The wedding was one of the best days of Anthony’s life. It was fun, lively, full of love and was what he envisioned. He was flying on cloud nine that day and he still does when he thinks about it or looks at his wedding photos.
For Stina – it was the exact opposite. She was overwhelmed, stressed out, running on no sleep, and completely depressed. It pains her to look at her wedding photos and see the sadness in her eyes. Her focus at the end of that day was to marry Anthony and that was all that mattered.
She was prioritizing everyone else’s happiness when it should have been the other way around.
Everything from pleasing her future in-laws and squashing family drama to planning, organizing and delegating tasks the day of her wedding (and everything in between) left her completely spread thin on the big day.
Did we mention that both the wedding AND honeymoon were completely paid for by the couple? Yeah, they did ALL of that.
Throughout the two years of planning and the three years following their nuptuals, Stina struggled with balancing wedding planning with everyday life. Even with Anthony being completely involved in the planning process, everyone kept putting the focus on her instead of the both of them.
It wasn’t until after their honeymoon, that they realized something wasn’t right. Stina didn’t react and respond to things like she normally did – she felt “off.”
Upon doing some research and consulting doctors, they discovered something known as “Wedding Trauma”. This is a response to the after-effects of wedding planning and can cause additional anxiety, depression, and even PTSD when reflecting on the wedding itself.
Some symptoms included: brain fog, panic attacks, memory loss, major weight gain/loss, and depressive episodes. Stina had all of these and more.
The more they worked with dance couples, the more things clicked for Stina – others felt the same but no one spoke up. She wasn’t alone.
Her biggest wish during her time as a bride was hoping that someone out there could be her go-to person. Not a coordinator, not a pinterest board, not a wedding group… just a friend that knew enough about the industry to guide her without trying to coax her into things she didn’t want, but also who could let her know if what she was asking for was realistic, or provide other options and suggestions without judgement or retaliation.
So she decided to be that person for others… and Anthony wanted to make sure that what happened to Stina never happens to anyone else ever again.
And that’s how Wedding Besties was born!