It is not complicated. In order to look good on your wedding day, you need to feel good. What can you do to feel good? You are the expert on yourself and what makes you feel good, and you want to feel good not only for your wedding photography, but also for the day as a whole. Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Be conscious and on purpose about how you want to feel on your wedding day. If you are determined to have the best possible day no matter what, you probably will.
2. Be yourself-and have some fun. Remember that a very special someone really wants to marry you just the way you are. Also remember that everyone at the wedding is there because they love you in their own way, and you love them, too. Keep the best of that in your heart, and let it feed your best self.
3. Be fit, well-rested, well-hydrated, take care of your skin, and do not let yourself go hungry and cranky. Getting toned and practicing good skin care take time. And in the final days leading up the wedding, plan to take a couple of days off for self care. Get plenty of sleep, go to the spa, and let go of the details. Once your guests start arriving, rest time is over.
4. Remember that every bride is beautiful. You might be overweight, you might think of yourself as being very plain, and you might have never liked your smile. But this is your day. Step up and take it in. This is your wedding day!
5. Choose the right photographer and have an engagement portrait session before the wedding. Part of feeling good and looking good is knowing how to look your best in pictures. Work with a professional photographer who has trained in posing and lighting. Candid shots are fantastic, but photojournalists do not have posing expertise. During your engagement session, you will identify and practice two or three positions that are particularly flattering for you-then you will know what to do on your wedding day.
6. For more confidence, practice posing and smiling in the mirror together. Try being serious, sexy, submissive, indifferent, traditional - anything you like. If nothing else, this exercise could be a really fun and funny way for you to lighten up.
7. Find the right hair and make up artists for you. And have practice sessions with them to discover a flattering look that you will be comfortable in all day and night.
8. Same concept goes for your wedding gown and shoes. Make sure they not only look amazing on you, but will also allow you to move comfortably throughout the day. If you cannot hug your loved ones without adjusting your strapless gown every time, or if your feet are killing you, can you really feel good and have the best day possible?
9. Engage the services of a life coach before the wedding. This is not therapy, and this is not designing your cake, flowers, invitations or table setting. It is about getting what is most important to you not only about your wedding, but also about your marriage. For example, a good life coach will prompt you to discover your most meaningful answers to questions such as:
If money was not a concern, what is you most fabulous dream wedding? What is it about your dream wedding that resonates with your values? Which of these values are the most important for you to honor at your wedding?
10. Do not party too much the night before the wedding. Face it, if you do party too much, your face and energy level will show it all day long.
Of course, there are many more things you can do to prepare to look and feel your best on your wedding day. Choose the ones that you think will be most important to you, make a plan, and stay on target with them.
