For those of you who are new to the blog (HI!), I am getting
married in August. The planning process has been a bit harried, mostly because
I don’t know how to be a bride. I didn’t ever plan on getting married, so I didn’t
have a vision, felt angsty about the whole process, etc. Now, thing are coming together,
and I have been feeling good about the whole process. Or at least I did, until
it came to the engagement photo shoot. I agreed to it, because my fiancé really
wanted it. And I can admit that it would be nice to have real, professional
photos of us. Problem: I hate to be the center of attention. It brings out all
of my perfectionist tendencies, which are not pretty. In order to avoid a lot
of anxiety, I requested that we keep everything low-key; I didn’t want to have
professional hair and make-up done. I didn’t want to buy a special outfit just
for the photos. I wanted a location that felt like us, and I wanted the
pictures to feel natural. I thought that all of this would keep me from turning
into an obsessive stress ball, and it did for a little while. Then about three
weeks before the photo session, it hit me that these photos are a big freaking
deal, even if we don’t have a hair and makeup team. This was also the time that
my eye started twitching whenever I thought about it.
I decided that I would create a plan of attack. This anxiety
would not get the best of me! I scheduled an emergency hair dye appointment, so
my color would look fresh in the photos. Next I hit up Sephora for some serious
makeup supplies, like dark circle corrector and lipstick. Then I decided to go
through my entire closet and pose in different outfits to see if they would be
flattering in various scenarios. Next, I went on Youtube to find hair and makeup
tutorials, and I practiced them for a few evenings. I badgered my fiancé into
picking the most photogenic look. I painted my nails, which I only do once a
year, because I am TERRIBLE about removing the nail polish when it has clearly
passed its prime. I also strategically planned when I would wash and style my
hair, so it would not be too clean, which leads to frizz. Oh, and I made sure
that my eyebrows were waxed, which required another scheduling hoopla due to my
skin care regimen that must be interrupted for the waxing process. And the
piece de resistance, I busted out a few extra gym sessions!
What the FUCK? In the middle of this melee, I did realize
that I had fallen down the perfectionist rabbit hole that I was trying so hard
to avoid. And yet, I just kept going. It is really hard to hear the low key,
down to earth mantra, when you feel the (admittedly mostly self-induced) pressure
to look great in photographs that will LAST FOREVER.
I am a bit scared for what my happen on my wedding day.
Obviously, I want to look GOOD, and I would like for my eye to not twitch in
the process. Any words of wisdom from the community?
- Lauren, who let out her inner perfectionist and who is trying to stuff her back in the box!
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