Think Ahead When You Plan Your Wedding If You Suffer from Ulcerative Colitis

Planning a wedding is stressful. Trying to plan a wedding that accommodates your ulcerative colitis is even more difficult. Here are the things that I learned from my experience.

Keep it small. When you plan the wedding, invite only the people who you are closest to. If you have a flare up and have to reschedule the wedding or some of the events, it is easier to call 100 people than it is to call 500 people.

Designate a helper. Pick a close friend to hold your hand and help you every step of the way. Make sure that she is someone you fully trust to make decisions in your absence.

Pick the right wedding dress. Some wedding dresses are hard to get into and out of. Picking a dress that makes it easy for you to make it to the bathroom in time is essential. If it has a loose bottom that can be lifted up without messing it up, it is a good choice. Make sure that the dress is long enough to allow you to wear thigh high or knee high stockings. Full pantyhose are hard to get out of quickly.

Wear the right shoes. Very high heels or flimsy shoes may not let you make it to the bathroom in time if you have an emergency. Pick shoes that are nice but sturdy. Keep in mind that if your dress is really long, your shoes may not be visible at all.

Plan down time. In some cases, stress will aggravate ulcerative colitis and may cause a serious flare up. I learned from my experience that trying to cram all of the wedding activities into a short period of time is a bad idea. The more time you can relax, the less likely you are to have a flare up that causes you to have to cancel or reschedule the wedding.

Choose appropriate foods. While you should make sure that you have foods that you can eat, remember that not all of your guests have ulcerative colitis. Ask your helper to suggest foods that everyone can enjoy.

Reserve a reception hall that has multiple bathrooms, even if it just in separate stalls. If you have a flare up or need to use the bathroom in a hurry, you have a better chance of being able to accommodate those if the hall has more than one bathroom.

Lastly, start eating your bland food ulcerative colitis diet about a month before the wedding. This may be less than ideal but, you will be less likely to have a flare up that causes you to have to change your wedding plans.