Close your eyes and imagine your 4-year-old self-entering your favorite preschool filled with toys. Manipulatives (puzzles, 3D marble maze, blocks), kitchen set, trucks, cars, playdough, dress up clothes and my personal favorite PAINT! Feel the sense of excitement and possibilities that are literally setting your imagination on fire. In the child’s mind that approach hardly waivers and every time he or she enters the classroom, this feeling ignites again and again.
One of the attitudes practiced in Mindfulness is the "Beginner's Mind" which is being present and aware of something new entering your space. It is welcoming the experience with unbiased engagement and allowing it to show up in its unfiltered expression.
So how does this apply to the wedding couple's experience?
In the world of InstaGlam (yes, I meant glam and not gram) and the Pinterest world, it is easy for the wedding couple to flood their and the wedding vendor's inbox with amazing photos. Photos that requires some minimal tweaking to make it their own. But in actuality, this is doing a disservice to the experience, your day, creativity, and the final product. When approached from an "expert mindset " it lives very little room for fresh ideas. Approaching your wedding experience with the "beginners mind" can truly transform your day into one of the kind that is photo worthy and #weddinginspo.
Don’t get me wrong, inspiration has its purpose. Inspiration can ignite that creative spark. However, it should never be used as a copycat and deny the couple the opportunity for relationship growth and creating an experience that reflects their love story, theme, and desired outcome.
The “beginner’s mind” generates transparency and vulnerability that shows up in all aspects of the relationship. It brings out invaluable insight to their nuptial journey, it highlights their strengths (individually and collectively). The personal and intimate information gathered can be used to create a signature ceremony day!
This mindset approach benefits the wedding vendors when they collabrate on signature drinks, fabulous drapery, innovative unity features and signature tablescapes that are infused with the couple’s rich personality.