Let's face it-- no matter how chill and down-to-earth you consider yourself to be, when you've got an excuse to plan and decorate a big party (and a willingness- albeit a fairly reluctant willingness- to throw down a couple thousand for it), there's always the risk of getting carried away by the fun and fabulous material details.
And I don't blame you. Hey, I love Green Wedding Shoes just like every other bride. And even when I'm trying to be sensible and save a buck through DIY projects and used wedding dresses on OnceWed, I'm certainly still drooling over the gorgeous eye candy over there, and fantasizing about all of the stuff I could purchase or create to up the pretty factor of my wedding.
With all of the lovely vintage details, charming DIY projects, and bad-ass offbeat choices, sometimes the mind needs quiet. The soul needs to simplify. We need need an anchor for our ship so that we don't go drifting off to sea.
So the next time you're faced with the option to purchase or create yet another amazing little "must-have" for your wedding, consider consulting the checklists below, taken from the highly acclaimed blog Zen Habits.
When you think about your things or want to purchase [or DIY] something new, consider these parameters:
- It brings beauty into your life and stirs your soul.
- It supports a passion or hobby.
- It helps bring family and friends together in a creative, meaningful way.
- It educates and enlightens.
- It makes life profoundly simpler so that you can pursue more meaningful things.
- It helps someone who is sick or incapacitated.
- It is useful and necessary for day-to-day life.
- It’s part of a meaningful tradition or a reminder of a special event.
- Buy on a whim.
- Buy to impress others.
- Buy because you feel you deserve it.
- Buy when you can’t afford it.
- Buy just to update something that still works or looks fine.
- Buy because someone else has it and you want it too.
- Buy because the advertisement seduced you.
- Buy because you are bored.
- It’s purchased because buying soothes you.
The checklists above are actually from an article called "How To Simplify When You Love Your Stuff" by guest blogger Barrie Davenport. What I love is that while Zen Habits has nothing to do with weddings, it applies to those of us who are planning one. How? The blog addresses the shaping and living out of one's attitude and values. It's about quality of life. Reflecting on these things will help us make brave, authentic, and mindful choices for our weddings. Hooray!
Good luck, my little zen brides. Peace out.
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Love this list; I've really learned in wedding planning that the financial/DIY decisions that come from the heart ("I'm choosing to spend xyz dollars or xyz hours on this because it's important to us and the way we want to lead our lives") are invariably the ones that we don't second-guess or regret. At 3 and a half weeks out from the wedding, I'm so glad that I know the day will have material items that will add meaning and joy not because of some WIC nonsense about what we "need" but because we put heart and thought into them.
ReplyDelete(found you via APW; hope you don't mind the random comment! :))
Aw, man! No more buying myself a tee because I was so good and threw out the ones that are stained? But I deserve it! :) This is a genius list, actually. I may have to print it out and past it somewhere.
ReplyDelete@ Sharon - Welcome! I always enjoy fellow team practical members passing through here. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's hard to say which choices we'll regret later, even if they do pass the checklists. Although my dress was super important to me (I designed it and had it custom made), I spent a few hundred more than I anticipated. I won't know until I get my photos back whether or not I will continue to regret my splurge!
By the way, my wedding is in 3 weeks, too! Yeee!!!
@ Jolyn - I know, ain't it the coolest??
Yes to this!
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to be mindful of why we want the things we want- it is a necessity or do we want it because some blog-chic wedding has it?
Wanting more and more is no way to live. If we live that way- will we ever be happy or content? No. We'll spend our whole lives searching for something that doesn't exist and forgetting all about our awesome journeys through life. Thanks for the checklist!