"The Bride"

I had Steve bring me home a couple of bridal magazines from work, more out of curiosity than anything. From these magazines, and many things I have read online, I have deduced that "the bride" is some type of creature that I must become on my wedding day to be legit. A be-crystalled, ruffled, extension-clad beautiful creature, but a creature none the less. What I mean is that it seems like the whole wedding industry is aiming to create something that you should become on your wedding day. God, no, you wouldn't want to be yourself. Your plain old sweatpants-wearing self. You are a bride! You need manicures! And brow specialists! And microdermabrasion! Not to mention the thousands-of-dollars dress and special shoes only to be worn on this day! This idea totally freaks me out. Isn't this day about becoming the best 'me' that I can be? Isn't that what a marriage is about - trying to be your best self, working with your partner and creating a new life together?

Don't get me wrong, a little pampering does feel nice and relieves stress - for me. Many women don't like makeup or nail polish or all that girly fussiness. Why should they be made to feel like less bride-ly because of it? Seriously, one of the magazines suggest that I start scheduling weekly manicures and pedicures beginning 6 MONTHS OUT from my wedding. Are you kidding? Do I look like I have a small fortune? Or that I could possibly have time for such nonsense?

I like me. I like the way I do things. I like the way I paint my nails, and do what little makeup I wear, and how I fix my hair. I don't feel the need to shell out ridiculous amounts of money so that someone else can make me look like what they think a bride should be. And frankly, I resent that everyone thinks that I should. Sure, I might get a massage and some type of spa treatment before the wedding, because I do enjoy those things, and also I have a gift certificate to a local spa from my birthday. But I will not be cramming my wedding day full of stylist appointments.

While I'm ranting - what about the bridesmaids? I do understand and support the idea of having the people most important to you up at the altar to support you at your wedding. Sisters, best friends, whoever. What I do not understand is the idea that, "hey, I have all these totally unique women who are important to me in my life - I know! I want to dress them all alike!". Steve's two oldest sisters were both married in the last year, and I was very grateful to be a bridesmaid in both ceremonies. They had the awesome idea of just choosing a color, then letting the bridesmaid find a dress that suits her in that color. I don't mean a specific color from a specific dress shop, I mean "green" and "blue". I found awesome dresses in both colors which were flattering to me. I'm fixing to have only one bridesmaid/maid of honor/chick of support, and I have told her to just wear whatever she wants. We're not having a theme or specific colors for the wedding, so she can literally wear a dress that she already has. I don't care! I just want her up there with me. I don't want to squeeze her into the bridesmaid mold anymore than I want to be squeezed into the bride one.

To sum up the rantings: Huzzah for a unique wedding full of unique people!