Yes, Wedding Planning Is Stressful -- But Not For The Reason You Think

It’s common knowledge that planning a wedding is no easy feat. Between finding a venue, coming up with a guest list and orchestrating bridal showers and bachelor parties, couples find themselves managing a lot during the engagement period. Understandably, feelings of anxiety can bubble-up throughout the process. But what's often lost in the conversation about wedding-related stress is the acknowledgement that getting married is a major life transformation. With such monumental change comes a slew of messy emotions we don’t typically associate with the wedding day itself. "Weddings hit on money, family dynamics, growing up, commitment, issues of identity, body image and appearance, expectations that come with ‘the happiest day of my life’ and ‘happily ever after,’" says Dr. Jocelyn Charnas, Ph.D. "Then it turns up the volume." The American wedding industry, now a $55 billion market, is fueled by publications and media coverage espousing a “perfect” event. Against the backdrop of sparkling engagement rings and pastel floral arrangements, discussing fears and worries about merging two lives may seem indicative of a relationship that’s not marriage material. But that’s simply not the case. Becoming engaged is an emotionally complicated stage of adult development, and conflicts arise when we fail to treat it as such. "Weddings and marriage are among the most transformative decisions of our lives...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news