YOU are who YOU are! So be proudly YOU!!!
Your wedding day is one of the biggest and most important days of your life. Naturally, you want to look your best and feel truly amazing.
This is why getting the right dress, having the right suits and the perfect venue are so important.
That’s also why I’ve written articles about these exact points. Links below if you so feel inclined to read them.
It is also the chance for you to be unashamedly you. Not worrying about what other people think, not being self conscious about things you can’t control, and most importantly letting your hair down and loving who you are.
“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.”
Naturally, everyone also wants to look their best in their photos, but please do not go to extremes to achieve this. It’s really not worth it, your health and happiness is defined by you, not some external expectation.
Two things really stand out for me in this regard as being somewhat upsetting and hence why I’ve written this article for you to read.
Firstly, photoshopping. I have on numerous occasions been asked by brides and grooms if I do photoshopping, and if I’ll change this about their appearance or tweak this and so on. My answer is always the same. I’ll photoshop a little to make the photos better, but I certainly will not use photoshop to change who you are as a person.
Secondly, crash diets. I previously had a very sad story where one of my brides became so concerned about her weight that she embarked on a series of crash and fad diets to try and become stick thin. Unfortunately, as a result, she became ill and had to push back her wedding day. For clarity, I’m not saying you shouldn’t diet IF you feel you want to do so, but if you do then be careful, take it slowly and don’t push yourself past a point of control.
“Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.”
Why am I saying the above? Simply because I care: your wedding day is so special, I wouldn’t want anything standing in the way of your happiness. I want the memories to be real, not faked. I want the smiles on your faces to be genuine not tacked on in photoshop. And, down the line, I want these photos to be the story of your day that you show to your children and grandchildren.
Which leads me to such an important point I’m going to put it in bold print and larger than normal.
Your fiance is marrying you, not a vision of who you think you might be.
They didn’t fall in love with what you think you might like to be, but who you actually are. They’re not concerned with anything other than the love you have together, the bond you share and the events that led you to this day and moment in time.
Yes, we all do have visions of what we’d look like if we were slightly different. I know I could do with losing a few pounds: but it’s not the end of the world and it certainly isn’t going to get inside my head and take over. But I know this situation better than most: I’ve been on these crash diets myself, trying to change myself for what is perceived to be better. Actually, I’m the happiest now that I’ve ever been, because I’ve accepted me for me, not everyone can be stick thin. Also, given my size 17 feet I’ll look pretty silly if there wasn’t much of me!
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
This is also why I care so much about knowing you both, and knowing about your story. This is why I want to be your friend, so that you can be yourselves without being concerned with anything else. As your friend, I’ll be in with the humour and the little tells and facial expressions which make your bond and love unique. And because of this, I’ll know how to make sure your photos catch these moments of love and personality with purpose and honesty.
“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.”
This is the key point here: your fiance loves you for you, nothing else. They asked you to marry them, or visa versa because they know you are the one for them. No if’s, no buts, no conditions attached.
So I’ll say it again: on your wedding day, let your hair down, be yourself, have the same jokey and fun interactions with each other that you normally would. Don’t try and be someone you’re not as that’s not the way to have the best day of your life. Your photos and memories of this day should be real, honest and a testament to your special bond. I don’t want them to be fake: plus when you look back on them you’ll know in your heart it was a front.
This is one of the most vital pages in the storybook of your life together: I want it to look and feel real. And most of all, I want you to enjoy being yourselves, revelling in the love you share.
Be proud to be YOU!
The only person you need to be is yourself. Your better half loves YOU for being YOU, not someone else. Your wedding day is the culmination of this journey together, so don’t change who you are for this one day.