Hillary Clinton coined the phrase “it takes a village.” She was talking about raising a child. I am talking about getting a Bride ready for the big day.
Whether you get ready with the help of your sisters or aunties or splurge on Southern California’s best Indian wedding dresser-upper (what do you call these people anyways?), I firmly believe all Brides look gorgeous on their wedding day. You are happy to marry the man of your dreams. You are surrounded by friends and family. You are ready after months and months of planning to toss that bouquet and enjoy the day.
Once my clothes and jewelry were finalized, I began the search for my own personal dresser upper (again, what do you call these people?). I met with the best of the breed in the Southern California wedding industry but in the end I decided to go with people I worked with in the past and whose presence I thought would bring calm and fun to the getting ready process. I also picked people who were local to the town where the wedding will take place. Why not support small business in this difficult economic time? The same person who has been doing my hair for the last ten years will do my hair for the wedding. The make up lady from my most favorite spa will do my face. Same thing for nails. Mehndi will also be done by someone I have known for over 15 years.
The big risk I am taking is not having someone pin my chunni. Do I hear a collective gasp from my readers? Admittedly, I am a bit worried. However, the person I wanted to hire (who was unavailable) is going to pre-place the pins a day before the wedding. So keep your fingers crossed that goes well.
The New Indian Bride wants to look great on her big day (and I think she will!). How good a bride looks depends on many factors (the outfit she picks, the jewels she wears) but most important is how she feels. That bridal glow is the finishing touch to every Bride’s look no matter how much that airbrushed make up costs. Let’s hope I enter this final stretch with my bridal glow in tact .
Post Script: In addition to the villagers that will be on site to make me look great the day of the wedding, there are several fabulous villagers who beautified the bride-to-be in the months leading up to the wedding. A special thank you to my fabulous esthetician Craig who tirelessly poked and prodded my face to make sure it glows on the big day. A big shout out to Big Joe Williams and my workout partners at the office who made sure I squatted, lifted and crunched myself into a thinner and better version of me. And the biggest thanks of all goes to the friends who were always available to hear the mind numbing details of the planning process.
[...] who were in attendance on our special day. Oh and who can forget all the helpers! It takes a village and at least a few aunties to throw a fabulous Indian [...]