ATTENTION GROOMS:
Beat the Wedding Blues With Simple De-Stressors

Ask any man what was the most stressful day of his life, and a good showing of them will tell you it was their wedding day.  Consider what faced them:  family pressures, chiffon, emotional roller coasters before, during and after the Big Day, not to mention publicly declaring one’s love in front of hundreds of friends and relatives!

Well, help is on the way.  Reduce and even wipe away Wedding Day stress with these easy tips. Get involved with the ceremony preparation:  It’s easy to get caught up in the details surrounding the wedding itself, but the words that will be spoken on your wedding day will take you across a threshold of life.  Work together with your bride to select readings, music and rituals to include.  If you’ve spent time making the ceremony personally meaningful, you’ll be less likely to feel like an outsider at your own wedding.

Rely on your groomsmen:  Select people who will pitch in when necessary and who have been with you during other stressful occasions, so that you know that they will help you keep your cool.

Take pressure off of the bride:   A calm bride leads to a calm groom.  The bride may think she is a superwoman, planning every last detail, but she will certainly appreciate your interest and your help. 

Ask her to give you tasks and perform them well, like arranging for activities for out-of-town guests, booking hotels and cars, coordinating airport runs, and giving directions to the officiant, photographer and other wedding professionals. 

Ask for help:   On the day of the wedding, designate someone in your family or wedding party to handle stressors surrounding the wedding:  family, guests, wedding
professionals, parking, etc., so that you can stay above the fray.

Speak from the heart:  If you are writing your own vows, speak to your bride as if you two are all alone.  Practice your vows in front of a friend with speaking experience before reading them at the wedding.  To calm your nerves on the day of the wedding, focus only on the one you love, and let the guests melt away as you pledge your love directly to her.

Know what’s going on:   Because the bride may be in hiding on the day of the wedding, people will be relying on you for information or to make last minute decisions.  Take the time in advance to familiarize yourself with the preparations so that you can fulfill this role with ease. 

Don’t worry about the “perfect wedding”:   There’s no such thing.  Most guests won’t even notice “mistakes”, and even if they do, often such gaffes add charm, humor, and authenticity to the event. 

Be present in the moment.  Look at your bride during the vows.  Listen carefully to your readers. 

Reflect on the meaning of the symbols you have chosen to include in your ceremony, whether wine, candles, flowers or rings.  Remember this moment in time.



- Article courtesy of the Celebrant USA foundation