Autumn's Embrace: The Wedding Season

Chapter 17: Handling Wedding Stress

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and early, the golden light of the autumn sun streaming through the windows of the farmhouse. But instead of basking in the beauty of the day, Lily found herself staring at the seemingly endless list of tasks still left to do. The piece of paper in front of her, covered in scribbled notes and checkmarks, felt more like a mountain to climb than a simple to-do list.

She sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair as her eyes darted over the list again. There were last-minute decorations to hang, the caterer to check in with, final arrangements for the ceremony seating, and somehow, she still needed to find time to get ready herself. The sense of being overwhelmed crept over her, tightening her chest as she struggled to focus on where to even start.

Elliot entered the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He paused when he saw the furrowed lines of worry on her face and the long list in front of her.

"Morning," he said cautiously, moving toward her. "Everything okay?"

Lily glanced up at him, her shoulders slumping. "I don't know. It's just... there's so much to do, and I don't know how we're going to get through it all. Look at this list. We thought we were organized, but now it feels like we're behind on everything."

Elliot leaned over her shoulder, scanning the list. His eyebrows shot up when he saw the length of it. "Wow, that's... a lot," he admitted, trying to sound calm. "But we can do this. We've handled worse."

Lily pressed her lips together, feeling the weight of the day's expectations pressing down on her. "I don't want to be stressed today, Elliot. This is supposed to be our wedding day, but all I can think about is everything that still needs to be done. What if something goes wrong?"

Elliot pulled out a chair and sat beside her, his gaze soft and reassuring. "Hey, take a breath," he said gently, placing his hand over hers. "I know it feels overwhelming, but we don't have to do this all ourselves. We've got help—family, friends, and the wedding planner. Let's delegate some of these tasks."

Lily closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath as she considered his words. He was right, of course. They didn't have to handle everything on their own, but part of her felt guilty asking others for help. She wanted everything to be perfect, and the thought of giving up control over certain details made her uneasy.

"I know," she said softly. "But I can't shake the feeling that if I let someone else handle it, something will go wrong. I want everything to be exactly how we envisioned it."

Elliot smiled sympathetically. "I get that. You've worked so hard to make this day special, and it's going to be. But we need to make sure we enjoy it, too. If we're running around all day checking off to-do lists, we won't be able to actually experience the day we've spent so much time planning."

Lily opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. There was so much love and patience in his expression that it helped calm the storm of anxiety swirling inside her. He was right again—what was the point of having a beautiful wedding if she and Elliot were too stressed to enjoy it?

"Okay," she said after a moment, nodding. "You're right. We can't do this all ourselves. Let's split up the list and ask for help with the rest."

Elliot smiled, pulling the list toward him. "That's the spirit. Let's see what we've got here."

Together, they reviewed the list, marking off which tasks they could handle on their own and which ones they could delegate to family and friends. There were decorations that still needed to be hung in the barn where the reception would be held, but Sarah and her husband, Mark, had offered to help with setup, so that was an easy one to hand over. The caterer needed to be checked in with, but Lily's mom had already said she'd take care of coordinating with the vendors. Piece by piece, the overwhelming to-do list started to feel more manageable as they assigned tasks to others.