How to Plan a Successful Wedding Day for a Crohn's Bride

Planning a wedding is among the most exciting and stressful things a young woman ever has to do. Stress and Crohn's don't mix. This creates certain obstacles to the perfect wedding for women who have Crohn's. Crohn's, however, does not have to ruin your wedding day. You can overcome the obstacles of Crohn's disease and plan a wedding that will work for you regardless of how your Crohn's decides to act on your wedding day.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: Disclosure

Crohn's patients often do not care to disclose the facts about their disease. Because it is a "hidden" disease, many never acknowledge to anyone outside of their family that they are coping with Crohn's. This mindset must be dropped when you are planning a wedding.

Crohn's presents obstacles and challenges which you must overcome in order to have the wedding day of your dreams. Key players in your wedding party have to know you have Crohn's and the implications and obstacles that it may present on your wedding day. Your wedding planner or coordinator has to know. He or she will play a crucial role should anything go wrong. The planner will also be able to help you develop contingency plans in the event of an emergency.

Your maid of honor should know about your Crohn's because her role is to help you through the ceremony. As the member of a bridal party in which the bride has Crohn's disease her role may be a bit more involved than that of other maids of honor.

It will also be helpful to let the minister or judge who is performing your ceremony to know. He or she doesn't need all the details. They just need to be aware of any potential changes that may occur during the ceremony in the event of a Crohn's incident. An experienced minister will be able to handle any changes mid-ceremony and go with the flow.

If you are planning a wedding, you should have let your fiancé know by now that you have Crohn's disease and just what that means.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: Plans and Organization

Stress is a part of every wedding and wedding planning. Keep your stress level down by getting enough family and friends involved to help with specific tasks. Be careful not to get too many people involved because that also has the potential to be chaotic.

Everyone should answer to the wedding planner. Insist on this for your peace of mind. You and the wedding planner will have made all of the major decisions ahead of time, so you don't have to be asked the same question a million times.

You cannot over plan and organize a wedding, especially one involving a bride with Crohn's disease. Be sure that your wedding planner is organized and assists you in planning every step of your wedding including the rehearsal, photographs, the ceremony, and the reception.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: Avoid Pre-wedding Jitters

Let yourself off the hook by accepting the fact that most weddings have a glitch at some point. The "perfect day" is seldom perfect. Plan to remain calm and do not allow little things to stress you out. Remember, if you become stressed it may trigger a Crohn's flare-up.

One tip for avoiding pre-wedding jitters when you have Crohn's is to be selective in choosing your dress. Having Crohn's you do not have the option of picking a dress that fits your the waist like a corset. You never know when Crohn's disease is going to cause you to swell up.

Find a dress that draws attention to your head, neck and shoulders and away from your middle. You are not going to be happy if you bloat on your wedding day and your dress doesn't fit. Pick a dress with this in mind. You can find sleek, modern wedding dresses in styles that don't wrap tightly around your waist.

Another thing you can do to avoid pre-wedding jitters includes meeting with your planner and maid of honor one last time after all the wedding plans are made. Rehearse plans and contingency plans until you feel completely comfortable with them and confident your wedding planner and maid of honor know them. This will give you more confidence on your wedding day.

Avoid the stress of forgotten tuxes, dresses, shoes, and jewelry by having a full dress rehearsal the night before the wedding. Following rehearsal have the wedding party leave their wedding clothes at the wedding site. If there is nowhere onsite to leave the dresses and tuxes have the most responsible person at the rehearsal gather the clothes and be responsible for getting them back to the wedding site on your wedding day.

Another benefit of having a full dress rehearsal is that you can schedule the photographer to take photographs at that time. This leaves one less thing to worry about on the wedding day.

After dress rehearsal insist on a light rehearsal dinner. A heavy dinner and drinking is an open invitation for Crohn's to act up on your wedding day. Advise everyone that you want to keep things light and keep the partying down. Tell them the big party is after the wedding.

You need to eat bland food the day before the wedding and get a good night's rest.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: Guests

The stress of planning your wedding, essentially, around your Crohn's disease will be lessened if you keep your guest list to a minimum. If you keep the wedding simple, with a few guests it will be less stressful and less likely to aggravate your Crohn's.

Consider having a small wedding and plan a grand reception. The reception is in honor of you and your husband, but the focus will not constantly be on you. Should you need to get away for a few minutes because of your Crohn's disease it will be easy to sneak away from the reception.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: Location

When planning your wedding the location can present obstacles because of your Crohn's disease. Choose your wedding location carefully. Find a location where there are restrooms near both the bridal dressing room and the platform or stage on which the wedding ceremony will take place.

In the event of any emergency you must be able to easily reach a restroom.

This is another good reason to have a small wedding. Finding a reception hall with plenty of accessible restrooms will be much easier.

Wherever you're planning your wedding, be certain that you, your wedding planner, and your bride's maid know where all the restrooms are located. The worst possible scenario is to have a spasm hit you before or during the wedding, and you not know where to find a restroom.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: Contingency Plans

Contingency plans are the "just in case" plans you have in place in case you experience a Crohn's incidence during your wedding.

When you have Crohn's, making contingency plans is just as important as planning your wedding.

Pick up an extra dress in case of an accident. It is highly unlikely that you will need it, but have a stand-by just in case. It can be a less expensive, or borrowed dress. Just the fact that it is there may help put your mind at ease. It will be up to your wedding planner to make the dress available wherever you may need it.

If you suddenly experience a problem, have a plan for leaving the stage gracefully. While you are gone for a minute or two a song can be played, the minister can perform a ceremony blessing the rings, or a love poem or Scripture can be read. The diversion can be planned to appear as a seamless part of the ceremony. You will be able to gracefully re-enter. No one at the wedding will even know that a contingency plan has been implemented.

You will probably never use them, but you will have peace of mind knowing plans are in place just in case Crohn's causes something unexpected to happen.

Overcoming Obstacles of Having Crohn's when Planning a Wedding: The Reception

Once the wedding is over change clothes and get more comfortable. Pictures were taken at rehearsal so you can change immediately into an elegant but comfortable dress or pantsuit with plenty of room to move and breathe comfortably.

The wedding reception can be as mild or as wild as you like. The wedding will be over and you will be in a more comfortable position, with access to a number of bathrooms.

Don't forget to add food to the reception menu that you can enjoy without causing cramps or a Crohn's flare-up on your honeymoon.

Your thorough planning will help eliminate and overcome any obstacles your Crohn's disease presents. You are sure to have a wedding day full of beautiful memories.