Hi Lovely People! 🤍 Part of why I've arranged this Virtual Wedding Fayre, is to help give hope and support to people who are feeling a little hopeless right now. I understand that with the uncertainty and isolation, it can be hard to find motivation to plan your Wedding, or run your business. For this reason, the Event is based around the Five Ways to Wellbeing, as recommended by the Mental Health Charity, Mind and The New Economics Foundation. These Ways to Wellbeing are simple things that you can add to your daily life, to gradually feel happier and less anxious. Here are those Five Ways to Wellbeing, that you can apply to your daily life, and what we're doing to support them!
Connection
Just talking to people and making new connections helps us to feel happier and more mentally well. There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world. I encourage you to reach out to the Suppliers, have a nice chat with them. We're all happy to connect and want to help you plan the best day possible. When you get in touch with a Supplier, not only will you be helping your own wellbeing by making a new connection, you'll be helping them to feel valued and encouraged, which may have more of an impact than you think. I've invited our Suppliers to attend the Fayre, so they can respond to your comments in real time. Fully immersing yourself in the fayre and chatting to Suppliers in real time, could help promote wellbeing for both you and the Supplier you're chatting with.
Physical Activity
It's well-known that exercise releases endorphins, which are basically little happy chemicals in your brain. Exercising regularly is associated with lowering depression and anxiety rates and increasing overall happiness. We have a wonderful personal trainer, Liv from LivWell PT involved in this Fayre. She'll be giving you fitness and motivation advice, to promote health and overall wellbeing! Keep an eye out for the upcoming Fayre Schedule, where you'll be able to see the times for all of the Events throughout the day.
Taking Notice & Being Curious
Being present in the moment and taking notice can help you to worry less about the future and stop dwelling on negative past experiences. This has been extremely helpful for me in managing anxiety, feeling more content and enjoying whatever I'm doing at the time. Of course it's hard not to worry right now, but living in the moment and being aware of the positive things we see around us, savouring the sun and enjoying the birds chirping, can make more of a difference than we realise.
I've tried to make the Virtual Wedding Fayre as positive and easy of an experience as possible. All the videos and posts will be right here, on The Wedding Fayre Main Page, so you can sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the day. There will be Q&As with Suppliers, Virtual Tours of Venues and even Music and Entertainment for you to enjoy. If possible, I'd encourage you to experience it with your fiance, so you can share it and talk about it together.
To try to help you forget everything else and just enjoy the day, I always recommend you start your day with some Mindfulness, to help you feel more present and less anxious. Take 5 minutes to focus on your breathing, sit outside or open a window and listen to the sounds of nature. One good thing about lockdown is there's less traffic noise, less noise from people outside, so it's easier to hear all the pretty sounds of nature. For those 5 minutes, just enjoy the calm, before getting on with your day. Studies also show the heightened awareness you'll gain will help you to make positive choices and feel more connected to your own values, so it should help you choose the right Suppliers for you!
Learning
I'm a big believer in always learning new things and can personally vouch for the fact that continued learning throughout life enhances self-esteem. I'm constantly trying new things and it keeps me from feeling like I'm in a rut. If you're stuck at home with not much to do, I'd recommend learning something useful, like a new language (I love Duolingo for this!), or something creative, like cooking or knitting. Even something as simple as learning a new word a day, or doing a crossword, can help stimulate that part of your brain and increase your confidence. Throughout the weekend, we have Q&As with Suppliers, with advice on how to make the most of your Wedding. As well as Wedding Planning Tips from our suppliers, we've also got Chrissy from Home of CC giving you ideas for DIY Wedding Decor projects you can do easily at home, so you can learn new skills, whilst creating Luxury Decor for your Wedding!
Giving
We all know that lovely feeling we get when we help others. Many studies have shown that people who help others more are more likely to be happy themselves. Even one act of kindness a week helps increase overall happiness. This Fayre is raising money for Mind, so they can continue their work supporting people who need it the most. You can Donate here, or through the Donate button on the Virtual Wedding Fayre Main Page. Thank you for reading and I really hope that joining in with the Fayre helps you to not only feel excited about planning your Wedding, but happier and healthier overall!
Take care and stay safe everyone, see you at the Fayre! The details are below for you, in case you missed them, and you can sign up at the top of this page! 🤍
Lindsay xo
