Best Friends

It is perfectly natural to be nervous on the day of your wedding. It does not matter if you are the bride or the groom, wedding day jitters comes with the territory. Just because something is natural, does not mean that you can’t do something about it. You can minimize your wedding day nerves by taking a few common sense steps the day before and the day of the blessed event. Each of these steps works to a certain extent but when it comes right down to it, nothing works better than being aware of how you are feeling and controlling it. A little mind over matter will power will do wonders for your state of mind.

Do not drink coffee on the morning of the event. If you are a coffee drinker and are one of those people who just cannot function until you have had a pot of coffee, try to keep it to a minimum. One or two cups should get you over the hump. Caffeine works by forcing the body to produce adrenalin, which will definitely make you a nervous Nellie. Just two cups of coffee, or roughly 180 mg, will triple the amount of adrenalin that is racing through your wedding day bloodstream. This forces sugar into your muscles at an accelerated rate and actually helps deplete the regular supply of sugar you will need to get through the day. Coffee has a half life of four hours in a healthy adult, which means that after four hours, your adrenalin level is still at least one and a half times what it should be. If you must drink coffee, drink just a little.

Don’t drink more than a small to moderate amount of alcohol the night before, or the morning of, your wedding. Alcohol turns into sugar so unless you plan on having constricted blood vessels and dehydration, the combination of which gives you a hangover, it is probably best if you stopped at one or two drinks at your ill advised — last night of freedom party — the night before. Alcohol also effects memory so try not to stress trying to figure out if you have forgotten anything, especially something minor like the spring wedding favors or the caterer’s check. You can handle problems just as well when they arise without worrying about something that has not happened yet.

Most people forget to do the one thing in an intense situation that will help them stay calm and keep a clear head, breathe. If you find yourself getting overly nervous, and let’s face it, you are bound to be a little nervous, remember to take deep breaths and focus, if only for a few seconds, on being calm. In through the nose and out through the mouth like a runner. Several deep-breathing, soul cleansing breaths and a little voice telling you to calm down will work wonders. The more of these cleansing breath exercises you do, the better it works.

Eat breakfast, especially if you must have coffee or you decided to let it all hang out the night before. Your body will function better if it has energy to draw upon and nutrients supplying your brain with what you will need to get through the day. If you are a nervous wreck, but a quick peek at your spouse to be reveals they are calm, cool, and totally collected, guess what. They took it easy the night before, had a bite to eat this morning, and kept the coffee to a minimum while you did not.

Own the fact that you are going to have some butterflies. It is perfectly natural to feel a little uptight when you are about to get married. Focus on those little garden wedding favors or something else that will take your mind off the big moment and you will be fine.

Wedding anniversaries are nice to celebrate. Some years are more momentous than others – but I think that we can all agree that a 70th wedding anniversary is quite the anniversary celebration. If you are privileged enough to know a couple about to commemorate this anniversary you will know that it can be hard to figure out what kind of gift to get them.

Due to the special nature of a 70th wedding anniversary, it would be fitting to create a gift that encompasses all the past 70 years of memories. Get the help of all the family members, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins etc. to bring together memories, stories photographs, drawings and newspaper headlines. Turn all these memories into a “This Is Your Life” type of memory book. Also put together a DVD with special messages from friends and family speaking about the anniversary couple and to them.

A great 70th wedding anniversary gift for a couple is a photo or story quilt designed and sewn by a family member. The quilt could represent the highlights of the couples achievements and memories. Have a few favorite photos or appliqued symbols to represent them. Using pieces of favorite old and outgrown items of clothing that contain special memories will add a nice personal touch.

A special gift for a special couple. Try to find one of these: Pictures now that from a certain angle change to another picture. It would be neat to have the couples original wedding picture and then what they look like today. What a keepsake! Your gift should be memorable item, something that shows how uncommon a 70 year anniversary is.

Keeping in mind that the recipient of a 70th wedding anniversary gift would probably be at least 90 years old, the book ‘Diamonds in the Dust’ would be a thoughtful gift. The book, by Joni Eareckson Tada is a book of daily devotions. Diamonds are a symbol of the 70th anniversary so the title of the book ties into that tradition.

These ideas for 70th wedding anniversary gifts are only the beginning. Try to think of some yourself to trying pay tribute to the couple celebrating 70 years of marriage.