Thought for the day: I wanted to share this quote to ask all our brides to stop and think about what it says before they come to look for their wedding dress.....
I've observed over the years how wedding dress shopping seems to bring out a lot of insecurities in brides. Maybe it's my background in psychology - I'm always people watching and analysing their behaviour!
It seems to be a getting rarer these days for a bride to go through a whole appointment without saying at least one thing negative about herself. Brides are very much aware that they will be the centre of attention on the big day and when they start trying on dresses it seems that a lot of ladies put themselves under a lot of pressure to be perfect. The appointment starts and when the dresses go on, I start to hear all the bad words come out!!! The 'Negative B' words as I call them. Comments about their bellies, bingo wings, back fat, boobs, broad shoulders, bones sticking out, bulges, birthmarks, big hips, blemished skin. You name it, I've heard it!! (and a few 'F words too - basically, any body part prefixed with the word 'Fat')
Worse still when the 'helpers' they bring mention these things (see my blog on 'Choosing your helpers wisely!) It can end up being a recipe for disaster. So remember, when you come shopping, try to leave the negativity behind. It's hard for a bride to be in a positive frame of mind when she keeps putting herself down. Every single bride who comes in to try on dresses is beautiful in her own way - and remember that the person who is marrying you loves you the way you are!! A positive attitude will be your best friend and any negativity you bring with you (or get thrown at you by an unhelpful entourage) will only drag you down and make you feel deflated, making the whole wedding dress shopping experience turn into a chore.
Focus on the positives and don't be too hard on yourself. Step back and look at the whole picture if you need to, and remember what the most important thing is. You want to feel beautiful and special on your wedding day. You want to see your partners face light up when he sees you walk down the aisle. You're not trying to get on the front cover of Vogue magazine!! And you're not trying to compete with those models in the wedding magazines who you see as picture-perfect (and whose images are almost certainly photo-shopped!). I've been to those photoshoots and have witnessed the entourage of hairdressers and make-up artists and the number of shots it takes to get that perfect picture. It's not portraying the reality of being a bride on her wedding day, so don't even go there!
I find it so refreshing when a bride comes in for a consultation and doesn't spend the duration of the appointment criticising herself, focusing on finding a wedding dress that she feels beautiful in instead of pointing out her perceived flaws. Very few of us are catwalk models, but we can (and will!) all look beautiful on our wedding day if we let our beauty shine through!! Get yourself in the 'zone' before you set out to try dresses on - enjoy the experience of finding your wedding dress, make the most of your assets, relax, enjoy yourself, and let yourself shine!
