The Almost Perfect Bride

It's  your wedding. You've spent a year, possibly more planning each detail. You've read dozens of bridal magazines, blogs and seen all the latest wedding fantasies shown on television. Inside your head you have a vision of the perfect bride, the perfect wedding, the perfect day.

But what is reality and what is fantasy? As you read bridal mags and blogs it is important to realize that the 'brides' in these photo shoots are models who have stylists, and who are airbrushed, have their photos retouched, makeup done by professionals, and have photographers who are experts at making a fantasy appear real on a slick magazine page.

Do you have a perfection fantasy as you plan your wedding? Can your perfection fantasy ruin the reality of your wedding day? The answer to that is a resounding 'YES!' The fantasies that live in our heads (and that we've nurtured possibly from the first time we watched Cinderella) are just that fantasies. We need to accept that they aren't reality.

Will you look like that six foot tall, size zero model in that $30,000 dress on your wedding day? Not unless you are a six foot tall size zero bride wearing the same dress, and even then you probably won't have access to the professionals that spend entire days creating that one photo. So it's time to recognize what is YOUR reality.

You may be a tad overweight, or have a less than perfectly toned body (at least in comparison to a model) so accept this. Sure, head to the gym and work out, but don't lose sight of what your wedding day is all about--the beginning of your life with your new husband. Realize you are great just the way you are. After all, your husband to be didn't ask that model on the magazine page to marry him, he asked you.

So plan a day that reflects you and your fiance's values. Strive to show your family and friends the bond between the two of you and how important it is in your lives. 'Glow' for your husband with the happiness that only a woman in love can achieve. And remember, be kind to each other all through the planning process. Don't let the 'perfection plan' get in the way of real life.

The perfect bride is not the one you see on the pages of that magazine, the perfect bride for your groom is YOU. Just the way you are. So smile, enjoy planning your wedding together, but realize something will go wrong, it always does, so just go with the flow and enjoy your day.