The Bridal Business Edit Part 3: Preparing for the Ultimate Partnership

By Jessica Wise

Like I said in my last article, planning a wedding is like building a business. And it doesn’t get built overnight. In just nine short months, not only did I have to plan my wedding, but I also had to prepare my business and myself for my biggest partnership yet — marriage.

How I prepared my business

I simply did less.

Less content, less events. No new merch, and minimal collaborations. It felt lazy at the moment, but it was good for my business (and for my sanity). I knew I wouldn’t have time to plan a wedding and put Audacity in maximum overdrive, and I didn’t want to put out half-baked material because I forced myself to do so. So I let the magazine simmer, and as it turns out, it was just fine.

I delegated and made a plan.

The Bridal Business Edit isn’t happening by osmosis. It’s a strategy that’s been in the works for four out of the nine months I was engaged, and it was dependent on our tiny-but-mighty team of three to get it rolled out. I listed out the content I wanted to make on each platform. Then I created a schedule for me and the Audacity team to adhere to, so I was able to honeymoon peacefully instead of taking my laptop to the beach.

I was constantly capturing moments.

When you visit a lot of venues and vendors, things start to blur together, so I was consistently taking photos and videos to review after appointments and to document the days leading up to our wedding. That became the springboard for the videos you’re going to see over the next few weeks, and it kept me from having to spin straw into gold due to lack of content to use.

I didn’t reinvent the wheel.

Trying to make my wedding content for content’s sake didn’t make any sense. It had nothing to do with the brand. We don’t do weddings, and we don’t do random content. We do small business spotlighting. So I designed this edit to focus on that instead of simply creating “bridal content.” I anchored each article, graphic, and video to what we already do best — Hot Take Tuesday, Audacity Approved, listicles, etc.

How I prepared myself

First of all, I didn’t wait until I was engaged or even dating my husband to prepare myself to be a wife. Long before I met him, I was working on being the best version of myself, and in turn, the law of attraction (and Hinge) did its thing. But, that’s a different article.

I (we) upped the therapy.

In addition to the regular therapy I was already doing, my husband and I also went to regular premarital counseling for a year before we got married. No matter how well you think you know each other, there are serious questions neither of you have thought to ask and agreements that need to be made out loud, not unspoken and assumed.

I got in better shape.

I wanted to look and feel my best on my wedding day, but I was tired of the guesswork. So, in addition to my registered dietician, I did a 12-week workout plan with Underdog Personal Training. What I loved about their program is that it gave me full autonomy. TJ designed my workouts based on my personal goals and what equipment I had access to. When I was in town, I worked out at my office gym. If I was traveling for a dress fitting, TJ gave me workouts I could do at the local park. Everything was uploaded into the app at the top of each week, so I knew what to expect and avoided decision fatigue. My dietician helped me align my meals with my workouts, and by wedding day I was feeling confident and strong. 

My husband and I also took on some healthier habits as a couple. We made alcohol a weekends-only treat. We took the junk food out of the house and ate out less the final three months. We did active dates and respected each other’s workout times. Making healthier habits a joint venture was a great exercise in preparing for our life partnership.

I became high maintenance.

Shortly after I got engaged, my aunt said, “Jessica, now that you got a ring, you need to keep your nails done.” And while a Black auntie will read you with love and humor, she wasn’t wrong. In order to be able to show up for my husband, I needed to learn how to show up better for myself in the beauty maintenance department.

I mostly do my own hair and nails, and I’m pretty good at it. But there’s something magical and empowering about being able to get quality professional service, and with all the wedding events I needed to be glammed for, those monthly appointments saved me a lot of time on the backend. I traded my at-home OPI for non-toxic builder gel manicures with Elan Organic Nail Boutique. Because I did my hair trials the final three months of the wedding, I had pretty consistent sew-ins done by Styles by Bosslady using Go Sleek extensions. And instead of letting wedding stress destroy my skin, I got in front of it with regular facials at Karera Health, which helped me prep my skin to be at its best by the wedding day.

Taking this time for myself also helped me show up in a better way for my husband. It’s true, when you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you’re less likely to get cranky about silly things with your partner that won’t matter in 10 minutes. A fresh mani and a silk press won’t solve all problems we’ll encounter, but it will help me show up better for them. I plan to keep up the maintenance routine to a level from now on.

I (we) got intentional about connecting.

We didn’t always get it right, but my husband and I tried to make sure we spent uninterrupted, non-wedding-related time together. Sometimes that meant going out, and sometimes it meant sitting down for a movie marathon. We were also intentional about our personal time. He likes to decompress the first 30 minutes after coming in from work. I like to go to Trader Joes at exactly 9am on Sundays. Giving ourselves needed solitude made times of connection even more meaningful.

For a more intimate look at The Bridal Business Edit, follow us on Instagram for video content covering my wedding story and more details on how we chose our small business partners.