Sidestepping Post-Wedding Melancholy by Transforming My Life in Three Weeks

In the aftermath of a wedding, some may bask in newlywed happiness, while others confront post-marital blues.

I must admit I bypassed processing any post-wedding feelings by overhauling my existence shortly after. A mere three weeks post-ceremony, I resigned from my job, divested our home, and relocated to France from our UK abode.

While dreaming of my engagement and wedding planning in my youth, I never envisioned balancing it with so many major life changes simultaneously. Despite the chaos, my new husband and I didn't squabble through it all, which was encouraging.

Advanced Wedding Planning

Being engaged for just shy of 18 months, we skipped hiring a wedding planner since I relish designing, organizing, and hosting. I spearheaded the wedding arrangements, with my husband tackling the logistics of our move—owing to his job transfer.

Once we chose our wedding date and location, we secured our vendors early—we settled on a popular June Saturday, leaving little room for delay. My eagerness pushed me to get started with the planning.

Though there was a pause after securing vendors, aspects like the menu and music required later decisions. I prepped small details ahead, like restroom accessories. Wedding stress was minimal, overshadowed by everything else competing for my mental focus.

On reflection, the inability to focus solely on wedding details was an advantage, as it helped avoid becoming consumed by it.

Uncontrollable Timeline for Selling Our House

At first, selling our house seemed too stressful, threatening my enjoyment of wedding preparations. However, renting was economically unwise, and our likelihood of returning to the house was low, so I accepted the sale.

Synchronizing the house sale with our move date and wedding was complex. We couldn't predict how long an offer might take or the duration to finalize the sale. When the French house we planned to move into became unavailable a month before the wedding, I was astounded.

Luckily, my husband was already in France and could swiftly arrange viewings, while I managed from a bachelorette weekend in the UK. This experience taught me to relinquish control over some aspects, even as we moved out sooner than preferred post-wedding.

Learning to Prioritize

Relocating to France meant saying goodbye to my full-time position at Business Insider, marking the start of my freelance journey. I wanted to meet with editors and contacts before our move, but I had to accept the time constraints and focus on priorities.

Mentally maxed out, I prioritized what could wait—recognizing that streaming shows could be abandoned temporarily. Interestingly, productivity surged when reducing nightly viewing habits.

I continued working as long as possible, halting only when it was time to embark on our drive to France immediately after finishing my last workday.

We initially felt survival was key as we handled marriage, the house sale, and settling in France. Breathing easy seemed inevitable once those hurdles cleared—but cultural adaptation proved challenging. Despite this, we’re grateful for these thrilling albeit compressed experiences.

Relaxing in the sunny south of France, accompanied by a glass of rosé and fresh baguette, presents an ideal unwinding method.