{Relaxation Response (sigh)}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Did you just sigh? I've noticed that when a woman becomes a bride, she sighs a lot.(Happy sighs, woeful sighs.) Being in love (sigh), having a looooong to-do list (sigh), finding the perfect dress (sigh).

Let's make better use of those sighs and turn them into intentional deep, long, soothing breaths. This way you can stay relaxed while engaging in your busy life and planning your wedding (sigh).

Breathing guru, Dennis Lewis, says in his wonderful book, Free Your Breath, Free Your Life, that "a long, slow exhalation turns on your 'relaxation response'." Hmmm. So how about a little practice right now?

Breathing through your nose, take a deeeeeep, slow inhale; and then allow your exhale to be even sloooooower and longer. Don't rush, enjoy the ease of letting go with each exhale ... like a long, luscious sigh. Continue this relaxation response whatever you're doing. Just pay attention to your breaths ... especially those longer, relaxing exhales (sigh). 

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Missy McLamb]

{Standing On Solid Ground}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Our fascination with shoes started long before designer labels or “Sex and the City.” Shoes—for obvious reasons—were first created for protective covering but then evolved into status symbols (sometimes rather foreboding ones) as well as objects of beauty and sexual allure.

Historians tell us that the symbolism of footwear in connection with marriage and luck dates back to antiquity. An old custom in China, tossing the bride’s red shoes from a roof, ensured the couple’s happiness; the ancient Inca Indians of Peru exchanged sandals to seal the marriage deal. In more recent history, perhaps when your grandparents or their parents married, couples rode away in a car with shoes tied onto the bumper as a sign that prosperity would follow them!

Whatever shoes you wear for your wedding—or even if you go barefoot—be sure that you’re “standing on solid ground” as far as your heart is concerned! Keep checking in with yourself while you are planning your wedding to be sure that your focus is on your relationship and that your attention hasn’t gotten lost in the busyness of wedding “things.” (Like what shoes look the best with your dress!)

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Kristin Spencer]

{Thank You!}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
There simply cannot be too many thank-yous spoken in the world. (Nor too many hearts full of love!) Many people assisted you in getting to your wedding day...keep the generosity and gratitude going. Say “thank you” to the first and last person you see today—and everyone in between—and really mean it.

Notice how it lights people up. In fact, make it your job to light people up today. “Thank you!” It feels great; in fact, you’re the one who just might get the biggest reward.

“Gratitude is what returns us to love,” writer Lisa Clapier reminds us, and love is abundantly endless. You won’t run out—just keep giving it away!

Have your wedding be remembered for the gifts everyone went home with—your love and gratitude.

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia


[Photograph: Brian Wagner]

{Declare Your Own Value}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
History can be rather convoluted and, at times, not very attractive...including the history of weddings. For instance, the background of  “...and a sixpence for your shoe”—the ending of the innocent bridal rhyme representing wishes for wealth and happiness for the couple—is steeped in some rather harsh history. In some cultures, coins depicted a father “selling” his daughter to a future husband, and the use of shoes were seen as a symbol of man’s domination over women.

Some harsh history indeed. But the other side of humans and our history is how we can turn some things into positive and fulfilling symbols and rituals. So the meaning of a coin in your shoe for your wedding has the power that you give it—so give it a wealth of love and all the abundant energy you can muster!   

Today, a man and woman’s sense of  “wealth” includes riches of the heart and spirit—generating an abundant partnership and deep connection. We are blessed in modern culture to be able to declare our own value. You are an invaluable part of the divine plan—wear it well on your wedding day!

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Julie Mikos]

{Take Someone's Breath Away}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Taking a deep, slow breath gives you pause; and in the space of that pause, you're more relaxed, more present, more likely to "respond" instead of "react." When you put attention on your breath, you're able to see both the "big picture" as well as the "details" in clearer focus; decision making becomes easier.

Are you noticing your breath as you are reading this? Put attention on your breath – take longer, deeper breaths and get more nourishing oxygen into your brain and body. Your breath brings ease into your tense muscles: your shoulders drop, your chest expands, your neck and jaw relax. You look softer.

And you just might take someone's breath away!

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Marla Aufmuth]

{A Grateful Heart}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Do you think that abundance is limited? That good fortune skips a day in your life? Wise spiritual guides tell us that what we might consider as lack of abundance or a misfortune is actually an opportunity to open our hearts even wider ... a reminder to be thankful for what we do have. Blessings come a’calling to a grateful heart!

Over two thousand years ago, the Roman philosopher Cicero said “a grateful heart is the greatest virtue.” We receive presents each day that we may not recognize as presents, but it seems that anytime we express appreciation for the experience we’ve been given—no matter what it is—then our hearts open that much more.

Keep your heart available for love in abundant proportions . . . and abundance is yours. Remember that it’s a generous dose of gratitude that returns you to the “fortunes” of love.

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia


[Photograph: Sarah Merians Photography]