Why you should do what’s right for you, not everybody else
This weekend I attended a black tie ball with Rhodri. I’ll be honest now, the past two weeks were filled with anxiety and dread. Not because of the magnitude of the event, but the dress code. I thought I had nailed it. I scoured online, I took to Pinterest, I went shopping with an open mind and I came home with a dress that was super flattering and the sort of thing people wear to events.
But deep down I had this niggling feeling. I thought the anxiety was just from feeling a little nervous but in reality, it was that the dress I had decided on wearing wasn’t me at all and my confidence was taking the hit. I’d let what I thought was socially acceptable override what was right for me. I’ve always revelled in not going with the crowd, I even have a Yevgeny Zamyatin quote as a reminder: “I prefer being wrong in my own way, than right in someone else’s.”
So, I dug through my wardrobe and found a dress I had bought months ago even though at the time I had no occasion to wear it. It was a long-sleeved knee-length silk crepe dress covered in tiny white stars – not really your typical black tie dress. But…it was totally me. Guess what? The nerves and anxiety vanished and I felt confident and amazing.
You’re probably thinking…why are you telling me this? Well, I think it’s so easy to sucked into choosing your wedding dress or suit because it’s what you are expected to wear. Forget what society or tradition (or your mum) says you should wear. Go all out in a trouser suit, wear a colour, or even wear floral print! Do what’s right for you.
Here are some brides and grooms who done exactly that…
Katie wearing a scarlet red bespoke Ian Stuart dress for her luxe wedding at Battersea Arts Centre in London
Annabel opted for a High Street dress for her tipi wedding in Shropshire so she could venture into the nature reserve barefoot and not worry if it got dirty.
Khairil wearing jeans and top hat for his woodland wedding in Hampshire
Jo wearing her mums 1960’s Ossie Clark dress for their Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama wedding
