Uncovering insecurities?

It's definitely normal to an extent! Most people don't love the spotlight and being a bride forces you into it. I have days where I feel super guilty about my parents gifting me money for my wedding, expecting my bridal party to buy a dress they'll never wear again, people having to travel, etc.

Just remember, there's a "sorry, can't make it" option on RSVP cards for a reason. No one is forced to attend.

Those who love you and who would be overjoyed to partake in your day will be there, and they'll be happy for you, and that's a good thing.

What sort of wedding are you having? Big, small, etc? Are you sure it's what you want?

You're not alone. I've had a few breakdowns about not feeling beautiful enough to be a bride and I woke up with anxiety last night about having all eyes on me at the ceremony. I think weddings (and all the parties around them) may be a lovely princess moment for an extrovert, but it's honestly VERY stressful for an insecure introvert. Every party offered to host in my honor just makes me incredibly anxious, not excited or happy. I am considering seeing a shrink about how insecure it has all made me!

Yep me too. All of it just freaks me out and every rsvp we get accepting the invitation actually shocks the hell out of me. I'm the girl that's always there for everyone else but is really uncomfortable accepting help or attention from anyone else. So yes, all the insecurities!

I get very anxious about all the money being spent/spotlight shined on me/being center of attention. I too sometimes feel like it's too much and then feel very guilty. I think it's normal. Or else it confirms my suspicions that I'm not normal all the time. Lol.

LiveFree-We're having a small-ish wedding (100 or so guests).

I'm with you! Also concerns of not being "pretty enough"... sheesh we women need to talk to ourselves in a more positive light!

Hey date twin! I really have been getting so much better at the self-compassion thing. It's so important. I think part of it is I've never been one to have a huge group of friends. I've always had like one or two very close friends. I moved back home to South Dakota about a year before I started dating my fiancé and I haven't made many friends at all here. I see brides with like 8 bridesmaids and wonder how they even have any more friends to invite to the wedding. Lol.

Ugh, YES. I've got severe anxiety and depression and I look at the dress I got and think about my hair and makeup and I just... don't think I'm gonna look as good as all of the other brides on here who post BAM pics.

Even my FH... I keep asking him if this is real life bc I don't feel worthy. I know it'll probably get worse the closer I get to the day.

Hahaha @Jessica, whatever we are, we are in it together!

Here too! Not beautiful enough to be a bride and also not wanting people to go out of their way for the wedding.

I'm definitely right there with you ladies. I feel so unattractive in my dress. I already hate my hair and how I look and can't even imagine how bad I'm going to look on the big day. I'm so uncomfortable in my dress as it is so I know it's going to show how I feel with my body language. I should've eloped! Lol

I thought it was just me! Definitely feel insecure like you guys mentioned-it just feels like so much pressure lately. I have been seeing a therapist to help as well

I feel insecure about every person I have invited traveling traveling 6-12+ hours to see me. I know they love me and want to come for us just like we would for them, but it is hard to feel worthy of so many people going out of their way of me sometimes!

Wedding planning definitely comes with a lot of pressure, and I am already an anxious introvert who worries a lot so I totally know how you all feel! But I just try to think about all of the love and support our family and friends have shown us from the start and it helps calm me down. We are worthy of love!! Let's enjoy this time in our lives and try not to sweat the stuff we cannot control :-) Every love story is beautiful!

I'm so concerned about gaining weight. My weight fluctuates throughout the month, and I always feel like I won't fit into my dress or it won't look the way it did when I tried it on.

Oh god, yes. I've posted other times that in general I'm very introverted and anxious so having attention on me is going to be very difficult. But I'm also finding myself reverting to my insecurities about how other people perceive me (the whole "nobody actually likes me" type of mentality) and I start freaking out that people won't care. And that my wedding won't be fun and nobody will dance and it will be boring. Which all of this is really dumb, obviously.

Ang, this is exactly my problem. I always assume people hate me. And I have the exact same fears about the dance and that people are going to sit around and think about how much of a loser I am for having such a lame wedding. God it sounds crazy when you lay it all out like that!

OP I totally understand, and if you ever want to talk, I feel that we can totally relate with each other. I don't have a lot of friends, I'm introverted and keep my circle very tight. I have about 30 people on my side I'm inviting (25 of them are family friends requested by parents) so I feel like they'd feel obligated to come because of my parents, not because they want to be there for me.

I used to be over 315 lbs, I still weigh 200 lbs but that played a huge roll on my mental health. I was depressed and always felt that people didn't want to be around me. I closed people off. I still feel that way and still feel super unattractive, now especially with the loose skin I have, so I just feel that people will be judging me at the wedding and looking at my arm fat all the time.

I'm so socially awkward but I still want a wedding. (75 people) I'm just the kind of person that always messes something up. I never mean to but I do. I'll be the bride who trips walking down the aisle or forgets my veil at home or something. And people will laugh at me. I just know something will happen, because that's just how my life works.

Luckily, I have come a long way with my mental health. I still am so overly anxious and always put together the "what ifs" where I drive myself crazy, but my FH is super supportive and has really helped.

I totally feel you on wondering how people have so many friends. I'm inviting maybe 20 friends (4 of whom are in the BP) and my FH is inviting probably 65. I sometimes get insecure and feel like it's embarrassing for me to not have that many people to invite. I also know I'm going to have some serious anxiety before the wedding about having to be the center of attention. Having to open all those gifts in front of people at the shower was absolute torture.

I feel the exact same way, I am so scared for my wedding and stressed out its unreal.

I also can't help but feel that I am going to be the ugliest & fattest bride there ever was and everyone is going to be talking behind my back about how awful and ugly I am.

Also I don't even have enough friends to assemble a bridal party which in itself is really embarrassing & makes me feel worse.

I'm in the same boat. I am already very insecure about myself, especially with how fair-skinned I am. I have came a long way with it since high school, but it still gets to me when people make rude comments or gestures about my skin tone. I try to tell myself "Yes, I'm pale, but I'm a beautiful porcelain doll who won't be wrinkly and look 80 when I'm 40." Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. I also have major social anxiety. I get to the point where I get physically sick when I am in large crowds, even when it's people I know. I wanted no more than 120 guests at our wedding, but guess how many are on our list? 175. Ugh. I'm hoping I can find a way to cope with this before my big day...

ETA: Left a word out.