' I think this (wellness services for brides and grooms) is essential actually now looking back. It was so stressful and overwhelming...'
Weddings are no doubt, a big deal. For some, it can mean bringing a long time fantasy to life, family expectations being realised and of course, sealing the deal with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, marking the occasion in the most special way with your nearest and dearest.
Where, you ask, does your wellbeing come into all of this then? Well firstly, let's define wellbeing. According to the World Health Organisation, wellbeing is 'a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity'.
What this essentially means is living a life you feel content with in a physical, emotional and social sense, and not just as a result of being unwell.
Psychologists, researchers and other health enthusiasts have broken this down further to be better understood and applied more practically, by identifying significant areas in life to which we can measure wellbeing against, such as our career, community, finances etc.
While they might not seem obviously linked, the quality of these areas each play a part in how well our body functions, as stress and our perception of life affects major systems in the body such as our immune function, gut health and emotional wellbeing.
Wellbeing is 'a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing'
This still doesn't immediately say, 'my wedding'. Or does it.
Getting married is more than just planning a lovely party. It's about entering a new phase of your life, making a brand new life commitment with your partner, regardless of how long you've been together previously.
It's also about thinking ahead, about what you want your future to look like; the home you will build together, trips you will go on and experiences you will have, making for the most exciting and enriched life you can hope for. Why not make good health part of that bright future, too?
Let's not also forget that before the wedding itself comes planning for the event. Whether that's one main event or several, a destination wedding or low key affair, things can get incredibly stressful with the never ending to do list, lots of opinions thrown your way, testing family members and feeling mounting pressure from expectations of others, or even your own! So what about looking after your body and mind amongst this all?
While we might have some idea of what good wellbeing looks like, this can be tricky to implement and more importantly, continue, with all the normal goings-on in life such as work, on top of time spent planning a wedding. We all have the best intentions to get in that workout, focus on our mental health, meal prep and take those supplements on the kitchen shelf, but without any real sense of direction or understanding what you're doing, this can be difficult to maintain and mean things easily slip or reverting to a quick fix, potentially causing more harm than good!
'I did nothing for my mental health, except maybe watch TV when I had time!'
We at Wedding Wellness have spoken to lots of past brides (and a few grooms too!) about what they wished they had done more of in the run up to their big day. Unsurprisingly, taking care of their mental health and remembering basic self care like adequate sleep and quality nutrition, came out on top with 80% saying if they could do it again, they would choose to work with someone professionally.
'The month before my wedding is an actual blur as it was so busy and stressful between managing work, the planning and relations with both sides of the family'
This is why we are so passionate about helping people get clear on what they want to achieve to look after themselves, with simple but effective solutions to their health goals, so that they can learn how to take better care of their health for their wedding day and thereafter.
Spend this time before your wedding, to focus on what your body needs. Well balanced eating to support hormone function and energy, healthy daily habits for improved mood and concentration, appropriate functional testing to address specific symptoms or simply to be better informed and stress and weight management are just some of the things we can address. Why not involve your partner too and benefit from you both starting a new journey towards a healthier body and mind for a better future?
In partnership with a team of fellow health practitioners, I offer nutrition and wellbeing services to couples gearing up for their wedding, with Wedding Wellness. Check out the page at www.wedding-wellness.co.uk for more information.
If you want to learn more about how we can support you with your wellbeing needs, drop us an email (info@wedding-wellness.co.uk) or book a free call with a member of the team to get started on your health journey. Check out our service here for more information.
#weddingwellness #healthybride #healthygroom #weddingstress #weddinganxiety #wellnessforyourwedding #healthygoals #couplegoals #weddingnutrition #healthybride #southasianbride #asianbride #asianwedding #indianbride #weddingpressure #wedding2023