It’s wedding season! All my friends are either getting married, are newlywed or are thinking of marriage. It’s a great season! I’m a newlywed and I’m loving being able to take mini vacations with my hubby or have stay-cations at home, binge watching our favorite TV shows. But for the people who don’t feel close to getting married or don’t have a significant other, seeing their social media outlets filled with romance and all things weddings, it can be sad and even discouraging. So what do you do in the wait? What do you do while you wait for your other half? Don’t feel bad for yourself, girls, and don’t resent your friends. Read below for some tips I learned while waiting to get hitched.

1. Deepen the friendships you have
You’re going to need your girlfriends even after you find your guy. Ladies, let’s not lie to ourselves and say we’d rather not have girlfriends because of the drama that sometimes we encounter. We were created with a deep longing for connection with each other. We need each other. No matter how great of a guy you find, there are just some things only your girlfriends will understand. They will be your support system in good and bad.

2. Do the things you long to do
Do you want to go backpacking in Europe? Do you want to do missionary work? Do you want to live in a new city? This is the time do it. Once you’re married or once you’re in a committed relationship, you have to start thinking of the other person’s needs as well. It’s not that once you’re married, you can’t do the things you long to do, it just involves more planning and mutual agreement.

3. Serve God and learn what His word has to say about womanhood & marriage
The world wants to teach us about being a woman and what it looks like to be a woman. It also gives us models and ideas of marriage. I would say many of these teachings and ideas aren’t aligned to God’s purpose for marriage and womanhood. So in your wait, learn what God has to say about all this. Trust me, it’ll make the transition from being single to being married smoother.

4. Discover the vision for your life
Without a plan or vision for what you want out of life, it’s hard to choose the right person to come along side of you. If you don’t have a plan or a vision, pray and ask God to show you what it is. The best way to know if that special person is the “the one” is by sharing your vision with him, and seeing if his vision is similar or the same.

5. Establish healthy habits for yourself
If you don’t make your bed every day now, you won’t do it once you’re married. If you don’t work out and have a healthy diet now, you won’t do it to fit into a wedding dress. If you overspend and don’t manage money well, it won’t get any easier once you’re married. Take care of yourself now. Take care of your responsibilities now. If you do, once have more responsibilities to attend to, you won’t neglect the things that are most important. (I’m so speaking from experience on this one, ouchy.)

Hope this encouraged you and I pray you seek the Lord in your wait, more than anything else!

If you know someone who could use this pep talk, share it with them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!