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It was Jackie H.’s big day — and her mind was racing.
“Is this all going to play out the way I want?” the bride-to-be wondered. “Are things going to happen on schedule? Are our vendors going to show up? Are people going to be weird?”
But there was one moment when, according to her wearable, everything finally went still.
“My Oura ring reflected my stress levels as being high pretty much the entire time,” Jackie told The Post. “Except when my wedding coordinator pulled me over to sit down and eat.”
The 36-year-old from Portland, Oregon, is part of a growing cohort of brides wearing their health trackers down the aisle, eager to see exactly what one of the happiest — and most nerve-racking — days of their lives does to their bodies.
“I’m a data analyst, so I like to look at data,” Jackie said. “I was curious to see how my body would react to the stresses of going through a wedding.”
Here comes the wearable
Adding the band to Jackie’s bridal look was an “easy choice.”
“I definitely knew I was going to wear it,” she said. “With the actual wedding clothes, it looked pretty normal, especially because the silver went well with the rest of the color scheme.”
But for plenty of women, bringing a piece of tech to the altar is anything but a no-brainer.
Online, Reddit threads, Facebook groups and wedding forums are buzzing with debate over whether gadgets like Oura rings, Fitbits and Apple Watches should make the guest list — or stay at home.
For the data die-hards, there’s no question that their wearables are coming along for the ride.
“I NEVER take mine off other than to charge,” one Redditor wrote. “I don’t want any gaps in my data and I think it would be so neat to see the stats from the big day.”
“This isn’t coming off. I am one with my [Apple] Watch,” said a TikTok user. “I know for a fact that on that day my step count is going to be crazy, and I’m gonna wanna know what it is.”
Yet plenty of brides aren’t convinced wedding-day data is worth sacrificing even a sliver of style, with one woman declaring: “Wearing your Oura ring with your wedding outfit is insane.”
Put a ring on it
Still, where there’s a will to track, there’s a way. Some brides are getting creative, trading tips on how to keep their devices out of the spotlight.
Some have suggested tying it to a garter, hiding it in their bra — or even trading their Fitbit straps for ankle straps so they’re still able to track their steps.
“Honestly, I don’t care if no one else thinks it’s cute.”
Aimee Paz
But the tech doesn’t necessarily have to clash with the tulle. Brides are also finding ways to make their trackers work with the rest of their wedding-day ensemble.
“I’m gonna get a nice white band, or a nice jewelry looking band that matches my dress,” explained one woman on TikTok. “My mum absolutely hates the idea, and all my friends hate the idea, but I just love my Apple Watch so much.”
Then there are those who aren’t interested in disguising their trackers at all.
“I love the Oura ring, I think it’s cute and I think it adds to my jewelry,” said Aimee Paz, a California bride who shared a photo of herself holding her bouquet with the ring proudly on display. “Honestly, I don’t care if no one else thinks it’s cute.”
Love is in the data
For many women, the appeal of wearing a tracker down the aisle may be as simple as finding out how many calories they burned tearing up the dance floor. But for those with medical concerns, the data can offer something far more valuable: peace of mind.
Justtina Hamilton, who has atrial fibrillation, said knowing her wearable was keeping tabs on her health throughout the stress and excitement of the day gave her a sense of security.
“My Apple Watch ended up showing me that I only slept three hours, both the wedding day and the day before the wedding,” said the 31-year-old from Missouri. “It also showed that on my wedding day I walked about 16,000 steps and I had one AFib episode.”
“Being able to monitor — not only my stress and activity levels — but my heart rate as well was a lifesaver,” she added. “It just gave me a little extra comfort.”
Love it or loathe it, the wedding-wearable trend may only be getting started.
Today, nearly 60% of US adults regularly sport health trackers. As the devices get sleeker and more stylish, it’s only a matter of time before they become regular wedding crashers.
Experts, however, are split on whether that’s a good thing.
Dr. Michael Aziz, a board-certified internist and physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, sees wearables as a valuable medical tool — but recommends ditching them not only on the big day, but in the lead-up to the nuptials, too.
“It’s probably going to make you nervous,” he said. Aziz noted that a perfectly normal response to a high-stakes occasion — like an elevated heart rate or stress level — could be misread as something more serious and trigger unnecessary anxiety.
“I would advise people not to use them that week and to focus on their wedding day, relaxation and their partner,” he said. “Of course, if you have a medical condition, that’s a different story.”
Rachel Needle, a licensed psychologist who specializes in sex and relationships, sees a potential upside to the devices.
“Weddings can be exciting, emotional and stressful all at the same time,” she said. “For some people, the health tracking they receive can be a helpful reminder to slow down, take a few deep breaths, hydrate or step away for a quiet moment before stress gets out of control.”
The trouble, Needle said, is when tracking takes over.
“If you’re constantly checking your watch to see how stressed you should be instead of simply experiencing one of the biggest days of your life, the technology has gone from being helpful to being distracting,” she added.
Needle’s advice: Treat your tracker as a check-in tool, not a scoreboard.
“I recommend taking a quick glance if it helps, then put it away and get back to celebrating with the people you love,” she said. “Used that way, the data supports your well-being but it doesn’t define it.”
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