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Wedding
Day Stress: Focus on What Matters
(ARA) - The
wedding day is considered to be the happiest
day of many people's lives. It also ranks as one of the most
stressful. Invitations. Flowers. Catering. Dresses and tuxedoes.
The reception.
Putting on a big show - bigger than the Oscars, bigger than the
Super Bowl.
But ultimately, according to Dr. Dan Clement, associate
professor of psychology at Argosy University/Dallas, the most
important thing to concentrate on is not the size of the wedding
cake or the color of flowers - it is the goal of committing to
the person you love. Along with all of the anxiety about the
ceremony, "It is common for the bride or groom to have some
moments of realization about what they are about to do. The
pre-marriage jitters are pretty common," says Dr. Clement.
Engaged people often have certain emotionally-charged questions
that bloom in their minds as the wedding day approaches. "I
wonder if I can really give up my search for the perfect match,
now that I am getting married?" "What if they suddenly change,
and show me a side of themselves I haven't seen?" "Is my spouse
really going to fit in next Christmas when my whole family
gathers?"
However, wedding day stress is mostly due to being evaluated by
guests and loved ones during the ceremony or the reception. "A
newly-married couple often makes the marriage ceremony so much
about the illusion they want to project, rather than a time of
special bonding for the bride, groom, family and friends,"
explains Dr. Clement. "So much goes into the thousands of
details that it can become a tremendous challenge for bride and
groom to stay focused on each other. "
To help overcome the stress during the ceremony, Dr. Clements
suggests that the bride and groom should look beyond the actual
day and view it as a launching time for the couple beginning
their lives together. "The wedding and all of its trappings have
little to do with the ultimate success and happiness of the
marriage."
Dr. Clement also recommends that the bride and groom should
focus on one another, and take lots of "mental snapshots." "If
you are very nervous, the opportunities for these mental
snapshots will pass without notice because our
self-consciousness has robbed us of the ability to see what is
most memorable."
These mental snapshots - noticing parents' tears of joy, the
smiles on the guests' faces, the pure physical beauty of the
bride or groom - will help alleviate stress on the wedding day.
Even the anticipation of taking these special mental snapshots
can help alleviate the stress that builds up prior to the
wedding day.
From the moment of engagement to the wedding reception, if
couples focus on what really matters - marrying someone they
love - brides and grooms can help ensure a truly magical,
memorable, less stressful wedding day.
Courtesy of
ARA Content 
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