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Many times, brides and grooms experience different kinds of stress. Brides are usually more emotional about the wedding plans and grooms can be more concerned about, or "stressed out" about money. Whether you are a bride or a groom, it is a time where all kinds of stress can manifest itself. Here are a few tips:

1. Expect that there will be stress in planning your wedding

Why? There are a lot of decisions to be made, many details to be worked out, and others may want, or try to influence you. That is not bad or wrong, it just requires that you and your fiancé be aware of what is really happening. Try to respond to issues and avoid reacting to things.

2. One of the greatest challenges facing brides and grooms is their feelings of wanting to satisfy everyone

There are so many people involved – family, friends and relatives. Setting realistic expectations is very important. Don’t expect perfection. Expect a "terrific" day. Setting expectations that are too high will create stress and lead to frustration, and then more stress.

3. Feeling stressed about certain elements of the wedding such as, saying your wedding vows or your first dance?

Then, visualize the event. Spend some quiet time alone, relax and really visualize in your mind the events going smoothly. Do this exercise several times a day if you need to!

4. One of the best ways to combat stress is to exercise

When things start getting out of control – STOP. Take a break and go to the gym or go for a brisk walk.

5. There are always some people (relatives or friends) that know how to "push your buttons"

When you are feeling very stressed… be sure to stay away from or at least limit your time with these people.

6. Wedding planning can cause a great deal of stress between the bride and the groom

Individually, they should be aware of their thresholds for stress, and how much stress they can handle in a given time period. If you notice that one of you is nearing your "threshold", then take a short break from your wedding planning and do something fun together.

7. Parents can also experience wedding stress as their children get married and leave "the nest"

This is commonly referred to as "separation anxiety". It can be a time of great anxiety for the parents which can then create stress and highly emotional issues for the bride and groom. Being aware of what is happening, REALLY happening, is a big part of dealing and managing stress.

8. Time pressure can cause a great deal of stress

Don’t try and do everything yourself. Delegate as much as you can to others. Use the Internet.

9. Are you and your fiancé arguing more than normal?

Realize that this is normal because you are spending more time on wedding planning versus spending time on your relationship. That’s why it is so important to take time away from wedding planning and spend time with each other. A romantic dinner, a bike ride — whatever you both like to do together (just don’t discuss the wedding plans!)

10. Believe in your love and y our partner

It is the most important thing you should keep in your mind. If you love your partner with all your heart, then you can overcome anything. Wedding is just a part of it…a new beginning towards a beautiful  life full of love. Keep that in mind, keep your head cool and go for it.

If you were someone who spent half her life dreaming about her wedding, dressing up as a princess, or obsessing over bridal magazines pre-mate, stop reading right now. You’re not going to like what I have to say.

For everyone else, you feel my pain. I’ve always loved going to other people’s weddings, but I never thought very much about my own up until now. Now that I find myself getting married, I’m in a happily strange position. Suddenly I need to plan.

Curiously, I’ve become a planner in ways I hadn’t imagined. It’s beginning to scare me a little. I have started to notice the sparkle of rings. I see places as potential wedding venues and experience food in restaurants as menu ideas. I notice the line of a dress, the exact shape of a flower, and all music as potential reception songs. Poetry is no longer poetry for me; it’s a possible reading at the ceremony. My life has been taken over! Or has it?

No matter what fantasy the wedding industry presents you, it’s a five or eight-hour party—and it will end. (Okay, ours is a two-day affair, so it’s closer to ten hours, but it’s not very much time in the scheme of our life!)

Here are a few ways to avoid the whole wedding racket, or what I call “the wedding industrial complex.”

1. Never lose sight of why you’re planning a wedding

After a recent engagement party, I was so moved by all the love and support from family and friends; it was a complete and utter reminder to the both of us why we’re doing all this planning in the first place! We’ve chosen to spend our lives together—and that is a wonderful thing. I’ve seen brides and grooms experience amnesia during the planning. They forget why they’re getting married and let the stress overwhelm them. “Bridezilla” may be an exaggeration, but these women—and their crazy grooms—exist. The planning process is not always pretty. It can take over your life—if you let it.

2. Think of wedding planning as a joint effort

My mate and I work on things together. We do have designated tasks (I give him lists of things to do with due dates), but we also do a lot together. It makes the process fun.

3. Consider a budget ahead of time and stick to it

Don’t let anyone persuade you to do something you don’t want. Consider what you could buy or invest in post-wedding. If you skip on the expensive gown or caterer, the money can go toward education or a down payment on an apartment or house.

4. Wear what makes you feel good, not what the world thinks you should wear

You don’t have to wear a gown or a veil if you don’t want to. White, cream, and all versions of ivory are gorgeous, but not all of us want to wear it. Why not green, blue, silver, or gold? One friend of mine went to a recent wedding where the bride wore a short blue dress and tall go-go boots. She was happy—and it showed.

5. If in doubt, skip it

In the wedding industry, so much is about theater—and it’s optional. I had a caterer blather on about “lighting options.” My idea of good lighting? A $2-bag of tea lights from the hardware store! He also mentioned a wonderful “stylist.” Aren’t stylists for celebs? Am I not fabulous enough?

6. Observe people carefully before deciding to work with them

I try to avoid vendors who say things like “You really should …” or “You have to …” or “You need to …” No, I don’t. As soon as someone starts talking to me like I’m a child, I run away as fast as I can!

7. Keep the wedding an expression of you and your mate

We’re writing our own vows and have decided not to have a best man or bridesmaids. Some have reacted in horror. You’d think the world was coming to an end. We also decided on a small ceremony on a separate day from the reception. No matter the reaction, we plug ahead with our plans.

8. Shop around

Not all vendors are alike and never assume that a vendor is giving you the best possible price. I’ve found that higher prices do not always correlate with higher quality in the wedding industry. It’s hit or miss. And when a vendor hears the word “wedding,” it’s often code for (sshhhh!) “double the price.” Give yourself options and don’t feel rushed into doing anything.

9. Designate one night of the week when wedding discussions are off-limits

Banning wedding talk guarantees that there is one day when not a thought or trickle of conversation between you and your mate is given over to “the big day.” Hell, make it three days a week.

10. Ditch what you don’t like; take what works for you

There is so much advice out there: from books, newspapers, and magazines, to TV shows, Web sites, and blogs, it can easily become overwhelming. It doesn’t matter what the latest trend is. It’s your wedding to plan. Not Modern Bride’s or Martha Stewart’s. I’ve thrown out the magazines and returned to my novel. It’s much better for my soul than any bridal magazine will ever be. The plans will come along just fine. We’re happy to be getting married, period.

Think having a green wedding has to be complicated? It doesn’t. Here are ten easy ways you can green your big day.

1. Choose a green location to have your wedding and/or reception

This could be a park, a museum, or a local charity venue. You could also look for hotels or restaurants that are green, either by serving organic menus or adopting a code of green business ethics such as recycling, buying local and donating part of their proceeds to charity. Check listings such as Green America’s (formerly Co-op America) National Green Pages.

2. Serve an organic and local menu

Supporting local farms and businesses is important and your food will be fresher. Try to find a caterer that uses local and organic ingredients to make dishes. Everything from your cake to your appetizers, even your drinks can be organic but even just a little bit counts.

3. Send out invitations printed on recycled or tree free paper

Companies like Twisted Limb offer beautiful wedding invitations made of recycled, handmade paper.

4. Wear a gorgeously green gown

Your eco-friendly wedding gown may be something borrowed, a family heirloom, a gently used dress, or a vintage beauty. It could also be made from sustainable eco-friendly fabrics like bamboo, hemp, organic cotton or peace silk. The options keep growing everyday as new eco-designers appear or traditional designers add eco-friendly selections to their lines of wedding gowns.

5. Less is more

Opt to cut out all the unnecessary extras like favors, menus, place cards and things that are not needed. This saves resources and money.

6. Get creative with your décor

Nature is full of beautiful items that can be sued to decorate then be returned to nature after the wedding; rocks, twigs, flowers, potted plants, trees, leaves…Use the bountiful options nature offers to create stunning decorations, centerpieces and more. Once the wedding is over these pieces of nature can be placed in your yard or garden.

7. Ditch the disposables

Forget about disposable plates, napkins, silverware and all that. Opt for rented items that can be washed and reused over and over again. If you are having a small intimate wedding you would even consider purchasing tablecloths, plates and tableware that you could reuse in your home after the wedding.

8. Candle light is extremely romantic

make it eco-friendly as well by using natural soy wax or beeswax candles. Regular candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum based product. Not a green choice.

9. Green your transportation

Arrive to your destinations in eco-style with hybrid or electric vehicles. You could even provide transportation for your guests with buses that run on biofuels.

10. Have a great green honeymoon

After your wedding plan to stay close to home or travel to an eco-resort or hotel to keep the green going after the big day.