms and then do more research. It is exhausting! I miss just hanging out with him” she explained. I waited for her to take a breath… “I have something for you.” I responded as I started sifting through my bag. I always keep a few extra gift cards on me just in case this happens… you’d be surprised how often I hand them out. “AHH!” I say, as I pull out an AMC movie theater gift card and hand it over.

“What’s this for?” she asked as she flipped it over to investigate further.

“When was the last time you guys went to a movie?” I asked. She didn’t respond. That’s what I thought. “This,” I said as I pointed to the gift card “Is your initiation into your weekly date night.” I explained. “Every week, you guys should put everything aside, maybe even leave your phone at home, and do something fun just the two of you. I don’t want you to talk about your wedding or your checklist once. Just go out and appreciate one another!” She smiled and nodded. I could already see some of the tension leave her shoulders and with that, I smiled and nodded right back.

Make time for just the two of you (and maybe your puppy too): Even though your wedding day is supposed to be just about you and your SO, planning a wedding is always more complicated than that. It’s about the caterers and the venue. It’s about mom’s wishes and dad’s family traditions. It’s about keeping up with your todo list, checking things off and quadruple inspecting every detail. Planning a wedding takes up a ton of physical, mental and emotional space and that is why weekly date nights are a YP must! Don’t get me wrong, I think date nights are immensely important in every stage of a relationship, but when you are waking up at 2am concerned about the guest list or you just re-did the seating chart for the 14th time, it is so vital to take a step back, put the checklists, schedules and planners down, grab your SO’s hand and go out! Take some time to remember exactly why you are doing all of this. You are getting ready to marry your best friend so you better take some time to appreciate them, love them and spend some time JUST the two of you…