I have general anxiety disorder. I'm the type of woman who can go into a panic when the farmers market is delayed due to rain or a friend uses the phrase "let's play it by ear." Still, I've learned the art of staying cool as a cucumber when it comes to the big stuff.

My wedding week was no different. Many people told me I was "the most calm and collected bride they had ever encountered." Not too bad for an extreme A-type personality like myself!

When it comes to staying calm on your wedding day, there are a few things that can help you keep it all together and enjoy it to the fullest.

1.Keep the schedule to a minimum

I knew from experience that if I scheduled every little detail of the day, I would be stressed out. Most wedding schedules run a bit late, which throws off the rest of the schedule. So instead of setting myself up to freak out if the side plates and table runners were put down five minutes late, I decided not to schedule that kind of stuff at all.

We had more of a "major events" schedule. I scheduled the time for the ceremony to start, the reception to begin, the band to start playing, and the food to arrive. Not only did this save me from biting my nails all day or yelling at vendors, it actually worked out perfectly! In fact, it was the first wedding I'd ever been to where the ceremony actually started on time! A detailed schedule was completely unnecessary.

2.Consider having a buffet

Not only is a buffet a more relaxed environment for your guests, it really cuts down on the stress of seating arrangements. With plated meals, the wait staff will need to know exactly who is sitting where. This means that if a guest or two cancels at the last minute, you may need to rearrange the seats. This adds a lot of stress to the couple and the staff.

We decided to keep it simple and let our guests sit where they were comfortable. Additionally, a cancelled guest wasn't a "wasted plate," just more food for everyone else!

3. If you're not a DIY kinda girl, don't try to become one the week of your wedding

Crafts for the un-crafty can be extremely tedious and time-consuming. Unless you love DIY projects, your decorations aren't going to be "Pinterest Perfect" anyway. You can still save money by buying a lot of your decor second hand, borrowing items from friends, or assigning tasks to the people who know what they're doing. Ask friends and family what they enjoy doing, and they'll be happy to help out!

4. Pick your wedding party based on relationships not genders

My husband and I keep saying that what really made our wedding special was all our awesome friends. We wanted our favorite people to be there with us and didn't want to let gender dictate who was at the parties or standing next to us on our big day. It's a stressful experience, so be sure to surround yourself with the people that make you laugh, regardless of gender!

5. Have a plan for keeping your cool

A-types like myself work best with structure. One of the reasons I didn't have a meltdown was that I had a plan to not have a meltdown. While you might not be able to control your emotions every second of the day, you can set a goal for yourself to not stress the small stuff. In fact, write it down on paper! Make "not being stressed out" a part of your wedding to-do list.

How are you planning to stay calm on your wedding day? Newlyweds, what worked best for you to keep cool on the day of?