So, what do you do if you don't FEEL like a bride? I don't know what to do; I want my man (I'm madly, head over heels in love), I want a wedding (I love parties and I love planning), but I just haven't felt like a bride … Does anyone else go through this? -Meghan
Hmm: loving your partner, wanting a wedding, and loving parties … sounds like you feel like a bride to me!
I think the issue here is less than you don't "feel like a bride" and more that you have some sort of preconception about what feeling like a bride is supposed to entail. Obsession with wedding magazines? Sudden teary-eyed-ness over ring pillows? Burgeoning interest in romantic comedies? Sobbing over other people's weddings? Bursting out singing "I feel pretty!" in front of friends? I didn't feel any of these things. Who told you brides feel some certain way?
For me, "feeling like a bride" felt just like being myself, but maybe just a tiny bit more excited because there was a big party on the horizon and I got to dress up. By my standards, "feeling like a bride" could include anything from dorking out over which action figures to put on your cake to scheming the bride & groom's ceremonial First Dirt Bike Scrimmage. And for some brides like Jen Moon, yes: it DOES mean bursting into "I feel pretty," as minute 1:20 of this video clearly demonstrates.
I think the better question to ask yourself than "Why don't I feel like I think a bride should?" is "What does being a bride feel like to me?"
