Weddingbee Blog

A few months ago, right after we’d booked our venue, I was talking to one of my coworkers while heating up my Lean Cuisine in the kitchen. He asked the details of the wedding, and I told him that it was going to be at a botanical garden in May. He replied, “Sounds nice, but I hope that neither one of you has allergies.”

Well, crap.

We totally hadn’t thought of that, but it’s a major issue. The boy has terrible allergies in the spring. My allergies are much worse in the fall, but spring is no picnic for me, either. I can think of two outdoor weddings I’ve attended in the past few years—one in April, one in September—where I was a sniffling, miserable mess.

But that cannot happen on our wedding day. I won’t allow it.

Over the past few years, I’ve learned some ways to stop my allergies from getting too insane. So here are some of my tips:

1. Try every medication you can until you find the right one. I’ve been on Claritin, Clarinex, and Allegra. I took each one for several months at a time, and none of them did anything. Then I tried Zyrtec, and, miracle of miracles, after a month or so it actually worked! Everyone is different, so I doubt that Zyrtec will be the miracle product for everyone else. But if you try everything you can, something is bound to work better than the rest. A tip: if your allergies are seasonal, don’t wait until you start sneezing to take the meds. My allergies flare up in April and again in September, so I start taking my pills in February and August to build them up in my system.

2. Try nasal spray. Mr S’s doctor is awesome and loves to give out free samples. Last spring, the boy came home with a year’s worth of Nasonex. The year before, he got Flonase. A quick spray up each nostril every morning worked wonders for both of us.

3. Use a neti pot. I was really reluctant to try a neti pot because I was totally freaked out by photos like this:

Source

But I gave it a shot anyway, and I’m so glad that I did. It takes a few times to get used to the feeling of water going in one nostril and out the other, but you’ll be amazed at how much stuff comes out of your nose. I’m gross, so I totally get a sick satisfaction out of seeing what was once up my nose. But more importantly, it’ll make your whole head feel clear.

So, allergies, are you reading this? You will not ruin our wedding day! We will not allow it!

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Are you worried that they might affect your wedding?