Welcome to the first Wedding Wednesday post of 2012!

For all of you planning brides, wedding stress is bound to set in at one point or another.
When you start to feel the stress of wedding planning, give yourself a break by inhaling the wonderful essence of lavender. This little purple wonder will help ease anxiety, headaches, and insomnia. Lavender candles, pillow sprays, and lotions are great options to have on hand. Heated wheat packs infused with lavender also work wonders for neck tension. If you’re like me, once you get hooked you’ll find yourself drinking lavender tea, baking with lavender honey, and mixing vinaigrettes with lavender balsamic vinegar. It’s contagious!

(Lavender honey image courtesy of care2.com)
Stay away from stress inducers like coffee, candy, and ice cream. In its place, try a treat of Greek yogurt topped with organic granola and a drizzle of lavender honey. For lunch mix up a nice salad of spinach and walnuts (loaded with anxiety soothing B vitamins) and dress it with lavender balsamic vinegar.

During the cold winter months, try this recipe for Cider and Lavender Honey to calm your nerves:
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 cups of apple cider, 1 tablespoon lavender honey, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup cranberry juice, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 dash of ground cloves. Heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and serve. Garnish with an orange pinwheel.