There are so many feelings and emotions that surround the engagement season of life! I’m guessing you feel excited, scared, stressed, and happy all at the same time. With all those emotions swirling around inside you, it can be sometimes be easy to give into the stress and hard to intentionally tap into those positive emotions. Release some good vibes during your engagement by showing intentional gratitude!

The engagement season of life is a relatively short and unique season, so do your best to appreciate this time. Like any stage of life, it has special things to love and enjoy. We know you just can’t wait to tie the knot, but instead of wishing time would rush onward, savor your engagement. One of the best ways to do this is to focus on thankfulness. You can show gratitude to in a variety of ways and to many people. Here are some thankfulness ideas to keep you smiling and positive during your busy engagement season!

1. Say thank-you to your fiancé

When was the last time you looked your fiancé in the eyes and said, “Thank you?” When was the last time you wrote a note expressing your gratitude? Of all the people in your life, your fiancé probably deserves your thanks the most.

After all, let’s be real: your fiancé is often the one who feels the brunt of your wedding stress. We all have a little Bridezilla inside during wedding planning, and our poor fiancés usually end up in the eye of the storm. While this might be good practice for “for better or for worse,” it’s never fun.

Thank your fiancé for loving you though the crazy days and the good days alike. If you’re a calm bride, you can still thank your fiancé for choosing you for life, helping with the wedding planning, or anything else you feel thankful for. Make your gratitude extra meaningful with a thank-you note written on pretty stationery!

Which brings me to my next suggestion…

2. Purchase your thank-you notes

Have you selected your thank-you note stationery yet? You can get this easy wedding planning step done as far in advance as you like! Get ahead of the game and think about gratitude when you select your thank-you note stationery.

We have the best vendors in our Invitations & Stationery category that can help you with this! For example, Rabbit Rabbit Studio offers a unique invitation set by hand drawing and digitally coloring a one-of-a-kind illustration based on your photos (as pictured above). Check their listing for a promo code for free shipping!

Click here to see the full list of our Invitations & Stationery vendors.

Just thinking about thank-you notes can bring gratitude to the forefront of your mind! Pretty soon, you’ll be getting many wedding gifts to furnish your home and save you money. Your friends and family will be showing a display of generosity that communicates love and care!

Weeks before you actually write your thank-you notes, you can reflect on the people you are thankful for and the things they do for you.

3. Leave glowing reviews for your vendors

Did your cake decorator take extra time to design the perfect cake for you? Was your wedding dress lovingly cared for by the bridal shop? Is your florist doing a phenomenal job?

Let them know how grateful you are. Leave an honest review on their Forever Bride listings in order to show just how thankful you are for good service. In turn, your vendors will be grateful for your positive feedback!

4. Give a thank-you gift

Do you have a wedding helper who has stood by you through thick and thin while you plan your wedding? Perhaps your mom, aunt, bridesmaid, best man, or wedding planner has gone above and beyond for you.

Say thank you by giving a special gift! Perhaps you can wrap up a nice piece of jewelry from Stella + Dot, a custom-designed keychain, or a velvet ring box (read its Trend Report here) from Secret Keeper Box (pictured above) for a great thank-you surprise.

Add a short note to let them know how much their help means to you.

5. List everything you are thankful for

This private thankfulness exercise can make you feel positive and grateful no matter how your day is going! Whether you are having a great day or a rough one, this is the perfect way to end your night or refresh during lunch time. Start jotting down ideas, and you’ll be amazed by how many little things in your life you are thankful for!

This thankfulness list is a great habit to get into. If you journal regularly, why not add three things you’re thankful for to the end of each entry? Or, post a short list on Facebook and encourage your friends to repost with their own list. You could even keep a thankfulness log in the notes app on your phone. You can look through it the next time you’re feeling sad or frustrated.

6. Turn your complaints into gratitude

This is undoubtedly the most challenging yet rewarding item on this list! What’s eating at you today? Did your wedding rings come in the wrong size? Are your flowers a different shade of purple than you imagined? Is someone in your wedding party taking forever to get a wedding project finished? Whatever is driving you nuts today, be thankful for it.

What? Be thankful for irritating things? Yes, you read that right. If you can turn your complains into thanks, you’ll find that they’re not such a big deal after all. You’ll smile, and you’ll feel so much better! This exercise always helps me, and I am sure it can help you, too. Here’s how you do it:

Start by listing 5 to 10 of the things that are bothering you right now. It can be anything from uncooperative siblings to a broken dishwasher, an unresponsive wedding cake baker, or a misplaced pair of shoes.

Once you have you list, find something positive about each item.

For example, next to “broken dishwasher,” you can write, “I am thankful to have a dishwasher, and I’m thankful that when it’s broken I still have running water to clean my dishes.”

Next to “uncooperative sibling,” write, “I am thankful that even though my sister isn’t helping as much with the wedding as I would like, she threw a great bachelorette party. I am also thankful that I have a good relationship with my sister and that she is in my wedding.”

For “unresponsive cake baker,” add “I am thankful that I get to eat wedding cake in a few weeks!” For “misplaced wedding shoes,” add “I am thankful that I already got my wedding shoes and that I know they are in my house somewhere.”

You get the idea!

If you can take your frustrations and turn them into grateful thoughts, you’ll find that you can smile no matter what is going on. Why not take a few minutes right now and try it?

Even in your busy engagement season, take the time to feel and express gratitude! No matter how busy or stressed out you are right now, there’s so much to be thankful for! After all, in just a short while, you’ll be saying “I do” to the one you love best.

Set aside a bit of time this week to be intentionally grateful! Pick one thing on this list to do every day of this week. At the end, you’ll have a bigger smile and a brighter outlook on life! Bring some extra joy into this happy, busy engagement season. There’s so much to be thankful for!