Things you might not expect from an engagement photo session (and the importance of bug spray)
I talked my fiancé into doing engagement pictures basically because I believed the posts on Offbeat Bride that suggested engagement pics are a great way to get comfortable being photographed… and they are a nice memento. My guy felt completely un-photogenic and had no interest in paying someone to follow us around a forest taking pictures of us making out. I actually struggle with low self-esteem, and am currently in therapy about it. So the idea of spending money on a photo shoot made me uncomfortable. But here’s what happened, and what I learned from the experience…
Why you should embrace your wedding jealousy
About one-and-a-half years into what is shaping up to be a four-year engagement, my future brother-in law proposed to his then-girlfriend. I love these people very, very much, so naturally, I was filled with excitement, happiness, love, and… jealousy? I was filled with guilt about my reactions. It ate into me, and fighting them caused me hours of anxiety. It got to a point where the positive emotions I did feel were getting blotted out. So, I just gave in to my jealousy. I embraced the emotion and allowed myself to fully experience it…
What will people tell their friends about your wedding?
Like many Offbeat Brides, I’m pretty insecure. I’m insecure to the point where I sit on the subway making up things for people around me to say behind my back. Of course, in my mind, they’re never flattering. So now, less than two weeks from my own wedding, I decided to STOP thinking about the horrible things people MIGHT say about my wedding.
What’s the opposite of Bridezilla? 4 ways wedding planning made me a better person
I did not expect to learn so much about self-confidence when I started this whole wedding thing. (Even though I needed SOME self-confidence to even make the proposal in the first place.) While other people have written about how wedding planning helped them learn to say “no” to people who kept making demands. Me? I’ve learned to say “yes” to myself.