the stress of it all

this past weekend i helped two of my friends prepare for their lovely wedding. i helped decorate the church, and on the day of the wedding i helped decorated the hall. i'm so happy for this couple, they had the sweetest ceremony (you can tell it was really good because i cried, and it takes a lot for me to cry at a wedding). the bride look more beautiful than words, the groom was just smitten with his bride, and everyone had the most amazing time. but i have started to think that the stress of getting to that point may be more than its worth. having people in tears at various points during the process, or having things not turn out exactly how you want puts a lot of stress on not only the bride and groom but on the families involved and also the friends too. the people attending the wedding usually have no idea of the problems that may or may not have occured but the pressure on the bride is termendous. this is not the first wedding i've helped with, i witnessed my sister in tears many many times in the days before the wedding. as much as i think i want to get married i'm not sure if i would want this kind of stress. maybe i'll just hire a wedding planner and then i just tell her what i want and let them worry about it, or maybe i'll just elope like i've always said. i would rather be totally relaxed in the days leading to my wedding... i think.... or would i feel cheated that i didn't get the whole stressful package? i suppose it really doesn't matter either way when i haven't mastered finding someone to date yet.... its all about those baby steps.