-Engage in thirty minutes or more of outdoor exercise on the morning of the wedding...
Exercise is constantly advocated as a key antidote to stress and worry because it transports mind and body to the physical job at hand, leaving all one's problems temporarily in its wake.
Try worrying about the big day when you're huffing, puffing and pedalling your way up a 1 in 17 on your mountain bike or facing an 8ft wall of wave on your mini-mal surfboard. You won't get far in your thoughts but you will get some break time, a sense of self control and freedom, coupled with a calm and cleansing release of physical energy.
Share your fears with your married mates...
Hell, they've been through it and lived to tell the tale, so they will be an excellent source of reassurance. A word of warning: stay away from the emotionally battle scarred and embittered, otherwise known as the divorced ones, for they're likely to say your jitters are the sane little people in your head screaming run for your life!
Remember it's just a ring
Yes, yes, it's so much more than a ring and for God's sake don't tell her that, but for the purpose of killing those critters called pre-marital jitters strip the concept of marriage down to its bare bones. It's metal bands on fingers, some touching words of agreement, signatures on dotted lines (check the small print) and a bloody great knees up. Oh, and a halfway decent holiday in Bali if you're lucky. The relationship won't change because of a couple of I dos. It will get better and better.
Hit the spa
Rest assured: admitting you enjoy a seaweed facial or lavender oil massage will no longer invite a deluge of doubts about your sexuality. Take your betrothed to a spa a few days before the wedding and spend some quality and seriously chilled time together.
Time out from jitter-boosting influences - whether it's your highly strung future mother-in-law flapping about the favours or your best man stressing about the speech - will do you the world of good. Plus some bonding time with your soon-to-be Missus will give you a fresh perspective on what this marriage lark is really all about, leaving a more relaxed, rejuvenated and mellow you for the nuptials.
Fear is healthy
Accept that pre-wedding jitters are a natural part of the wedding process. Your intended is probably the best person to speak to: the one you've always confided in and the one you are in a loving partnership with. She will appreciate your honesty and empathise completely - because chances are she's caught the jitterbug too.-
Words Robin Fuller
Copyright WED Magazine 2010
