I love my wedding shoots for one reason and one reason only – the fact that I’m surrounded by happy people and people who are in love. Yes, I admit it, I’m a romantic at heart and believe in LOVE a 100%. My mom has always said to me that a woman’s happiest day in her life is on her wedding day, because she knows that is the day her husband loves her most and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. I agree with her on this statement, to a certain extent but also beg to differ. Perhaps she forgot the feeling of being in love… the high you feel when you meet someone, fall in love and are bouncing off walls. It’s the feeling of wanting to see that certain someone every minute and every hour of the day, 24-7. It’s the feeling of also knowing that the other person is thinking of you too, is crazy over you, adores you and would do anything to see that smile on your face. Personally, I think falling in love is a wonderful feeling and gives the wedding day a good run for its money! Of course, if you’ve been in enough relationships, or in one long enough, you will also find out that this “high”, or this feeling of “being in love” usually fades and you move on to the next level of love, affection and companionship. But what if you don’t ever want the “high” to end?

Scientifically speaking (yes, being the science stream geek that I am), the “high” you feel when you’re in love comes from 3 neurotransmitters; adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. You might be familiar with the effects of adrenaline – your heart races and your mouth goes dry. Dopamine, interestingly enough, has the same effects as cocaine; stimulating an intense rush or pleasure. Research by Helen Fisher show that high levels of dopamine result in “increased energy, less need for sleep of food, focused attention and exquisite delight in the smallest details of this novel relationship”. And last but certainly not the least, and in fact, the most important love potion when it comes to falling in love, is serotonin. Serotonin affects mood and emotion and explains why you can’t stop thinking of that special someone.

This is the “Attraction” stage and once these hormone levels drop, a different set of hormones come into play and you move on to the next level of love, the “Attachment Stage”. But what if you don’t ever want the “Attraction” stage to end? How do you keep those hormonal levels high (apart from taking cocaine, of course!)? I’ve met a few (FEW, being the key word here!) couples who’ve been married for a long time and are still so much in love. How do they do it? Or is it fate? I believe in soulmates and I believe in fate. On the other hand, I also believe in the sciences and I promise to tell you, once I find out for myself, how you can stimulate and maintain such high levels of adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin in a relationship……. and always be high on LOVE. =)

So here’s to a Christmas filled with warm fuzzy feelings of LOVE that lasts forever!

Merry Christmas!!!

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