Day 56: 3 ways this project has restored my wedding-sanity

Yes, Ugly Teva Stilettos.  Only $330!

Remember my fears of slipping down that slippery-slope to bridezilla-land?  Well... I'm making no promises for future issues that may arise, but I feel like this mirror mirror project has put some serious treads in my stilettos.  With all the planning left to do (flowers! shuttles!! hair!!! makeup!!!!), it's still a slippery-slope, but I'm climbing up instead of sliding down.

Here are 3 ways that this project has restored some wedding-sanity:

1)  Now that I can't look at myself in the mirror, I've stopped trying on my wedding dress(es).  Yeah, I attempted to do this once without a mirror (habits die hard), and it felt really stupid.  And heavy.  Time saved: 20-40 minutes per month, depending on how easily the damned things zip.  (Note: I still feel a little bit obsessive/worried about whether I've got the "perfect" dress, but this is waning a bit each day.  See comments from my last post, regarding critiques of a $161-Billion wedding-industry that would fully support my purchase of infinite dresses, in search of an un-achievable "one".)

2) I've reduced my spending on beauty products.  I used to peruse the makeup aisle at CVS, and purchase when inspired.  Now that I've memorized my makeup routine using particular products, I don't feel motivated to deviate.  Although a small piece of be bemoans the reduction in my cosmetic creativity... a peek at my makeup drawer confirms that I wasn't all that creative to begin with (nude lipgloss, anyone?  I've got twenty!).  Money saved: probably $10/week.  Well, more like $30/week if you count all the random other stuff I typically got "inspired" by on these trips.  It remains to be seen whether this project might actually increase my spending on beauty services.  Will I completely give up eyebrow grooming and the occasional "inspired" at-home hair-dyeing escapade? Will I attempt these tasks sans-mirror?  Or, will I farm them out to the pros?  (Note: allowing M to perform said tasks is NOT an option I'm seriously considering!)

Original image found here.

3) Finally, the very act of "announcing" so publicly that I need to take a step back from the wedding craziness has been enough for me to take the task seriously in more realms than just my appearance.   I've caught myself not thinking about my wedding for entire days!  Yes, it's still fun to plan (and register!), but other things - like moving, teaching, spending time with family, and completing a long-overdue journal article - are competing for my attention. It feels great to know that the fluffy stuff can play second-fiddle, at least temporarily.  


Friends and Family: If I do start slip-sliding into inse-scary-bride mode again, please DO NOT buy me those ugly Tevas.  They are hella expensive, and don't look very practical.  Instead, just silently hand me an adorable-but-telling greeting card, such as the one pictured to the left (found on this website). Make sure that the inside is blank, so you can write me a personalized note telling me how annoying I've been.  :D

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