Using CBD on Your Wedding Day
Sabina King on Sep 24th 2019
Weddings are often considered one of the most beautiful life events a person can have. But for those prone to worrying or stage fright, events that are meant to be the best can often be miserable or at least difficult. With so many choices to make and a limited time to make them, wedding planning and the wedding day itself can lead to a lot of stress. Is there any way to calm wedding-related stress so that you can really enjoy your big day? CBD might help.
Why are weddings so stressful?
Watch any episode of a wedding-related reality TV show and you’ll know that stress is part of the package. One can imagine how much worse it gets for those that already have issues with stress management. Before we get into how to be calmer, it helps to ask – what exactly makes weddings so stressful?
Societal pressure
There are far too many ‘should’ statements associated with weddings. It should be the happiest day of your life. It should be perfect. Every detail should be beautiful, from your outfit to the silverware. It doesn’t help that when it comes to women, popular culture and centuries of societal customs can sometimes put even more pressure on the event. Women are not only expected to love the process of planning a wedding, but historically, it was meant to be the most important event in their lives. That may not be the case today, but it is hard to undo such strong social conditioning that’s been happening for decades, if not centuries. The pressure of having to ensure everything is perfect can be too much to handle.
Family gathering
A wedding is the coming together of two people, but also the coming together of their families. While this sounds great in theory, the reality is that families are often imperfect and very unique. This can lead to fears that the peculiarities of one family will not be well accepted by the other. In addition to that, weddings can bring together family members that may be sparring for years. Add the emotionally-charged situation and possibly alcohol, and anything can happen - a lot of it not so great! It’s important to keep in mind that your wedding is your day. If the fear of conflict presents itself during the planning stage, cut down your invitees so you can be at peace.
Money
Weddings are expensive affairs. Even when you budget to account for every expense, it can still exceed that amount. Moreover, it’s hard to see things you want at your wedding but can’t afford. The first step to dealing with financial stress is accepting your budget. You will often be confronted with the options of things out of your budget, and that it might hurt. If a wedding needs to be ‘perfect’, so to speak, it should be perfect for your wallet too. Remember, your wedding can be wonderful even if you don’t include everything you see on Pinterest.
Cold feet
Let’s not forget what a wedding is really about: two people coming together to spend the rest of their lives with each other. It’s beautiful, but in the days and weeks leading up to the big day, it can seem overwhelming. It’s not uncommon to find that you suddenly feel trapped or unsure about your future with your to-be spouse. This could be a natural response to a big, life-changing event. It could also be the mind responding to natural pre-wedding jitters by wondering, ‘Does this mean I’m unsure about my fiancé/fiancée?’ Whatever the reason, it helps to have a list of reasons why you want to marry your significant other.
All the attention
Everyone says your wedding is supposed to be ‘your day’ – in fact, we did too, earlier in this article! For people that are shy, however, this can be nerve wracking. A walk down the aisle can be a triggering event with all those eyes on you. It’s possible that others may not understand these fears. After all, they might say, who doesn’t want to be the center of attention? Turns out, a lot of people! Luckily, CBD has shown some promise in calming nerves during social events.[1]
CBD for Wedding Day Jitters
It’s key to keep your health and nutrition in check in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and vitamins and other compounds can be an easy way to do it. B-vitamins can help with glowing skin and shiny hair, and Vitamin A could renew skin and reduce acne. If you’re opting to take one of these, you might want to add CBD to your list. More brides are using CBD to calm down for wedding planning and the wedding day itself. Here’s why.
Immune health
No one wants to be sick on their wedding day. You didn’t spend money on the perfect outfit to sneeze on it! Strengthen your immune response by supporting your endocannabinoid system with some CBD. The endocannabinoid system modulates 11 other organ systems in the body, including the immune system, which is why regular support to the ECS can strengthen your defense. Prolonged stress can also cause immunity to drop, and CBD shows some promise in alleviating it. That way you can get to the root of the problem and nip stress in the bud before it can start affecting your body. Wedding nausea is also a less talked about issue that a lot of brides and grooms face, and can be the result of stress. Early research suggests CBD might be able to calm nausea on your wedding day so you can eat your wedding cake and drink your champagne with no concerns.
General calm
As discussed, there are a myriad of reasons why weddings can be stressful, but sometimes even when everything is going right, the worry won’t stop. If your brain is in panic mode, it can be hard to snap out. A lot of brides and grooms in this state of frenzy have found that CBD helps to calm them down. The reasons for this are being researched, but scientists believe it might be based on a few different factors:
Endocannabinoids
The ECS is composed of chemicals called endocannabinoids, endocannabinoid receptors, and enzymes to break down the endocannabinoids. One of these endocannabinoids is anandamide, which is also called ‘the bliss molecule’, for its ability to create feelings of euphoria, calm and happiness. CBD has been found to block the enzyme that breaks down anandamide, thus letting it act for longer periods of time. [2]
CBD: the neuroprotectant
There is some early research that suggests CBD might protect existing neurons from damage (neuroprotection), and support the development of new neurons (neurogenesis) and synapses.[3] Both of these factors play a huge role in mood regulation. More neural activity in the hippocampus has been linke to less stress, and mood elevation.
Serotonin
CBD appears to interact with serotonin receptors in the brain.[4] If you’re unfamiliar with serotonin, here’s what you need to know. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that one might think of as the ‘I got this’ chemical. That may not seem like a massive impact, but during wedding planning, it’s a feeling you’re probably sorely lacking. The interaction of CBD with serotonin receptors may play a role in its ability to keep you calm.
Muscle cramps
A lot of couples take fitness very seriously during the pre-wedding stage in order to look their best. Working out can be great for your mind and body while planning a wedding, but for those that aren’t used to regular physical activity, it could be the cause of muscle soreness. Combine that with a lot of walking around, drinking alcohol, wearing uncomfortable footwear, and being on your feet all day and you have a recipe for cramping. Muscle spasms and cramps can be brought on and made worse by inflammation, and as a powerful calming agent, CBD can work wonders. This works whether you’re taking CBD by mouth or applying it topically. A massage with a CBD balm on the day of your wedding will give you the ability to keep going all day.
Better sleep
There’s nothing that can keep you up at night like an impending wedding can, and for a lot of couples this gets exacerbated in the week leading up to the wedding. Not only does this worsen stress, but it’s also bad for your immunity, skin and hair. In the days before the wedding, taking a puff or two of CBD vape oil before hitting the sack can make sure your sleep is peaceful and restorative, without causing the daytime sleepiness that traditional sleep aids bring. Research suggests that it works by reducing stress and physical pain that could be keeping you up, which means it gets right to the cause of sleeplessness rather than just making you sleepy.
Great skin
Worried that all the stress is going to make you break out? You aren’t alone. Your skin can sometimes react to how you feel, and excessive worrying can show. There’s a good reason CBD is being added to products like serums and lotions – because there are endocannabinoid receptors under the skin that control inflammation, sebum production and cell turnover. All 3 of these factors can reduce the possibility of acne breakouts. Again, this could work whether you take CBD orally or apply it to the skin.
At the end of the day, it’s important to have perspective when planning a wedding. It may be an important day, but it’s just one day. What’s infinitely more important is the marriage that comes after. Find someone you can talk to, like a friend, your to-be spouse, or even a member of the clergy if you’re having a church wedding. Practice meditation as well as regular cardio. It will most definitely have a positive impact on your wedding day. Make sure you plan for breaks in your wedding day where you can take a breather (perhaps to puff on some CBD vape oil!) or eat something. Most importantly, try and take your mind off yourself, and focus on your love for your partner – they are the reason you’re doing all of it, after all!
