{Guest of Honor}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Weddings are undeniably about relationships, even including the bride’s relationship with her special dress—which can get a bit over-the-top at times. California photographer Leslie Barton remarked, “It seems to me the gown is really the guest of honor. It is treated with a delicacy and respect that few humans experience.”

A reminder, dear bride: Love your dress, treasure how it makes you feel, celebrate your day, honor your heritage, and treat all of your wedding guests as the “guest of honor”!

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

[Photograph: Leslie Barton]

{The Goddess Bride}

Dear Bride-to-be:

Did you know that in ancient cultures—and continued in some societies today—the bride was heralded as a heroine and attended to like a queen? She was bathed, perfumed, painted, pierced, coiffed, bejeweled, wrapped, draped, veiled, adorned with flowers, extravagantly dressed (sometimes in multiple costumes over days- or week-long ceremonies), and she was elevated to goddess stature!

Therefore, your bridal birthright, O Beautiful Bride, is indeed the legacy of the goddess! Open your heart to that feminine heritage—breathe it in—and feel that womanly beauty through ‘n through. Allow yourself to be cared for, attended to, and deeply loved. And in the generous, open-hearted goddess tradition, give that love and attention right back to everyone you meet—like the goddess you are!

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

[Photograph Courtesy of Donald Clay Johnson]

{Fabled Dress}

Dear Bride-to-Be: There is a great deal of romance and juicy energy around the fabled “wedding dress.” These costumes with a past have become mythical creatures, described as “gowns of ritual” by historian Carol McD. Wallace in her book All Dressed in White. Wedding dresses—whether you wear something old or something new—connect women in an echoing sisterly heritage.

Share with a girlfriend or aunt or your seamstress or any woman in your life how wearing your wedding dress makes/made you feel. Soak in feeling feminine and luscious and gorgeous in your own eyes. Enjoy “playing dress-up” in your princess gown and take that womanliness into “regular life” so you can draw from that delight—especially on one of those “frumpy” feeling days!

Slow down during your wedding planning time and wedding day. Savor it. Breathe deeply and easily into your heart center and just hang out there for a bit. And in this soft sweet place, remember the “feeling beautiful” feeling and carry it with you no matter what you are wearing.

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

[Photograph by Sarah Merians and Company]

{Lavender & Handkerchiefs}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Carrying a pretty handkerchief is an old custom that, even today, can inspire our feminine nature. Legends have been created just from stories about a lady’s scented handkerchief and her feminine wiles! Victorian ladies kept stems of English lavender in their decorative hankie cases, infusing the handkerchiefs with its relaxing, romantic fragrance. (Then it was always ready to calm excited nerves—perhaps when a special suitor came to call.)

Here’s a soothing tip for your wedding day. Buy a pretty but practical linen handkerchief to carry. It can be white or a soft pastel, vintage or new but not too fancy. (Or perhaps your grandmother has one to give you.) When your wedding day comes, scent your “sensible” hankie with a bit of calming lavender essential oil. Keep the scented hankie with you during your wedding activities to have its relaxing fragrance always available.

Remember that being relaxed and at ease brings out your feminine nature. And ’tis okay to share your secret: keep a little bottle of lavender essential oil in your wedding purse for a hankie refresher and even put a drop on his handkerchief as well!

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

[Photograph by Julie Mikos]

{Five-Minutes to Ease}

Dear Bride-to-be:

Yes, you’ve heard me say over and over how important it is to have a little quiet reverie in your day during your busy wedding planning time. And you’ve said, “I want to, but just don’t have the time!”

Okay, try this: Don’t add it to your “to do” list—it’s much too long anyway! And don’t think of it as “something else to do,” but more like a luscious gift to give yourself. Just say: “I’m taking care of myself inside and out today!”

Start now...it only takes five minutes. YOU deserve it!

Sitting quietly with your eyes closed, breathing through your nose, count each deep, slow inhale (one) and long, soft exhale (two), inhale (three), exhale (four); continue slowly until you get to thirty. And if you lose count, just start over at number one. Like planning your wedding, it’s not a race to the finish line; it’s a journey to enjoy as you explore your true heart’s desire.

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

[Photo: Cheryl Wiles of arisit i]

{Celebrating YOU}

Dear Bride-to-Be:

Women usually remember the moment they first saw themselves in their wedding gown! Some recall that it was like seeing a cherished, intimate part of themselves seldom shared with anyone. Wedding dresses can evoke deeply personal, interlinking stories as women wistfully describe details of the design or how wearing it made them feel. “Every woman should see herself looking uniquely breathtaking, in something tailored to celebrate her body,” Susan Jane Gilman exclaims in Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress.

These wedding planning times are precious moments that invite you to celebrate your womanliness. And you don’t have to wait for your wedding day or stop doing it on your wedding day or even have a wedding day for such a celebration! You can celebrate you every day—body and spirit!

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

[Photograph: Julie Mikos]