A few weeks ago, Chai asked me to post pics from Dan’s and my wedding. Since I just got some pics from my stepmother’s camera, I thought I’d post them (and some of our professional shots) today!
Dan and I really wanted a beach wedding and so we selected a place right on the Chesapeake Bay. It was an absolutely gorgeous location. This is a picture from one of the suites. Isn’t it gorgeous?
I don’t know about any of you, but planning our wedding was so stressful that no matter how hard I tried, I could not lose weight. It did not help that my job was super stressful, Dan was out of state most of the year, and we moved halfway across the country about three months before the wedding. 
On top of all of those stressors was the stress to ‘be perfect.’ I would see skinny brides and get jealous that they didn’t have to be all consumed with the quest to lose weight and look good for ‘the big day.’ I had more sleepless nights over my stupid wedding dress than I have had over any other event.
Heck, the main reason I started my diet in 2005 was so that I’d be skinny in time for my wedding. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than not being skinny on my wedding day.
Magazines talk about bridal bootcamp, and friends and strangers asked me how I was going to trim down for the big day. People told me that I would always regret not being skinny since ‘pictures will last forever.’ I’ve never had super high self esteem and so I was definitely susceptible to all of these internal and external pressures.
I think it all came to a head when I realized that the wedding dress I had ordered in March would no longer fit. I had gained about 40 pounds that year. Thankfully, David’s Bridal guaranteed a return for size changes for my dress, so that was not a problem for me. Thank goodness. 
In the end, after many sleepless nights, I was not the size I wanted to be. However, I was the happiest I have ever been. I was also extremely thankful for my photographer. Rachel Naft and I hit it off right away. I felt comfortable enough to ask her to make me look as skinny as possible in my pictures. 
It was amazing to compare pictures that friends took and the ones taken by Rachel. She really has a way of making people look good!
One regret I have is that I wish I hadn’t selected a strapless dress. They really aren’t all that flattering, and mine totally put me on the look out for chub all day.
I have even tried to photoshop the chub out of pictures, but I am not that talented, so some of them may never see the light of day.
Chub aside, all of those pressures are bull crap. Dan loves me no matter my size. I wish I had the strength to tell everyone who told me how important my weight was to suck it. I wish I had loved myself enough to know that my size didn’t matter. I wish I had realized that not once on my wedding day would I think “boy, I wish I was skinnier”. And now I’m one of the few brides who can say that I can’t fit into my wedding dress anymore because it’s too big.
(Rachel Naft is located in the Northern Virginia area if someone is looking for an amazing photographer).
9 comments:
Thank you SO much for this post! Your wedding was gorgeous, and your narration is genius. I can think of a billion things worse than not being skinny on your wedding day, but I know if it were me, I'd feel the same way as you did.
I do hope you were able to feel beautiful on that day, because I can tell by Dan's face, that that is all he saw... pure beauty, and love!
I know how you felt that day, because I had the same problem. I could not lose weight before my wedding because of all the stress...
That being said, I think you looked GAW-GEE-OUS and beautiful and happy!!! I love your dress, and the colors for your wedding.
In the end, it's all about the love, not the chub!
you did look gorgeous!!
and the rudeness of people...seriously... whats it to them if you aren't ueber skinny!?
Beautiful pics!
Your post and pics brought tears to my eyes ....... I soooo know what your saying. I was so nuts about what I would look like in my pictures, I lost weight for my wedding, but not nearly enough ! I am not in love with my pics, but I decided that day that I wasn't going to allow it to ruin what was really important, I was marrying the best thing that ever happened to me !
I just want to say that I think you look beautiful in your dress and your husband obviously does too, by the look on his face ! I am so sorry that people put such pressure on you ! You were and still are beautiful !!!!
what a post!
what beautiful pictures!
girly you look absolutely stunning. i mean it. im not just saying it to be nice either. just wow.
i love that last paragraph.
WOW.
WOW!!!!
Seriously you look AMAZING.
And I love that you realized your hubby loves you no matter what. He thought you looked gorgeous and so did everyone else I'm sure.
Love the pictures! We are getting married next July and I have the exact same fears that you had. I'm scared that I'm going to look like the fat bride in all of my pictures. We actually already selected a photographer (also based out of Northern VA) but I told her I wanted to look fantastic in my pictures and she said everyone has angles that no matter what they look fantastic. hopefully she can find mine lol!
I didnt realize you were in the DC area too!
That cake was so pretty (And tasted AMAZING, the junior mints really made the whole thing!) And I also happen to remember hearing people at the reception say (no fewer than a dozen times) how beautiful and happy you looked. And they were right!
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