Planning a Wedding When the World Feels Heavy

There’s this quiet heartbreak I’ve been hearing more and more from couples lately and it absolutely deserves to be said out loud. It’s that mix of wedding planning joy and world-is-on-fire dread. The kind of ache where you scroll through linen swatches in one tab while reading devastating headlines in another.

I recently saw a video from a bride planning her 2026 wedding, and it stopped me in my tracks. She said:

“I always imagined that when I got engaged, I’d be over-the-moon excited. But instead, I wake up every day wondering what the next breaking news headline will be. I’m struggling to feel happy. I hate the world around me, but I just got engaged to the love of my life. And holding those two feelings at once… it’s a lot.”

This hit hard.

Because yeah, how DO you care about color palettes when the world feels so broken?

How are you supposed to get excited about centerpieces when there are people hurting, systems crumbling, futures uncertain?

How do you hold joy and despair at the same time?

Here’s the truth: I don’t think there’s a right way to feel right now. But I do know this: your love matters. Your joy matters. And choosing to build something tender and full of hope in the middle of a messy, painful world? That’s not selfish. That’s resistance.

The Greatest Expression of Rebellion Is Joy

I read a quote recently that said, “The greatest expression of rebellion is joy.”

And damn if that doesn’t feel like a battle cry. Or a real cry. Honestly, I’m getting them confused a lot lately lol

Loving out loud, planning a celebration of connection, dancing with your people? These are radical acts in a world that feels disconnected and cold.

Joy doesn’t mean you’re ignoring reality. It means you’re refusing to let the dark steal the light.

You’re allowed to hold both. The grief and the gratitude. The rage and the joy. The fear and the excitement.

You’re allowed to plan a wedding and stay grounded. You’re allowed to daydream about walking down the aisle and care deeply about what’s happening around you.

You’re allowed to hope.

You Deserve to Be Happy, Even Now!

If you’re reading this while doom-scrolling or feeling like your wedding joy is too fragile to share…breathe.

You’re not alone.

You don’t have to perform endless excitement if that’s not where your heart is. But you also don’t have to apologize for being in love and wanting to celebrate that love.

Marriage is a commitment to keep choosing each other in every kind of weather. And maybe that begins now- by choosing joy even when the world says it doesn’t make sense.

So if all you can do today is smile at your partner, make one tiny decision about your wedding, or just whisper “I’m still excited even if I’m scared”…that’s more than enough.

I See You

To the couples holding joy and anxiety in the same hand, I see you.

To the ones showing up for their people and still trying to show up for themselves, I see you.

To the ones who never imagined planning their wedding during such heavy times, I’m with you.

You’re not broken. You’re not selfish. You’re not alone.

You are doing something beautiful.

And it’s okay to feel everything all at once.

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