I always knew that planning my wedding dresses would be a challenge. I and my fiancé met him while I was residing in Tenerife and he was residing in the Netherlands. We endured the long distance, valiantly attempting to make it work between us for four whole years before I finally caved making the proceed to the Netherlands. And just to create our lives even more complicated, we chose to marry in my hometown in Scotland.
Planning a marriage abroad never was going to become easy, but throw getting engaged in the center of a pandemic into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Or so you would think.
Thanks for going the length, in ways that the couple of us are pros with regards to video calling. The first eight months of our engagement were spent in lockdown and since we knew that lots of vendors and venues would quickly be unavailable for the dates we wanted, we had no choice but to book without visiting first. We had virtual venue tours, our cake samples have submitted to the post, and we scoured reviews in our vendors for months.
We didn’t need to miss out on the thrill of wedding ceremony planning, we simply had to adapt. What we could do online, we booked. What we'd to do personally – like finding my dress - we waited for.
It turns out that squeezing everything into 1 week of bridal excitement with luxury extras to create everything that little more special, was even better. My bridesmaids took per week off work and we threw ourselves into afternoon teas, tipsy brunches, and dress fittings with what amounted to per week-long Hen party!
I needed to learn to let things go and just keep the faith that everything works out.
The day of my first dress-shopping appointment dawned and I had firmly vowed to help keep my options open. I was going to a local store, Wedding Wise, and being the entire professionals that they're, Elaine soon knew precisely what kind of type of dress I was searching for. Which meant she put me in no less than five Justin Alexander Signature Collection dresses within the hour.
While I loved all of them, I hadn’t felt that ‘spark’ yet and decided I would need to visit more stores. I was also battling internally with hating the reflection in the mirror after a little significant pandemic weight gain. But then Elaine explained she had yet another dress she wanted me to test. Before the gown was even fully zipped up, I looked into the mirror and said ‘this may be the one.’ It was different from what I had originally requested, however it was like Style 88122 have been made for me.
The sweetheart neckline was delicate and feminine, the corset helped me feel supported without having to be constricting, and despite having a minimal back with no long sleeves (which I was adamant I wanted) it didn’t cause me to feel self-conscious about my broad shoulders or upper arms whatsoever. When I looked in the mirror I saw a fairytale bride without any insecurities, which is precisely what I wanted to seem like on the day. I was convinced. The beautiful drop sleeves helped me feel like Belle from Beauty and also the Beast, and also the soft sand underskirt and also the ivory lace fit the fairytale theme perfectly. The long train gave the perfect amount of "extra" that I knew I needed.
Our big day coincided using the sunniest, warmest day of the entire year in Scotland so as I stepped into my dress using the sun streaming through the windows behind me, it felt surreal. I couldn’t think that my big day was here and I was dealing with wearing probably the most beautiful dress I had ever worn in my life. I was also fervently glad that I hadn’t chosen full sleeves in the end or I would happen to be melting to the floor by 11 am.
When I stepped into the church and saw my hubby standing at the finish of that aisle, suddenly the sacrifices, the delays, and the nights spent worrying, didn’t matter anymore. Despite being convinced that I wouldn’t cry when I saw him, I promptly burst into tears and was extremely grateful that my veil was since the worst of it.
I received a lot of compliments on my small dress during the day. Mostly from individuals who had expected me to put on something completely different, however, they all decided on one thing – it looked designed for me.
I think that may be the secret to Justin Alexander's dresses. They don’t wear the Brides, they just accentuate the wonder that their Brides currently have. While I began to regret selecting a dress with a lot of skirt layers because the temperature rocketed to the 30s (Celsius) throughout the photo session, I have never felt more comfortable in my own skin than I did on my big day. Unlike most brides, I hadn’t been exercising like a fiend in the gym, or "sweating for that wedding" whatsoever. Battling with a binge-eating disorder and experiencing my body image literally up to the day before the marriage, I was terrified I would hate how I looked as if I was inside my heaviest weight.*
But just like a real fairytale, it had been as if a Fairy Godmother had cast a magic spell to produce the perfect dress and suddenly it didn’t matter. My body fit the dress and also the dress fit me in ways, unlike every other garment I have ever worn. My weight was the furthest thing from my thoughts the entire day, and all sorts I could consider was how unbelievably happy I was.
Unfortunately, I was not also granted glass slippers and my feet were killing me when dinner was served. With a swift become flats following the Wedding Breakfast, I felt just like a new woman and danced the nighttime away before the band left and it had been only myself and my new husband swaying within a blanket of stars.
Every bride wants their boho wedding dress to become perfect. It’s why we stress, plan, and stress more. But as the details are important, what really matters is you marry the love of your life. And if you have the ability to do that, your wedding would be a success.
If you or perhaps a loved one is experiencing an eating disorder, text “NEDA” to 741741 to become connected with a trained volunteer at Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text to individuals who are experiencing mental health, including eating disorders and therefore are experiencing emergency situations.
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