I was talking with my buddy Dave from Temple of Groom the other day about his upcoming wedding. He seemed exhausted and mentioned how stressful the last few months of wedding planning had been for him and his fiance. This is not a huge surprise as most of you know how much of a drain the last few months before the wedding can be. He made the comment that the stress was going to drive him to alcoholism or worse. I thought he was kidding and then I saw that crazy look in his eye. This dude was serious!

The conversation got me to thinking. Can you rank wedding planning stress levels through which vice the stress is driving you to? In national security terms, what would a code red be?

Here’s my attempt along with a few tips on coping with stress:

Code Can I get a Light?

Sample stress – The venue we want for the reception was just booked yesterday.

Stress can cause former smokers to pick up the habit again. And once you pick that up it’s quite hard to drop it. If you feel like this could be you, do yourself a favor and pick up one of those fancy electronic cigarettes.

Code Man v. Food

Sample stress – You’ve found the one date that works for you, your bride and your families when you discover that your best friend has scheduled his wedding for the same day.

Food is comforting. Hence the phrase ‘comfort food.’ However, high stress levels can often drive you to binge on unhealthy foods – and we don’t need Morgan Spurlock here to remind us that fast food is killing us one Value Meal at a time. One suggestion is to schedule a once-per-week date night with your fiance where you cook a homemade, healthy meal that’s not going to pile on the pounds before the big day.

Code Scotch

Sample stress – Three months out from the wedding, your honeymoon resort informs you that due to a computer error, your reservation has been canceled and you’re now on a “waiting list” for a room.

I love scotch. Scotchy Scotch. Scotch. Here it goes, down into my belly. Whether it’s scotch, or the liquor of your choice, a nice, stiff drink can taste so good after a hard day at work. But I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to tell you that one of the leading causes of alcoholism is stress. I actually do recommend drinking in moderation while planning the wedding (it’ll help you be more creative), just don’t let booze be a crutch that gets you through the process.

Code Double Down

Sample stress – The Best Man hasn’t been measured for his tux yet and the cut-off date just passed yesterday. It’s 50/50 whether he’ll be able to find an alternate tux elsewhere.

I just returned from a trip to Vegas and as always saw some sad characters at the blackjack table. I always ask myself what could be driving these people to gamble their life away. Is it that hard to turn and face your problems head on?  When planning a wedding, always keep in mind that this is the happiest time of your life. Stress is part of it, but you can’t let it beat you. Face it, accept it and move on. So what if your Best Man’s tux is going to be a shade darker than yours… it could be A LOT worse. You could be the guy at the blackjack table.

Code Green

Sample stress – Your caterer informs you three days before the wedding that they’re going out of business. You won’t be getting your deposit back.

Yes, I’ve actually heard of couples toking it up to cope with the stresses of wedding planning. I myself don’t partake in the giggle smoke, but from what I understand it can be quite relaxing. However, I just can’t quite wrap my mine around experimenting with it while planning your wedding – that’s what college was for.

Code Gibson

Sample stress – You wake up on the wedding day to discover a note from your bride telling you she’s run away with her ex.

I’m not going to comment much on what specifically comes after ‘Code Gibson.’ I’ll just say that I hope you’ve got a good lawyer.

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Disclosure – With two weeks before the wedding, Temple of Groom Dave is not an alcoholic or drug addict, nor is he broke from gambling away his life savings…. yet.

What code are you on? Have you turned from an occasional drinker into a binge drinker? Have you become a full fledged drug addict? Let us know in the comments section below.

A wedding at Waffle House - a true southern experience

The 7 Best Retail Weddings – mental floss

The Groomzilla – the groom says

[Contest] Win a 5-piece Primula French Press Coffee Set – temple of groom

Should I Ask Her Father Permission? – weddingistas

More Planning, Less Talking Makes a Happier Couple – ben the groom

Is it Essential to Wear a Wedding Band? – staggered

Man Shoots Himself in Head While Playing Russian Roulette at Wedding - the sun

Wedding Cards, Cash Stolen from Wedding Reception – wokv.com

Dear Ben,
Hey dude, what’s up? Did you see the series finale of “Monk?” I don’t really watch that show, but I think it was pretty good. Cool, cool….So look, obviously you know I didn’t come here to talk about “Monk” and I know what you’re thinking “Dave only writes to me when he wants something.” Look, you’re not completely wrong. I feel terrible about it. But now I’m swallowing my pride because I’d be forever grateful if you could just do me this one solid: play at our wedding in August. Before you scoff, and turn away, I do want to say that you kind of did this to yourself man. You’re too good. You’ve made it impossible to like any other music. Nothing will do.

I don’t want to bore you with details about Rebecca and me, but you’d really like us. We’re fun, and we’re going to have a great wedding. The food should be awesome, and you’re totally welcomed to eat with us. We’ve been fans of yours for a very long time. I’ve loved your music for the last 12 years when I first heard you (I was living in Charlotte at the time). We’re definitely fans, but we’re not the type you have to be afraid of (we’ve never thought about wearing your skin to see if it makes us better at the piano!). BUT, we are the type of fan that thought that your concert was the best way to spend our 3 year anniversary last year (@ the Wiltern).

On TV, I just watched Oprah surprise her best friend Gayle by having Josh Groban serenade her at work. I think you’re easily 10x cooler than Josh Groban. I’m not saying that we’re any better than Gayle, but between you and me…well, I just think you’d have a better time at our wedding than hanging with Gayle (although I hear that she makes an awesome spinach and artichoke dip). You seem like someone that would want to make a wedding on a tight budget the event of a lifetime because it would mean so much to the couple. I don’t know how true this is, but years ago a friend of mine that went to UNC claimed he saw you talking to a homeless man for over an hour. This proves that you’re awesome and caring. This is why I think I have a chance, albeit a 0.04% chance.

Alright, I don’t want this to get too beggy, or too long so I guess I’ll wrap this up. If you’ve got any questions, please don’t hesitate to write. But before I go, just think about all the website hits you’re gonna get from people that read my website. I can guarantee probably about 20-30 a day….a DAY. You’ll blow up. Lastly, let me say that Rebecca and I love you and we hope your family is well and having a great holiday season.

Hit me back whenever you get a chance,
Dave

But wait, there’s more. Check out the follow-up letter to Ben published earlier this week. Good luck Dave!

Love Your Style - Learn how to merge your style with your bride-to-be’s with this newly launched site from Valspar Paint

Apprentice Cookware – Moving in together? Afraid of all the work that comes along with this transition? Apprentice Cookware will help get your kitchen setup in one stop. And yes, there’s room for a kegerator in that kitchen.

Peeka-bu Intimate Grooming Mirror – So those hard to reach places will look good for the wedding night. We’re not kiding, this is serious.

How to Get Your Fiance Involved: Chapter 1 – Temple of Groom

Halo Wedding – UPI.com

Groom Drinks Too Much at Wedding, Dies – Reuters

Including Pets in the Wedding – OneWed

20 Rules That Apply to Fantasy Football, and Oddly, Wedding Planning – Sun Herald

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interested in getting your link published in our semi-daily groom-friendly link drop? send it to info@themanregistry.com for consideration. cheers!