When I look back at the dress I chose for my wedding*, it was the design and look that I had imagined since I was a young girl. Having a background in textiles, at times through my life I found photos of wedding dresses that I liked, and on reflection I realise the dress I wore on my wedding day was similar to some of those dresses.
Now this sounds a little like a ‘Cinderella story’ but it actually occurred, was very real in my body and it was revealed on that day with very good reason.
For me, I absolutely enjoy clothes: I enjoy the idea of dressing up and playing with different looks and especially how I feel when trying on different clothes. Dress-ups was one of the fun things to do with friends as a young girl. It’s a definite way for me to express ‘me’ and how I feel about me. It’s the relationship with the elements of the outfit, the connection to me and process of putting it all together that I love.
For many years I may not have dressed so flatteringly or expressed through my clothing who I truly was, but recently this has been changing. As I started loving myself more, my style and clothes changed. And my wedding dress is an example where I had ‘nailed’ the perfect dress and look for me on that day. Every part of finding the dress was divine and it reminded me how important it is for me to focus attention on every single detail. I had a strong sense of who to take with me to find the dress and trusted her to support me in my style and in showing me appropriate places to look (as I had never really allowed myself to embrace looking for a wedding dress before).
My previous marriage was one where there was minimal or no planning. It was organised in one week because I was critically ill with cancer – that was the reason why that wedding was so rushed. The dress was found when driving past a shop and seeing it in the shop window. I looked beautiful in that dress, but did not feel totally gorgeous, full, amazing and divine in it – like how I felt and what I wore in my marriage to my husband now.
Back to my current wedding dress. It was found without a fuss and was the second or third dress I tried on. The accompanying belt, which really gave it that wow factor, was bought and partly handmade by me sewing in extra beads to give it that full, luxurious look.
What I learned in refashioning the belt was that my expression was different to someone in my life who had been influential about my clothing decisions. This point is important here because she was a dressmaker and I realised I had been influenced for a significant part of my life by her impression of ‘what looked good on me,’ which was always fine, but didn’t really allow me to look beyond fine, to take it a step up from that, to feel and look totally gorgeous. This is nothing that reflects adversely on her, just a reflection on her personal taste, how I was seen and how deeply I was prepared to connect to me.
The experience I had with the dress provided the impulse to how I would wear my hair, my makeup, the colour scheme, the type of hall, music played and the overall feel of the day.
The process showed me how important it was for me to take care of every little detail, no matter how small, and by doing this, everything was in place to support me to be all and everything I am. Attending to this detail was not about achieving perfection or to impress anyone, it felt very natural and was about bringing the care and attention to all the aspects so that love was there to be felt by all involved in the wedding. You see, it wasn’t just a day about my partner and I, it was about us all.
There was no concern whether the dress would fit or look okay as I knew this was the dress to support me on the day. This is an interesting concept about a dress supporting me to look my beautiful self as, funnily enough, I felt a real connection to this piece of material – we had a lovely relationship going on.
I would occasionally try the dress on and feel the deep connection to something inside myself each time, which was more confirming each time I tried it on. It was something in me that I knew so well but hadn’t allowed myself to really feel deeply for such a long time. It was something in me that I knew was uniquely me, was always there, but I hadn’t necessarily been listening to it as an important part of me. With this dress on, I gave myself permission to feel a deep connection to this exquisite place inside of me. I knew with all of my being that this was the quality I would walk in, and with, on my wedding day.
On the day of my wedding, I felt truly beautiful, sexy, full and gorgeous, something I had only experienced to that extent on a couple of occasions this lifetime. It showed me that it wasn’t necessarily the dress that allowed me to feel this expression, but the care I allowed in how my makeup was applied, in how I wore my hair, the shoes I wore, having my friends around me and the connection to my husband to be. But, most importantly, the love and connection to me I felt inside.
When all the details of the parts of my dress came together, I felt absolutely complete with nothing left unconsidered: tending to the parts made the whole absolutely exquisite.
I knew when I stepped out of the car I would be bringing something glorious and divine to myself, to all those present and to the world. I was bringing all of me, in all my divine beauty, joy and glory. As I stepped out of the car, I saw tears in strong men’s eyes and many women’s – not that they needed to cry but they were acknowledging how deeply they were touched by how I was and what I was reflecting to them – they could feel love, a deep confirmation of me in my essence and being a woman in the true sense. To me this was what bringing heaven to earth means, as I was walking towards my future husband. I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do. There were some for whom this was too much and who reacted, but I now notice and have come to accept that this happens quite often as I claim more of me.
I walked up and met my future husband in all his glory, in his total and adoring love for who he was about to marry. We were a couple who were offering a true reflection of a woman being a woman and a man being a man, both in their essence. For it was not just I who tended to the details of my dress with deep consideration and appreciation of what I had to offer, for he too felt deeply into everything he wore on the day.
The dress showed me on that day the depth of my beauty and how powerful that felt inside of me, that anything was possible. Even more than that, this experience revealed how there was something so much grander inside to access, which was truly me, and it needed nothing from the outside. It also confirmed that when I have purpose and lovingly support myself in what is required, an amazing opportunity or space is there for me to be in my stillness.
This was not just a dress but something that represented so much more, supporting me to reconnect to a place inside of me that I can only describe as the ‘crown jewels.’ It is the sacredness inside of me that is also inside all women, a place that I would always like to be in deep connection with. This place holds incredible power, steadiness and focus, all exquisitely balanced with the most precious, delicate, divine beauty, with a stillness that can hold anyone or anything. This is what I would call being totally in love with myself, in my body or really ‘full’ in my body. On that day, I gave myself permission to go there, live it and walk it, which I am now doing more and more.
Now I have lived this, I know it’s there and I can live this every day if I choose. The fine attention to detail allowed the space to feel every aspect of the wedding in full and when I choose to honour this every day, it becomes a natural way to live each day. And if this is my future, I have everything to look forward to.
This experience showed me how my true essence rests so close to me, is waiting for me, and is so accessible. It’s all about the choice to allow myself to connect deeply within and surrender to that which is truly me, honouring who I really am and not being afraid of how I may appear to the world.
*My husband and I had two weddings and for the purpose of this piece, this experience relates to the first wedding.
Published with permission from my husband.
By Ulrike Paul, Lismore Heights, Australia. B Ed, EPA SEH, ECCT
Further Reading:
Developing a Relationship – with my Essence
Fashion styling – embracing and appreciating ourselves
The Ring from Out of This World
Love – the main event at a wedding
This really resonated with me
‘I saw tears in strong men’s eyes and many women’s – not that they needed to cry but they were acknowledging how deeply they were touched by how I was and what I was reflecting to them – they could feel love, a deep confirmation of me in my essence and being a woman in the true sense. To me this was what bringing heaven to earth means, as I was walking towards my future husband. I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do.’
We are deeply touched when we see, hear, feel the presence of Heaven on earth as we know deep within us that we to are also heaven on earth but not choosing this for ourselves. To be given this reflection is the greatest gift as it offers the space to make the return journey to our own soul and by that reflect Heaven of earth to others.
“I was bringing all of me, in all my divine beauty, joy and glory. ” An exquisite present and presence you offered to us all.
My goodness me Ulrike that photo of you in the car is absolutely stunning! There is a luminescence about you that is mesmerising.
It’s so touching to read about the deep level of honouring that went into every detail, and how this supported you to reconnect to something exquisite within you, it’s very inspiring to consider that this could be our everyday.
What you are sharing is great Ulrike, as it opens up so much when you go to appreciation as it takes you to a Unimed Living site that shares a whole new level about True-appreciation and True-intimacy.
Your essence is shining out for all to feel in these wedding photos Ulrike, ‘This was not just a dress but something that represented so much more, supporting me to reconnect to a place inside of me that I can only describe as the ‘crown jewels.’ It is the sacredness inside of me that is also inside all women, a place that I would always like to be in deep connection with.’
It is very inspirational what Ulrike shared, and the beauty shows in the wedding pictures, ‘Every part of finding the dress was divine and it reminded me how important it is for me to focus attention on every single detail.’
We so easily say ‘it does not really matter what I wear’ but I don’t agree with that because it does matter just for all the reasons you describe in this blog. Just like what we say our clothes are an expression of us, they are communicating something to the world and this can go from disregard to preciousness and sacredness.
This is soooo gorgeous and inspiring and it confirms how your relationship with you has deepened and unfolded ‘I would occasionally try the dress on and feel the deep connection to something inside myself each time, which was more confirming each time I tried it on. It was something in me that I knew so well but hadn’t allowed myself to really feel deeply for such a long time. It was something in me that I knew was uniquely me, was always there, but I hadn’t necessarily been listening to it as an important part of me.’
Bringing this level of detail to what we are wearing is something I too love to do. The difference that one little thing can make can be huge in terms of how we feel wearing our outfit, how we move and express ourselves, and therefore how others observe or percieve us.
Sandra, what you have highlighted here is huge really. The difference one little thing makes is like going 1 degree off course, meaning you end up in a completely different location only to find you have to make your way back to where you were truly meant to be. So taking the time with that extra little detail means you are as you should be and reflecting that truth to the world.
You touched on something significant here Ulrike, that clothes can ‘sport’ a different outer reflection from within. Is it not amazing to feel all of you no matter what you are wearing and what is all around you — both could easily influence you if given any energy. When you are connected to your essence that should be all that matters. The deeper the quality of your connection the more confirming it is for another to feel what reflection is being offered and ready to feel.
Our outer garments work best when they reflect our inner beauty and do not hide it.
It’s beautiful to feel how your wedding dress supported you to claim your sacredness and reflect that out to everyone present. An amazing example of how when we pay attention to the details they add value to the whole.
I am finding the more I say yes to that which feels amazing the more and more amazing opportunities arise. We take one step towards heaven and heaven takes 10 steps towards us.
“We take one step towards heaven and heaven takes 10 steps towards us”, how amazing is that, I mean truly, if that’s the way that life works then we have to stop and consider just how extraordinary that is. But if that’s the way that life works we also have to consider how few steps towards Heaven we’re all actually taking because there ain’t a whole heap of Heaven being lived currently here on Earth.
Ulrike, beauty-full, full of joy I can feel from this blog and I trust all readers. An inspiration to see what comes with true beauty when we let go all the false layers we have put on top (all images, ideals and beliefs). Thank you for showing us that there is another way in choosing your wedding dress, which comes from a way of living that is more free and more full of who we are.
Taking care of the details..nothing is too small to be taken care of, and everything matters. A point of inspiration that every part, no matter how big or small, is equally important and contributes to the quality and integrity of the whole.
How very supportive for all of us and I loved re reading your blog and what I get from it this time is how easy it is to override details in our life as not important, or being too sensitive about something small but it really is how we connect to each detail to come to the whole, the divine and the sacredness of our being.
I too am appreciating more and more the value of committing to paying attention to the details in every situation and how often this supports a deeper connection.
This is very empowering – when we get one part of our life to a new level of love, appreciation and beauty, then we can expand that love, appreciation and beauty onto other and eventually all parts of our life.
It is beautiful to read another woman’s appreciation of herself. We certainly need more of it.
What an amazing dress and how well Matt responded – great suit!
Thank you Ulrike- everything in me loves everything in this blog.. Its rich of truth, delicateness, expression and love, that makes my heart go wider by reading each word.. Thank you for sharing what is there that you feel and have experienced and what is currently with you – everyday! Very inspiring, and so are the pictures. Thank you.
I can see why you had two weddings Ulrike when what was revealed feels as amazing as this. When we connect to how we feel in our body without analysing it – it opens the door to us to live with Sacredness.
Ulrike what a stunning wedding and amazing experience to share, we often have so many ideal pictures of life and especially weddings. Having a deeper relationship with ourselves is very inspiring with what it can bring. It’s very rare to have your experience.
Yes, it is quite something for a bride not to be exhausted on a wedding day.
True – it is often us trying to fit into a picture that is exhausting rather than simply allowing what is within us to unfold gracefully out. This is true in life also.
Yes purpose, and loving support is so important, ‘this experience revealed how there was something so much grander inside to access, which was truly me, and it needed nothing from the outside.’
Seeing you in that dress showed a whole new level of expression, one that has remained with you and is beautiful.
You certainly were and it is glorious to see and feel, ‘I was bringing all of me, in all my divine beauty, joy and glory.’
that is true and amazing, thank you Ulrike you inspired me and so do I love reading your blog every time again.:
I love reading this blog it is so steady and beautiful,
Vanessa, I can confirm the steadiness comes from paying loving attention to all the details – feeling each one as important as the other. This then provides a solid foundation on which to move.
‘It’s all about the choice to allow myself to connect deeply within and surrender to that which is truly me, honouring who I really am and not being afraid of how I may appear to the world.’ That’s all what it is about, consistently living in connection and what you have shared too is that every tiny detail counts and will confirm who we are and that’s what the world needs to see and feel and will see and feel when we don’t hold back out of fear of being noticed. Beautiful reminder and inspiration you are for all of us, Ulrike, I love it and you!
Yes, that way we acquire more and more momentum to express our beauty.
Ulrike’s glowing face as she came out of the car at her wedding proves just how deeply she connected with her divine inner self. It was really confirming for me to read too how by paying such careful and honouring attention to all the details of her dress and how she prepared for the wedding it enabled her to support herself to connect to that inner beauty. This is a really great practical reminder about how simple it is to honour ourselves fully and then feel the results of that in our movements when we are expressing from our true selves.
Such a level of detail with your preparations feels so confirming of you as a woman.
“The process showed me how important it was for me to take care of every little detail, no matter how small, and by doing this, everything was in place to support me to be all and everything I am”
The little details are so important; miss these and we miss out on the magic and flow of life.
Most of my life I have had no idea how much taking care of the little details made all the difference. I am now starting to appreciate those little details in my life and seriously I have found that it starts to open up a whole new world.
When you wear something as incredible and confirming as this – regardless of whether it’s a wedding dress, work shirt or even pair of pyjama bottoms – then all of the other outfits in our wardrobe are called to be more. We should see our ‘favourite top’, the one that makes us feel amazing, as the new foundation for how all our clothes should fit us!
I have been noticing that I hold ideals, beliefs and pictures about what things ought to look like and my striving to bring these images into reality often gets in the way of my ability to stay open to feel and read the expansion the moment holds. At first when I read about the pictures which you had from young I thought uh oh. But then the writing expanded to the care you took to feel what would be loving and supportive and taking care of the smallest details, and how this included what would be supportive to everyone present.
It is not that we have to ditch everything that is of convention, but about bringing love, care and honouring the divinity within us all.
It is in the attention to detail and consistency in our livingness that allows our movements to be aligned to that which is sacred and our natural right within all of us.
“It’s the relationship with the elements of the outfit, the connection to me and process of putting it all together that I love.” I love clothing and the relationship of the fine detail of how clothing is made and how the fabric feels. Having the opportunity to confirm who we are and play and express as we feel in any moment is glorious and one that also offers a great appreciation for the essence of who we are but all others also. Clothing and our relationship with it is a great opportunity to not only deepen our own relationship but also offer us a chance to heal too.
What a beautiful writing Ullrike, your piece of writing is very touching.. a true inspiring experience that you share with mankind. I am inspired to feel and see in the pictures what true love is and that this is always set by our own foundations : how much we love and hold ourselves in relationship to divinity first. Thank you. I am in awe.
Hi Ulrike, what you have so beautifully shared here about attending lovingly to all the little details leading up to your weddings is really a true recipe for life for when all these details have already had our love and attention we are then free to be fully present to attend to whatever comes up next.
So true Kathleen because we have set up a solid foundation on which to stand and be fully open to what is presented next.
I love how this shares that it was never about the one day being special and amazing, it was about every choice you made leading up to and during the wedding that offered you an opportunity to really embrace all that you are. What and amazing way to celebrate with your partner and know that the attention to the detail and this connection with yourself was key.
Indeed Natalie, which sheds light on the importance of what we choose in every moment. And when we consciously feel into every moment there is incredible space to feel what is true, what is required and the divine connection with the love within.
I love this story. In the past I had bought dresses for my wedding way before I actually had a wedding, but it feels very stressful to have to find a perfect dress for that day. And I have rushed buying a dress for a wedding and I did not enjoy the experience. But what my experience has taught me and you story has shared is there does not need to be rush or stress because when we first have a relationship with ourselves things will unfold beautifully. To have a settled feeling with myself first and foremost, and this will be the same feeling for my life, wedding or no wedding.
Thanks, Ulrike. It is such a joy to share in this celebration of you, and the power of deeply connecting to one’s divine essence.
“You see, it wasn’t just a day about my partner and I, it was about us all.” The truth of this statement can really be felt in this blog Ulrike. When we attend to the details we honour everyone.
I love this metaphor for life Leonne. The more we attend to the details in everything we do, the more we honour everything and everyone in life. Everything and everyone is indeed sacred and divine when seen in this way.
I am coming to love getting dressed up and finding ways to reflect who I am in full. Your story about your dress is a great reminder to keep enjoying this.
When we bring all of who we are to the world we bring the reflection of Heaven. There is no picture, ideal or belief that can offer this superlative quality, as it only comes through our connection to our essence within which naturally shines through our loving imprints, the way we honour ourselves including how we dress ourselves and the way we move through the world. As in-truth is a quality of energy behind everything and it is very beautiful to feel the reflection of honouring your sacredness in the way you prepared for your wedding and the stunning dress you chose.
“‘The Dress’ – More than A Wedding Dress” – is the essence of what is carried inside us, and such is the beauty of stillness in emanation, and such is the beauty of a woman too.
What an incredible gift for all of those at the wedding to see you celebrate yourself and honour every detail of you as a women. The love you have for yourself and appreciation for others can be felt, there is a sweetness in your words. This is a wonderful reflection for me to bring more love and care to myself and those around me.
I love how you have felt the ‘sweetness’ in the words – this is a beauty full confirmation.
So as I am reading your blog, I am questioning why I do not put the care and love into the way I get ready every morning. Not to say that I put no care in at all, I do but so often there is a rush and I’m not fully connected and with myself which I then take with me to the rest of the day. We all know those times when we put love and care into the way we do our hair, what we are going to wear etc., leaving us feeling gorgeous and it is that gorgeousness that we then take with us for the rest of the day.
It’s a great question, why don’t we give ourself the space to really care and feel into what is required when we get ready every morning? It is actually so important and changes how we are with our self for the rest of the day, rather than the rush that seems to be so normal.
This is a very beautiful sharing Ulrike that makes me wonder how life could be if everyone of us would live our everyday as our wedding day…
A beautiful wedding dress that honors a woman’s exquisite beauty within is the dress that every bride should be blessed with wearing on her wedding day – just as you clearly were Ulrike.
We are all precious and untainted within, yes sacred, and we spend a lot of time denying it and concentrating on our issues or supposed failing. Can we allow ourselves to celebrate who we are in full, in this very moment? I sat with this for a moment and could feel a choice to compromise or enjoy how very beautiful I am…this is the choice we have every day, do we celebrate who we are and adorn, dress ourselves with the love and care we deserve?
How we dress and what we choose to wear is an expression of ourselves. I love how you have talked about your friend giving great advice on how to dress and look great, but I love how you chose to wear what you felt to wear so you could look amazing instead – it is about not hiding but being there to say it can be done by all of us as women and that it is not about how another reacts, but rather about how may more women and men and children are inspired by how we are in what we wear, and how much of the ‘stunningness’ we let out!
Yes Henrietta, it is indeed about more of us reflecting how stunning we are, so more can see that we can all be amazing and ‘amazing’ is actually who we truly are.
Love it – this way is clear of comparison, needing to outdo another or dulling ourselves down as each choice is made from a place of contentment and equality.
Once again Ulrike, another gorgeous blog, just like you! And this in particular stood out for me: “I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do.”
Bringing such love and care in all we do is a celebration , and your wedding is a gorgeous reflection of that Ulrike.
Wow Ulrike you look absolutely beautiful – your love and joy are coming through your eyes and inviting everyone to be this as well. On your photos you are also emanating grace and fragility that has been also reflected in your gorgeous wedding dress. How wonderful is it to show the world everything we are so naturally!
My partner and I are planning a wedding at the moment and every step of the way I am given opportunities to get to know myself and where I am at. For me this is the true gift that weddings offer the couple who will marry.
I find something exceptionally powerful in the statement: ” Attending to this detail was not about achieving perfection or to impress anyone, it felt very natural and was about bringing the care and attention to all the aspects so that love was there to be felt by all involved in the wedding. You see, it wasn’t just a day about my partner and I, it was about us all.”
It is easy to get caught in the pictures and trying to get things right, or in contrast to abandon it all and put little care into it. What inspires me here is the recognition that whatever is chosen it affects “all of us” and every bit of care and attention makes a huge difference.
What a beautiful gift we bring to the world, when we allow others to see and feel all of who we are. You are an absolutley gorgeous example Ulrike, of how this is possible, for any one of us, and how we dont have to wait for our wedding day to share it!
What I get from this is that we do not reflect enough on our lives and why we choose what we choose; the details of our lives matter. They matter because we start connecting with the richness and depth that is within us and all around us.
I agree Samantha- the details can get overlooked and we don’t appreciate them but they actually act as the foundations of why we have chosen something.
It is beautiful to read about a woman feeling in connection with herself and, it is beautiful to read about the many different ways that sacredness can be expressed throughout daily life in even the smallest details.
This sounds like your Wedding day that has become the marker for all days and a foundation of how you approach marriage with your husband. The love that you feel for yourself and others is felt strongly throughout this very personal and generous delivery.
‘ Attending to this detail was not about achieving perfection or to impress anyone, it felt very natural and was about bringing the care and attention to all the aspects so that love was there to be felt by all involved in the wedding. You see, it wasn’t just a day about my partner and I, it was about us all.’ Beautiful Ulrike, a gorgeous refection and confirmation for all.
So beautiful – thank you for sharing that our quality and essence is always there waiting to be accessed. It shows how we can truly support ourselves and others by choosing to be ourselves in full.
And when we choose to access our essence and share this quality, it offers a reflection to others to also be who they truly are.
A very poignant and inspiring blog Ulrike with regard to the attention to detail with your own expression that you brought to the organisation of and eventually to your actual wedding day. When I got married, it too was a rushed affair, similar to your first marriage and I had little input as to the day and how it would be. Next time round, it will be oh so different!
This is such a heart opening sharing Ulrike. You offer so much to all of us, especially those who are planning a wedding. I love your words “I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do”.
Reading about your wedding dress really made me feel there are beautiful traditional wedding dresses out there and not just the ones I see in movies or the windows of wedding dress stores.
And some of those traditional wedding dresses are found in stores specifically for wedding dresses and formal attire. Had it not been for my friend who accompanied me to this particular store, I would not have found this dress. There was a whole consciousness I had around ‘wedding dress’ shops that before this, I could barely walk into one. However, for this dress that whole consciousness was re-imprinted in the most loving way.
To many times a wedding can suck us in for all the wrong reasons I have seen it be done countless number of times where the real reason – LOVE gets put aside for ‘plans’ so super cool to read how you managed to keep one and the forefront and not only that use the experience to deepen that love further.
It is not what we wear that matters. What matters is that our inner beauty is reflected through what we wear.
‘Attending to this detail was not about achieving perfection or to impress anyone, it felt very natural and was about bringing the care and attention to all the aspects so that love was there to be felt by all involved in the wedding. You see, it wasn’t just a day about my partner and I, it was about us all.’ So very true Ulrike, we dress, eat, walk …. for everyone.
Our clothes are merely an outer reflection of everything on the inside – when we feel yummy our choice in clothes allows us to fully express and encompass the whole of our essence and sacredness.
I love how you felt the exquisite preciousness that we hold inside ….’this experience revealed how there was something so much grander inside to access, which was truly me, and it needed nothing from the outside. Very beautiful, something that’s freely available to us all, it’s our choice to connect to our inner heart and surrender to all that we are feeling.
Yes Alison, it’s actually a moment by moment choice to surrender to the divine within.
We often have the focus put on a day, the day or an important day. It becomes like an act, at every other point it doesn’t matter but when it comes to this day this is how I will be or want it to be. As we can read in this article we set ourselves up because it’s not about a particular day or a particular thing it’s about everything. If we take deep care in all the details of what we do, the quality we are when we do them in, then it matters not which day or moment it is, the way you have lived to that point supports you. We build things up which applies pressure on us to perform in place of doing the work in every moment which just then gets confirmed back to you in reflection.
Yes Ray and when we plan tending to all the details, we know whatever we do will be truly beautiful because the platform sits waiting for us to let go and be all that we are.
You are beaming Ulrike not because of what you are wearing, you are shining from the inside and your eyes say it all and your very beautiful dress and all of your attention to detail – confirms the brightness you are.
It is a lovely confirmation that when we truly honour that which is within, there is a divine emanation out to the world and universe.
This is such a gorgeous confirmation that the deep care, love and attention we put in one area of life has ripple effects on everything else.
Stunning Ulrike… and yes, it is all in the details.
I have found this blog to be a huge support. It reminds me not to settle for less in any aspect of my life.
A lovely reminder to us all, that our divinity is within us all. Wouldn’t it be lovely if this was acknowledged as being most important for us all. Therefore, it’s up to every one of us to make this claim back to ourselves, being the shining reflection for others to see and feel.
The beauty and joy of your sharing is full of appreciation love and the sacredness of who you are and is very inspiring . The detail to which you went to confirm your beauty from within and the magic of your wedding dress and day is continually unfolding in your life.
Thank you Ulrike for an absolutely gorgeous sharing of your divine beauty and radiant self on your wedding day, what a gift you present and reflect to us and the world of the joy and amazing beauty that resides within every woman. Love your attention to detail; this is something I am opening up more to bring into my daily life.
You remind me that we cannot truly get dressed in our best if we have not connected to our essence. When clothing is chosen in an honouring of the woman the result will always be a reflection of true beauty.
There’s a choice we all face between being led by the pictures we are fed or listening to what we feel. With what you share here Ulrike you make the difference incredibly clear – not only that but you depict how one choice that’s not true, feeds into the next and so easily leads us down a dark path. Your words inspire me more than ever to say yes and a big “I do” to listening to what my body tells me is true.
This blog has supported me to choose and accept a wedding dress that honours my relationship with myself and my relationship with my partner. Thank you.
The photos says it all more than just fine totally gorgeous. There is much to be learned in taking the time and detail in dressing for the gloriousness we are.
You look and feel so divine, your dress reflects your radiant inner beauty. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
Agreed Mary-Louise. Ulrike’s beauty is palpable in these photos.
I loved playing dress ups too when I was young as I got to wear clothes that I loved the colour, texture and flow of, and how the fabric felt on my body. I could choose exactly what I wanted to wear unlike my daily clothes which were bought by my mother. It would have been so much more supportive of my expression if my mother had allowed me to have more say in what I wore.
Ulrike the photos shown here alone illustrate the magic that was present in your attention to detail, the sense of sacredness you brought to the occasion, the beauty you emanate and the love between you and your husband. Absolutely divine, all of it and very inspiring. Thank you.
In an attempt to rebel against the traditional wedding, some women choose not to have the big wedding dress. But I can feel here that you have embraced it with so much love and so much attention to detail you have re-imprinted it in such a beautiful way. Totally claimed!
What a beauty – this blog is truly evolutionary for it shows us what is next, what is our love to be shared and how this is something lived not just shown on the wedding day itself.. It is a development of you with yourself your beauty before anything else – and the dress is a simple by-product – but a not from less importance as it is a part – as it confirmed the beauty you have inside and have allowed to come out.
This is such a gorgeous sharing of your wedding day Ulrike, I love the way you were so honouring and took time with all the details allowing you to naturally shine your beauty and sacredness to the world. So many women hold back from truly expressing this to others. It is such a joy to bring our true essence out for all to see and it offers all women a powerful reflection that inspires and ignites equally the same within them.
This article is reminding me of those moments when I choose an outfit or put on an item of clothing that just totally works and seems to turn the volume up on my sense of sureness about the value of being me. How the day unfolds is kind of assured and as you say I then have a marker from which I know how I can feel and do not need to settle for anything less.
Stunning Ulrike.. in every way.
It makes such sense to choose down to the smallest detail a dress that reflects all that you bring as a delicate, precious yet powerful woman.
Love it when someone takes something that may already be beautiful, but is not afraid to add their own magic to make it sparkle (which you do Ulrike.. in the photos and in the blog).
Being in the quality and depth of being married each and every day and deepening it constantly, this is the true and normal way of life, it is just natural to have tears in our eyes when we feel our connection so amazing and divine. This piece has inspired me to live this, and what is the term “marriage” then expands so enormously and the ideal of it does not hold me any more. Yippee.
“When all the details of the parts of my dress came together, I felt absolutely complete with nothing left unconsidered: tending to the parts made the whole absolutely exquisite.” . . . . you could say that this is a metaphor for life.
Wow. Such a great article for me to read as I’m getting married in 8 weeks. I did not allow myself to even try wedding dresses on as I was in reaction to the heavy wedding consciousness that I’m constantly choosing to get caught in. As a result I’ve ended up with a costly dress that doesn’t suit me. Your blog helps me to see that this is not a disaster, just an opportunity to reflect on why I made things complicated and why I hold my beauty back.
‘I realised I had been influenced for a significant part of my life by her impression of ‘what looked good on me,’ which was always fine, but didn’t really allow me to look beyond fine, to take it a step up from that, to feel and look totally gorgeous.’ How awesome that you chose to go beyond ‘fine’ and another persons ‘fine’ at that. The photos demonstrate the gorgeousness and exquisite beauty that you brought to that day and now to all of us who read your blog. Thank you Ulrike, very inspiring.
Tears of joy and tears at seeing me in all my glory.
‘Attending to this detail was not about achieving perfection or to impress anyone, it felt very natural and was about bringing the care and attention to all the aspects so that love was there to be felt by all involved in the wedding.’ – such a beautiful re-imprinting of how weddings can be – a true honouring of the love shared between two people, for themselves, each other and everyone else – a complete expression of love for one and all.
‘Every part of finding the dress was divine and it reminded me how important it is for me to focus attention on every single detail.’ – an awesome reminder that by taking care of the details we are truly appreciating and honouring the whole.
And I love to do this when I can feel overwhelm looming; stop for a moment and attend to something that I know I am confident at, a small detail maybe that simply re-establishes my sense of self-respect and supports me in whatever comes next.
The detail in our clothing, down to the smallest point is part of the joy of dressing each day, and living with that expression and flow.
Yes, that is even true for a man.
‘It’s the relationship with the elements of the outfit, the connection to me and process of putting it all together that I love.’ – reading about your love of clothes, it’s so evident that the clothes by themselves are just clothes, it’s the relationship with you and them that is special. When I look at clothes, I’m often not deeply appreciating myself first, I admire the clothes and then feel they don’t suit me, for whatever reason, but in the process I often allow myself to feel lesser, rather than accepting that it’s the clothes that don’t work for me, in my amazingness. If I am already treasuring myself, maybe I would be attracted to very different outfits? Way more self appreciation coming my way.
The details are the building blocks of the bigger picture, if we skate over the detail then there is no foundation to whatever it is that we are building.
The deeper we go into ourselves the more of the Universe we pull out. When self has dissolved then introspection becomes the examination of the All.
Ulrike, ‘radiant’ is a word that is often used rather uniformly for brides but you are radiance itself, mixed with equal doses of beauty and harmony. Absolutely exquisite.
So deeply beautiful Ulrike, your expression, your picture your words, all deeply touched me.. For I can feel the depth of connection you are connecting to, and now share with us.. That is very beautiful, thank you – and keep it going.
‘I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do’ – This can be felt so deeply in this blog Ulrike and a true reflection of what is meant by ‘Bringing Heaven to Earth’. Thank you.
I love how you describe your sacredness, Ulrike, ‘This place holds incredible power, steadiness and focus, all exquisitely balanced with the most precious, delicate, divine beauty, with a stillness that can hold anyone or anything.’ As I read this I felt the pull to connect with myself on a much deeper level, to claim all that I am as a woman and feel the power of my own sacredness. Thank you.
‘As I stepped out of the car, I saw tears in strong men’s eyes and many women’s – not that they needed to cry but they were acknowledging how deeply they were touched by how I was and what I was reflecting to them – they could feel love, a deep confirmation of me in my essence and being a woman in the true sense.’ – a magnificent reminder of how incredibly powerful we are when we choose to claim and live all that we are, with deep consideration for every detail.
And how touched we are when we see heaven on earth – a fellow human being allowing their sparkle out into the world.
“‘The Dress’ – More than A Wedding Dress” – indeed Ulrike, you wear it so well, because I can feel you feeling your own amazingness to look amazingness!! When true quality precedes and is the ‘undergarment’ of what is worn, the effect is always star quality.
Imagine if everyone had no picture of how a wedding should look and went completely on what felt right for them. We would then have some truly interesting weddings and a lot of people really sharing who they are and how they want to be. There are so many elements to a wedding and the outfit worn is a big one, but like anything it is just another opportunity to allow more of our personality to shine and let other see and feel how comfortable you are in your skin. Lovely to hear of your experience Ulrike.
Every time the page opens on the https://www.everydaylivingness.com web site, there is the picture of Ulrike in her beautiful wedding dress, smiling from the open door of a car, holding her flowers and the response of appreciation and joy is immediately felt throughout my body.
Absolutely gorgeous Ulrike… your sharing, the dress and you 🙂
The beauty of the soul is that it takes care of every amazing detail along the way, and when we get to an end result (like the wedding dress or the wedding per se) it is a confirmation and celebration of each step taken along the way, that’s the way the Soul is – amazingly grand and out of this world.
Ulrike how exquisite to see and to feel your connection and your stillness and joy on your wedding day, as the photos show– no stress or doubt anywhere to be seen! How inspiring for all your guests and for all of us who read about what your dress meant on the day.
All you share here in your grace, beauty and presence in every detail was amazing to feel and be part of. A beautiful role model for all of us and especially for a bride to be and it is being in connection with and living ones essence that makes all the difference to how we feel.
“The process showed me how important it was for me to take care of every little detail, no matter how small, and by doing this, everything was in place to support me to be all and everything I am. “
What I love about this Ulrike is that what’s clearly so memorable about the day for you comes from having expressed yourself in full, without swaying to ideals or beliefs and to others opinions. Being present at your second wedding I can attest to the beauty you radiated and to the ease and grace watching you with your guests. True role modelling for all woman and a true re-imprint of what is possible when we choose to honour every last detail of what we know to be true.
What’s quite profound Jenny, is that when I connect deeply to my essence and feel divinity, no ideals or beliefs come close to swaying me from that truth. The connection to me is so solid that I see it’s by choice to allow ideals or beliefs to sway me.
Everything to do with the setting of the theme for the wedding came from the dress first. I had no pictures around what the theme would look like, so it was quite beautiful how the process unfolded. The colour and type of flowers (as all aspects) were lovingly selected with care and attention from the florist in keeping with the theme of the day. My future husbands’ outfit and marriage celebrants’ dress were all lovingly considered as a part of this. It was a gorgeous unfolding and beautiful gift to allow ‘the dress’ to govern how each detail of the whole would come together. In following these impulses and allowing what was next before us to present itself, meant there was such a preparedness and fullness on the day, which meant we could totally let go to truly enjoy and appreciate the day.
People choose to wear clothes for many reasons – to hide, to show off, for attention, etc – but to wear clothes, particularly a wedding dress (there are so many images that can get in the way here) from and with Love is amazing.
Amazing – rewriting what it means to be a bride and inspiring others. This means the men too. My now wife really supported me to ensure I felt amazing on our day.
When somebody shines it is definitely an invitation for us to do the same.
What an amazing experience for you to have to feel the power of you expressing you and what that actually feels like in your body.
I have found that when I do something in that absoluteness and quality that Ulrike describes, whatever comes out has a further quality, a further dimension to it that is much bigger than normal, the way Ulrike presented herself on her wedding day, which was very special.
Our mind is an expert at distracting us with pictures. Like one of those pushy door to door salespeople it just keeps on presenting what you’ve said no to before. Contrast this with the sense and quality of knowing that comes from your body. Like putting yourself in front of a lovely warm fire on a chilly day – it’s a no brainer. Your words remind me Ulrike that life can be so beautiful, rich and simple when We say ‘I do’ to living forever more in deep relationship with our feelings. Too many of us live divorced from these senses, and it hurts our heart and tears us apart.
Yes Joseph, if we could only put all our attention to listening to our body rather than listening to ‘those pushy door to door salespeople’ we would live a rich, beautiful and simple life.
Your wedding day is a celebration of union capturing you in love and what that is and looks like. It is a special day in the fact of revealing your essence as one with all, and what and how that looks in expression and activity. It’s a day I hold so dearly and memorable like no other day. A constellation of love with all and not the usual focus on only the bride and groom.
What a truly beautiful and loving foundation that has been set for the depth of love, care and honouring of yourself and for us all Ulrike, thank you for sharing your divineness.
What a gorgeous blog to read. I would wish for this to be in Bridal Magazines all over the world – an invitation for Brides to choose a dress that celebrates them and to appreciate their own individual beauty.
I love the way you focused on all the little details to bring out absolutely all of who you truly are. It’s all in the details that make up the whole. This is a truly inspirational blog, it makes me want to go deeper in myself, take even more care of the details in my life and of myself, and not hold back, just like you on your wedding day. Gorgeous.
Bringing attention to the details is a great way to ensure the quality of our day and it is not about having to take extra time over things… one really simple detail I bring my attention to is how I open doors… do I grab and hurt my hand or do I use the handle and mechanism well and purposefully?
Such a beautiful sharing and something close to my heart as I love dress ups too and putting outfits together and the joy of expression in feeling that connection to oneself in some dresses and the glimpse and touching on our glory from inside and exquisiteness in ones heart. What an amazing wedding preparations and marriage you have prepared for so lovingly in life with your true beauty and essence from within.
It’s come to me later in life, but I enjoy getting dressed these days. I love that I get to choose based on how I’m feeling inside. There is a playfulness of today smart, or casual, relaxed, autumn browns and greens, boyish blues, or fiery reds. And the detail, loving myself from my head down to my shoes.
My wedding dress arrived yesterday after being made overseas. I’d read this blog yesterday morning and I already knew that there would be problems as I could see I haven’t allowed myself to trust that there would be a dress that would support me. This blog is a big support as I work through this knowing it’s about much more than a dress.
What a great confirmation of how there is a natural flow to the Universe that is deeply supportive of us living the glory that we are. When we approach life with love, purpose and deep care in every detail as went into this dress and the wedding, we are in harmony with that flow. We are then able to witness the magic that is always available if we but choose to align to such flow with our own choices and movements.
Weddings can be so loaded in that you can be swamped by pictures of how it should be. You have shown it can be done differently as in a wedding planed from the heart will always out do a wedding coming from a wish from the mind.
We all know that a model can wear beautiful clothing or that a woman connected to herself can look beautiful in her husband’s shirt. But there is something very very beautiful when a woman is connected to her own essential preciousness and then, as a bonus, selects clothing that is graceful, elegant and lovely. This is a ‘winning’ combo!
It is the instant knowing that let us understand what is truly constellated for us such as this.
Every item is a reflection and symbol for something grander than it’s physical mass, and this is the same for clothes. True fashion is knowing what it is you’re wearing in the first place.
It is such a joy when we choose something special to wear that we feel emphasizes the qualities we feel inside of us and this quality can be felt by all when we move and express our grace.
A beautiful blog about truly loving yourself and expressing from your sacredness and divinity, allowing others to feel their amazingness too. Focusing on the details allows us to truly feel all the love that we are and to express that love in full.
At most traditional weddings the dress and the cake are the things everyone is talking about before the wedding and is seen as the highlights of the wedding. Yet a dress does not make the wedding and a wedding cake alone does not either. As you shared it is in the way you live every day that will make sure of the quality of the wedding and when you live with true love and sacredness the end result is very magical.
Sometimes we get feelings about things and out things into action about how they will be in the future, and. Bringing the future into the present is a magnificent way to live and see life.
I love your sharing Ulrike! What a wonderful life you have ahead of you both. To follow your inner most heart and trust that it leads you where you are meant to be at this time in your life.
Yes, that is a great way to live as you describe it, Roslyn.
Ulrike this blog is stunning as are you and the beautiful dress that you constellated through your choices. I’m about to get married and your sharing gave me a lot to consider. It’s easy to focus on outside elements rather than express the beauty we are. Your blog shows what happens when we choose love. This blog should be in every bridal magazine.
In saying that Leonne, the wedding consciousness is so strong, I understand why we as women may get pulled to focus on the outside elements, when the true strength lies within. Perhaps such a blog would be a welcomed alternative in a bridal magazine!
That is very beautiful Ulrike, if we focus on the inside on the beauty that we already are and work on bringing that out then the wedding is guaranteed just as deeply beautiful as we are all inside. It would be amazing to share in a bridal magazine I agree!
That’s a fantastic idea Ulrike. So many women have experienced the tension and stress of focussing on the outside elements of a wedding day, so to have a story that presents a different way would be very powerful for women everywhere.
When a woman wears what she truly feels to wear, there is a wholeness in her expression and her inner beauty can be seen and felt
Yes, the impact was quite stunning at the time.
Love can take many forms and expressions. This is a particularly visible one and very beautiful.
Your attention to detail supporting you is so inspiring.
This is a beautiful example of following the feeling of knowing that we have from within us allows everything to constellate around us exactly as required.
It is gorgeous having the awareness that however special something is, it is never just about our self, our partner or a few, but it is always for All of us.
I do love seeing celebrations of 2 people being Love, very beautiful.
It is beautiful how your attention to the detail of your dress allowed a natural unfoldment of the rest of the wedding arrangements to come bringing this detail to each area.
I realise now that I have reacted in the past because the wedding I was going to was all about the bride and bridegroom. I also realise that is what my wedding day was like when I wanted all the attention on me because I was the bride many years ago. My observations about myself are without judgement for it was how I was at that time because the more I observe the more I can let go of the reactions and self that cap me from expressing who I truly am. When we make life including our wedding day about people first it changes everything.
I feel there is an element of truth about the bride and bridegroom being the centre of attention, but probably not in the way we are used to experiencing or hearing about. To me one reason they are the centre of attention (apart from the ceremony being about their union) is because they are holding the energy of the ceremony and the elements of the day itself. It is a responsibility to hold an event and a wedding is no different. There is an incredible ‘holding’ required when hosting a wedding and in that a responsibility to bring together all of the elements for all to share. True LOVE is the main event at a wedding which can be felt and shared with all, when two people bring their fullness (or more from their essence) to all the planning and honour the responsibility I talk about here.
Gorgeous blog Ulrike, so lovely to read about a women really claiming themselves, what they feel and expressing that. You have really shown how what we wear has the potential to confirm us in all our beauty and glory, when we feel this divinity in ourselves first. You pictures really reflect that.
I used to love dressing up as a child – my mother had a beautiful silk dress that shimmered peacock blue/green and it had a full circle skirt – I loved twirling it, and whenever I could as a young adult, I would buy full skirts because I loved the way they flow with my hip movements. I have a mix now, tight fitting clothes that show off my figure and flowing clothes that move as I move.
I agree Richard and it’s a crime that ‘our life’ is not usually lived in a way and supported to be this way from everything around us, so that we live this truth equally so. So what is missing for this to only be a possibility?
I feel it to be a level of responsibility that we may be avoiding!
“With this dress on, I gave myself permission to feel a deep connection to this exquisite place inside of me. I knew with all of my being that this was the quality I would walk in, and with, on my wedding day” – just beautiful Ulrike, the response of true impulse to confirm what’s already there.
I loved reading about the process of trying on the dress several times and rediscovering the feeling of the true you inside. It is very inspiring for all of us to take the care with our clothes and actually feel the quality they are representing. It’s not really about the clothes, it’s about the expression of the depth of who we are.
Beautifully said Fiona, I have to admit that I went to wear a dress to a family lunch the other day but chose to play myself down – because I didn’t feel at ease with the qualities I represented. However I have another opportunity today to wear it and will, as I was well aware of the consequences of not claiming myself in full. Ulrike your blog is supportive of all women to know this.
When I read this Rosanna, as I also relate to my life, why is it that most women are not really aware of and connect to their inner beauty first, each and every day?
Awesome description of your sacredness as your ‘crown jewels’ and how the dress supported you to reconnect with this. Our sacredness is so precious but how often do we acknowledge this and pay attention with the level of detail and preparation that you were prepared to go to on that day?
You are reimprinting marriage and demonstrating so tangibly that there is another way and we can always live it now if we so choose.
Ulrike, your photo shows the deep connection that you have with yourself and with your husband and this is deeply touching and so very beautiful. Not only do you both look and feel beautiful but so too does everything around you as this glow radiates out to the world.
Ulrike, I can very much relate to what you are sharing here; ‘For many years I may not have dressed so flatteringly or expressed through my clothing who I truly was, but recently this has been changing’, with me until recently I dressed as a tomboy, never putting care or attention to what I wore, this has changed a lot in the last few years, I now love to wear womanly clothes, particularly fitted clothes so I can feel my curves and enjoy the shape of my body in what I am wearing, this has all been a huge turnaround for me and a very enjoyable one.
The dress is absolutely gorgeous and it is the woman wearing it and emanating the quality ofher inner light, that makes it glorious. The attention to detail is awesome Ulrike.
What a wonderfully inspiring story. A great reflection that every loving detail supports us to deepen our connection with our essence and when we go with such a loving flow it feels glorious and magical for ourselves and for the all. Thank you for the gorgeous reminder.
How amazing that for you, your dress was able to reflect more than just the fact that as a garment it was beautiful, or maybe that it was expensive or over the top or made you the centre of attention, but instead that it allowed you to freely express all of who you are and your beauty.
Your own grace, beauty and appreciation of you is reflected as I see you in your gorgeous dress Ulrike.
My beauty, grace and appreciation of me are qualities I am claiming more and more each day!
This was just so stunning to read Ulrike. It is just beautiful to confirm that when nothing is left unconsidered and everything approached in the quality of your essence… tending to each part in honour of the beauty in each, the whole cannot be anything but exquisite…. Marking forever what is possible in each moment.
This is so gorgeous Ulrike, when we breathe our own breath and walk our own walk we make decisions that support us to live and offer all that we are.
Attention to detail is important. A few years ago, I would have dismissed small detail as irrelevant, but now I see it as part of being caring, taking time, having self-worth and value. Detail enriches, embellishes and brings joy.
I love the way you describe your relationship with this dress Ulrike, like a place that you love to visit it holds a warm welcoming quality that is way beyond the way that it looks or what they say you should wear in a book. When you follow your heart and go all in, without rationalising why, what you choose may come as a surprise – but it’s hallmark is the ease and simplicity you’ll feel in your body. And if we allow these impulses to govern our life, we’ll get so much more than we could ever bargain for. Thank you for the inspiration to let go of control and slip into the style of what feels right inside.
This is such a beautiful and inspirational blog, so thank you Ulrike for sharing how you prepared for your wedding “tending to the parts made the whole absolutely exquisite.” I too have found that it is by bringing my full focus to all the details of anything I am doing and acknowledging each and every part that the whole will come together so easily, as it did for you.
There is another aspect that strikes me about this story too, and that is the great sense of ceremony that surrounded your approach to the choosing and wearing of your dress, Ulrike. It’s appropriate too that it was a ceremony for which it was intended – but the truth is that same sense of ceremony can be brought to everyday life, the clothes we choose and the outfits we put together.
I love what you have highlighted here, because there was such a great sense of ceremony in the whole process.
I also get the feeling here of the difference between a wedding being a true ceremony and one planned from a ‘wedding template.’ This goes back to what consciousness or energy are we coming from when planning a wedding or anything in life?
‘I would occasionally try the dress on and feel the deep connection to something inside myself each time, which was more confirming each time I tried it on.’ It strikes me as a result of reading this line (and the blog as a whole) that it captures the true purpose of clothes – to support us to connect to, confirm and live the fullness of who we are. And you can see from each of these photos how you achieved just that with your beautiful wedding gown, Ulrike. Simply gorgeous.
Beautiful that you brought your own expression to the dress, not only in how you wore it and moved in it on your wedding day but also in sowing in extra beads where you felt to on your belt.
When I first read this blog I nearly stopped reading as I began to feel bored. Reading on I could feel the absolute love in this blog and in you. Afterwards I pondered on why I had begun to feel bored, and realised it was because of the absolute attention to detail in which you were talking about the dress and your preparations. Something in me was resisting this level of attention to detail. I can feel that the attention to detail has led to the amount of love you experienced and have offered here. It is a way of building love. A big lesson for me. Thank you.
Love it and love your honesty Rebecca! So I now know, whenever I am giving something such loving attention and those around me are bored – it’s not me they are bored with, but them not wanting to feel another level of love. I find in the detail there is so much more space where love resides.
Beautiful photos.. the beauty just shines through. Thanks for sharing the whole process Ulrike. When we pay attention to every single detail and really prepare ourselves for the day ahead, we’re in a much better position to support ourselves, to bring all of us into everything that we do without holding back, without wavering or hiding – we just go for it.
What I read in this blog is that when we surrender to the sacredness, delicateness and love that we are, the outer expression from it is not from this world but divine as that is our natural origin.
This is a major hurdle for some to understand because most would think we are from this world (that there is only our physical body) and if you can’t see it and feel it, then it’s not real. However, this experience shows quite clearly that you can physically see sacredness, delicateness and love as an outer expression when lived fully from the inside out, as there is a glow and emanation from the photos that you can see and feel.
Such a loving sharing from a dress which is more than a wedding dress, but a reflection of your beauty, delicateness and sexyness as a woman. This is also a reflection how every dress we choose to wear can have this attention in detail in order to bring out our true expression as woman or man.
Ulrike i just adore looking at these photos of you..the light just emanates from your crown and face to give you that majestic glow. Deep self-loving is so beautifying, and dressing in this electrifying.
I absolutely love the sleeves of this dress Ulrike – not just the beauty and physicality of it, but the very sexy modesty and grace of it. Such a dress with such a beautiful woman in it would melt any man’s heart! It is so vital that we present such beauty to the world to break the images that stalk the Internet regarding what ‘sexy’ is supposed to look like.
Yes Lyndy, it is important for all women and men to have the opportunity to witness and to be presented (on the internet) with such beauty showing what true sexy is. For many would not have experienced true sexy because most images are usuallly selling ‘sexy’ that is empty and void of any true beauty and love.
Ulrike, when I saw your photo in the dress I saw a bigger, more expanded and beautiful you than I had ever seen before. I was quite surprised how strong the experience was.
Christoph, that grander, more beautiful and more expanded version of me was exactly how I felt on the day and that is my true essence! There is so much more of that to come.
What you are sharing here Ulrike is so emanating from the photos you share …. They so beautifully capture the true union you were in with yourself and as a couple, and the flow of the day also confirmed this. A joy to experience.
Everything in the way you have described your beautiful dress, your connection with it and the love of your connection with you was radiating from you on your wedding day Ulrike. You felt and looked glorious and I loved being a part of that shared loved. The detail is exquisite… as you are. This is a glorious example of what can be lived everyday when we honour ourselves as women. Thank you for sharing it.
The details within our day are super important and attending to each and every detail offers us a deeper connection and commitment to ourselves and to life.
It is the many tiny parts, the every intrinsic detail, that when tended to with love make up the absolute stupendous beauty of the Whole they are a part of.
Some people have that natural connections with clothes – they’re the ones to go shopping with 😉
This is glorious to read and feel. Wow, what a wedding for everyone present. I so appreciate the attention to detail allowing for the space in which to truly be, and a great knowing for me to reconnection to and never dismiss.
Wow, beautiful Ulrike. There is nothing about what you’ve expressed here that goes into the expected drama of weddings society loves to perpetuate. This is a blessing to read and a wonderful reminder about how important it is to always be with the details, and always be listening and feeling for ourselves first.
So often we dress or get ready for the day to “make ourselves beautiful” or “make us feel better” in some way. What you have describes Ulrike is very different. You looked absolutely exquisite in these photos, but not because you were dressed that way. How you were dressed was but an expression of what you had connected to within. The true exquisiteness that is who we all are. Your exquisite beautify is always there as it is is all of us. Your attention to detail, your choice in expressing your beauty with what you wore was confirming this inner beauty and one that oozes out of you in every photo. What I received from this…from you Ulrike is that this beauty is also within me and I can choose to connect and live from this also. A beautiful inspiration for me and for all women.
Yes Jennifer, this beauty is within all women equally so and it’s a crime that we do not naturally connect to it first and foremost. Our world is somewhat upside down, in that we are quick to find fault in ourselves or other women. The truth is that we are all exquisitely beautiful, precious, sacred and divine when we come from our inner most, where our expression may appear different on the outside but all that we truly are, emanates out for all to see and feel.
And the radiant you that shines out of the photos, Ulrike, is even more then the self-love that you so beautifully express in this article
You have amazingly encapsulated the essence of what true sexiness and sacredness is and shown that it is no wonder why so many of us hide it because it is so wonderfully amazingly
Beauty-full. This is a beauty this world does not always like but certainly one it desperately needs.
Such beautiful photos of you in your wedding dress Ulrike, your attention to detail and the nuances that allowed you to appreciate and take care in all the tiny elements, shine out at me. There’s no missing the delicacy of your detailed touch.
I find these words very inspiring
“I walked up and met my future husband in all his glory, in his total and adoring love for who he was about to marry. We were a couple who were offering a true reflection of a woman being a woman and a man being a man, both in their essence.”
I look forward to the day when this is a shared with everyone and not just a few people as we all deserve to be adored for who we truly are, You are both showing us all the way forward of how life can be lived if we so chose to put in some work to allow our essence to blossom.
The dress is in so many cases the biggest stress of the wedding – there are whole tv shows made out of the process and at times drama of finishing a wedding dress that’s ‘perfect’.
But how often is that perfect simply the dress that fits the life long held idea of how we should look, versus what your sharing which is the dress being an end result of how you already where with yourself, and so therefor it was natural that it would look amazing and feel great because of the way it was approached
When I was younger, I definitely had pictures around what a wedding dress may look like and these pictures came from outside of me. But for my wedding I truly felt the dress before it presented itself – putting the details together like the belt and shoes and how I would wear my hair, flowed quite effortlessly. This is because I came from ME first before going to any pictures or what you say – TV shows.
‘I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do.’ This is such a simple message and, combined with the attention to detail makes sure that we are in absolutely everything we touch.
Beautiful you are Ulrike, and Beautiful you were on that day presenting all that you are in your full glory wearing that absolutely heaven sent dress.
Absolutely gorgeous Ulrike! When we take care to attend to all the details what comes together is beyond our expectations, a really stunning piece thankyou.
I have also discovered it’s when magic happens, as I have the opportunity to experience something grander than I previously allowed myself to experience. As you describe when we allow the space for something to constellate that is usually beyond our expectation, in this we expand in love.
Gorgeous blog Ulrike, thank you. There is nothing more glorious than connecting to our essence and choosing to celebrate the fullness of who we are. I can feel the stillness, love and joy throughout your blog reminding us what is possible for us to choose and to make this way our every day,
This is a beautiful sharing, Ulrike. Your inner beauty, delicateness, sensitivity and fragility stand out a mile. All these qualities are confirmed by the beauty of your dress… simply stunning.
I love this, ‘attending to the parts makes the whole exquisite’. Attention to detail is an area where I am constantly aware of my lack of care, that’s not a criticism but an awareness of a lifetimes’ habit of being rushed, not allowing the space and time to feel the exquisite whole.
Indeed Vanessa, and what I experience is that when I surrender to that inner known attention to details I feel myself as a child again, that time in my life I allowed myself to enjoy all the details of life in full. I am now rediscovering that inner quality and enjoy of all the details in life as these to me show us that life is so much more than just the physical body and the three dimensional world we live in.
“it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do” – yes, I agree. Our true essence in expression is utterly gorgeous.
Ulrike, this is just beautiful. I can understand why some people react. Your love and attention to detail and your subsequent radiance stands out as something that not many people are used to. Keep on shining and loving and sharing. You are gorgeous.
Wow your dress was/is beautiful on many different levels, and that’s what brings depth to the beauty of not just clothes but people too; when delicacy and grace is reflected on the inside AND then naturally outside.
It’s the true qualities of a woman that we need to honour, appreciate and celebrate as a true reflection, so others can also allow themselves to connect to those same qualities within themselves.
Great example of being connected and how that then is expressed. Many women would not wear the same dress to two different weddings, as it would remind them of their first marriage, but what has been demonstrated here is that the clothes may be gorgeous but it is the person wearing the dress and their connection that makes all the difference.
You dressed yourself in love and joy and nothing looks better than that.
I was just reading the sentence: “Every part of finding the dress was divine and it reminded me how important it is for me to focus attention on every single detail” and it reminded me that was exactly how we felt building our home and office. We took care of every millimetre in the most gorgeous and purposeful way and now living here all that love and care feeds us and everyone who comes here back every day.
Glorious to feel your claiming of bringing heaven to earth on your wedding day. Thank you for sharing – you are an inspiration and so lovely to have the photographs to confirm all that you are saying.
Thank you Ulrike for this exquisite sharing about how important it is to find the right dress, but that it can only ever be a compliment to who we already are and that it is this connection to our true self that will support us and our choice what to wear.
We can have the most beautiful dress in the world but if we don’t feel amazing in ourselves the dress won’t be able to change the way we feel about ourselves, it may momentarily but not for long. Your picture Ulrike is stunning and very beautiful, and I love the detail in your dress it was definitely made for you and I can feel how you fully claimed all of you.
Imagine if every day we paid this amount of detail to the way we dressed and applied this amount of care and love – could it dramatically change the way we feel in our daily lives?
Absolutely gorgeous to read, thank you Ulrike.
Beautiful woman you are Ulrike – such gorgeous photos. I love your sharing of how your wedding dress represented your ‘crown jewels’, your sacredness. We can choose to dress with this innate knowing every day of our lives. I know how my dress sense has changed over the years as I feel more full of me.
“the connection to me and process of putting it all together that I love” the love in every detail of your connection to the beautiful woman you are shines through the dress and through your eyes.
What an amazing story, I really love the extent you went to, to make everything perfect for the day in every detail.Yep I know there is no perfection but it looked and sounded perfect to me.
There is perfection, it is just not an endpoint which would make it dead and contains imperfection to make it perfect.
I relate to how you describe loving the fabric and adding extra detail to the belt. I too used to make clothes so I can appreciate what you are saying here.
It sounds like you enjoyed every detail of your wedding day and that dress does look fabulous on you. I can see how you have embraced your beauty from within and how that shows in your smile and how you held your body on your wedding day.
Ulrike, this is a very beautiful article, it brings an appreciation to me of what we choose to wear and how confirming this can be for us.
We can have so much fun with our clothing when we are claimed within ourselves.
The importance of paying attention to every detail is being reflected in my own life right now. This blog is timely and inspiring.
“I was bringing all of me, in all my divine beauty, joy and glory” and the pictures confirm this Ulrike. To give yourself that depth of love and detailed attention shines through and we all feel your radiance.
Just about unimaginable and yet it is not – what sacredness and stillness bring to our every day, not just the special occasions. It is about a dress here but not just about the dress because claiming ourselves always starts within.
Ulrike looking at those photos, you looked absolutely stunning, your beauty is on fire!! “As I started loving myself more, my style and clothes changed” – how true is this, and for us all too!!
Thank you Ulrike, what your sharing says to me is no matter what others might say, no matter how they might react, no matter what pictures might come and attempt to get in your head, our job in this world is to continue to feel. Sometimes we are trapped in thoughts and need another’s help to get back and sometimes it’s up to us to stay solid with what we already know is a fact. Either way the true marriage we make and vow that we take is to honour and follow the impulse of our Soul. In our essence everything is clear and straight-forward, delicate and beautiful as the dress that you wore. True obedience we can see brings grace to all.
Expressing yourself in your fullness what a glorious gift for everyone to see and more importantly to feel and the joy that is so obvious in your lovely smiling faces. More than a gorgeous wedding dress most definitely, it is a wonderful inspiring example for us all in how we can embrace and appreciate our own inner-beauty and unique expression. -Thank-you Ulrike.
How we feel when wearing clothes makes all the difference to how we move, and then that connection, through our movements brings to us a way of living that is sustainable. As you have shared Ulrike, it is all waiting for us in our essence! “This experience showed me how my true essence rests so close to me, is waiting for me, and is so accessible.” So our essence is connected to by our movements, which can be affected by how we feel when wearing clothes that are true for us.
Ulrike this was so beautiful to read and I also had tears when I felt through your words and photos the fullness you let out as a woman. We all do have this and we need to share our experiences of how we reconnected to this and started to let it out. Imagine a world filled with women expressing their fullness like you have Ulrike – wow!
Ulrike, you take us on the most divine journey of your experience and I could feel the absolute truth of what you share and the power of choosing to bring every little detail in, and with each detail, more and more of you was confirmed and felt. You reflected so naturally the true power of a woman’s sacredness. A truly gorgeous sharing.
‘On the day of my wedding, I felt truly beautiful, sexy, full and gorgeous, something I had only experienced to that extent on a couple of occasions this lifetime. It showed me that it wasn’t necessarily the dress that allowed me to feel this expression, but the care I allowed in how my makeup was applied, in how I wore my hair, the shoes I wore, having my friends around me and the connection to my husband to be. But, most importantly, the love and connection to me I felt inside.’ I can only imagine that there must be very many brides who could not say this about their wedding day. By the time the ‘day’ has arrived brides and family and friends are often exhausted and only just manage to get through the day on nervous energy. It is so lovely to feel the joy and the fullness with which you approached the day which allowed for the blossoming of the sacred woman and celebrate being married to the man she loves.
This is very inspiring and I would definitely bring so much more detail to my wedding day on reflection. I was one of the brides you mention Lyndy, exhausted, anxious and at the whim of what everyone else wanted from the day… not necessarily what my husband and I felt to have and do. A great learning and a beautiful reminder of what everyone misses out on when we come with anything less than our fullness.
What a beautiful blog Ulrike, and what a stunningly beautiful and sacred bride! And what a gorgeous man. I can so feel the love that is there and the exquisite care that was taken with every detail, whether it be the adding the extra beading or taking the space to acknowledge the beautiful relationship between yourself and the dress and its material. And wow what a dress! Very sexy and feminine wit the absolute loveliness of the soft pink roses.
We often hear of brides being feminine but not necessarily sexy because of the connotations we have of the word sexy. It is a wonderful feeling to feel truly sexy and what a day it will be when the word is felt in it’s true sense, by many.
This is really beautiful Ulrike, I love what you have shared. You do look stunning and so does the dress but it is not just the dress that makes it, it is how you are and how you wear it that makes the whole package and photo shine!
Yes Rosie, I think it’s the 80/20 rule. 80% you or me, how we live from our essence and 20% the dress. However, many people think it’s the other way around – 80% the dress, but one will never truly radiate and shine coming from only 20% of their essence.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It is really beautiful to hear how a dress can be so confirming of everything that you have lived up until that moment. Usually, women look for a dress to complete them, but in this instance, the dress is simply a compliment to all that you are living. So gorgeous.
Ulrike thank you for sharing this glorious blog about your Divine Wedding Dress. I was fortune enough to see you wearing it at the second wedding celebration and you looked absolutely stunning and everything you have written about yourself and the dress here is true. Truly sexy and beautifully womanly –deeply reflecting your sacredness.
I totally second that, Stephanie. I too was at the second celebration and i was completely blown away by the beauty, joy and love Ulrike and her husband radiated for all.
What is truly gorgeous here is that the beauty, joy and love was felt by everyone there and the more we were those things, the more we mutually received wholeheartedly.
Yes that is what is truly inspiring, when we allow ourselves to be and walk in all the love and beauty we are it touches and brings out these qualities in us all. These moments are worth celebrating for sure.
Thank you for an awesome read in how anything we wear has the potential to confirm us in all our beauty and glory, when we feel this divinity in ourselves first. The photos show it all!
Where do I start Ulrike, I feel your exquisite, delicate and sacred essence in what you have written about your dress and your wedding and how you are sharing this with the world. Just like your dress there is an attention to detail and love for all in every word. Thank you so much for bringing all of you, like you say. in all your divine beauty, joy and glory.
Yes so beautiful, there is such a deep honouring and love that is felt in every word, and this we are when we allow ourselves to be and connect with our essence. Thank you for bringing it Ulrike.
You need to change the portrait photo it’s not the same person anymore. The joy of you been you just radiates out thank you and I can understand why grown men were brought to tears .
Thanks for sharing Ulrike, it is very powerful. No wonder it was hard to get past the first photo of you to actually read the blog!
Agree Nikki I had the same experience….. so love Ulrike’s divine beauty
This was perfect for me to read right now as this year for me seems to be all about honouring, deepening and surrendering to me to the love that is within. For too long I have turned the other way or resisted it .. no longer. ‘It’s all about the choice to allow myself to connect deeply within and surrender to that which is truly me, honouring who I really am and not being afraid of how I may appear to the world.’ Exquisite to read and something that I am sure will help support many women and men that are getting married.
Beaming the jewel that you truly are – that is how we ought to be with ourselves and with the relationship we have with all that we place of us in terms of clothing, make-up etc. It all starts from the quality we claim from ourselves that comes from within us – and then whether we wish to extend this quality to something to share with the world. Then how we dress changes entirely in quality. Far from it being something functional we do, or something to show off and hide in at the same time, it is an anointment of ourselves to bring the inner jewels out for all of humanity to see.
And for me now, there is no other way – how can there be when we have connected to so much glory in the act of simply dressing ourselves?
Thank you for sharing this Ulrike, in all its detail. It is very tangible how the care and attention to detail you allowed for your dress is the nurturing care you bring to all of your life. Have you ever considered becoming a wedding planner?
This does highlight to me that more needs to be written about such a glorious experience so women and men know there is another way..
It is rare that a woman chooses and succeeds in putting out of the way the pictures of how to be and allows herself to truly celebrate her glory by bringing love, appreciation and care to every detail of what eventually is the expression of her innate beauty and being the woman that she is. This is such an inspiration and true role modeling.
Beautifully said Alex, it is rare indeed for a woman to get those pictures of how to be out of the way and allow true expression of herself anytime really, but especially in relation to a wedding. They are so steeped in ideals and beliefs about how they should be, and so much is imposed from close family and friends in most cases that it can be very difficult for the bride to feel clear about exactly what it is she likes and wants, let alone knowing what is deep-down true for her and being able to honour that.
What Ulrike shared is inspiring absolutely.
‘I felt how it is the greatest gift to the world when we bring all of us to whatever we do.’ – Everytime we hold back who we truly are, by checking out and not being fully present or by fear of how it will be received, everyone misses out, ourselves included.
Ulrike Paul the dress you wore is very beautiful and compliments your graceful beauty.
My body is asking me to take more care of every little detail and not too rush or go into the doing to get something done. and I was again shown by the reflection of a client I had a meeting with his movements were slow and deliberate and I found myself getting impatient until I realised what I was being shown there is no need to rush through life I can take it at a slower pace and the world won’t fall apart if I slow down and take care of the details as it is the details that make up the day as a whole.
Every time I look at the photos of you on your wedding day I am blown away by the deeply gorgeous beauty that you emanate. You are one of the most stunning brides I’ve ever seen, not just because it was your wedding day but because everything that you are and represent was with you and shining for all to see and feel. Now that is cause for celebration!
I agree Aimee. There is a timelessness and exquisiteness that Ulrike exudes in all of her photos and overtime I see the photos, she is even more and more beautiful.
Thank you Aimee, I felt amazing as I was connecting to that preciousness deep within and allowing it out for the world to see. Absolutely no holding back and totally enjoying being with me in all my glory..
I agree Aimee. When I take in these photos of Ulrike I am blown away by her beauty and her love as she allows the world to see how grand and stunning she is.
I agree, Aimee, it took my breath away to feel the absolute joy and the way Ulrike is glowing in the knowing and claiming of all that she is, her exquisite beauty emanating from inside out.
I have noticed and really appreciated how naturally both my children, a boy and a girl , dress themselves and how they just know what clothes and colours to put together to really express who they are. We all do possess this ability to express ourselves when we feel free to do so without any interference from outside of us.
I love how you show that how we dress in and of itself, doesn’t necessarily connect us to our deep beauty and sacredness within, however if there is an absolute honouring of ourselves and every detail in the process of choosing what to wear, our clothes can support us to connect more deeply to our natural qualities and provide us with the support to express them. This marker stays with us for us to continue to deepen, whether or not we wear the same clothes again.
I loved that bit at the end with it being the same dress. So often we can think that if the outside is different then it’s all good but the fact is we can have the same dress, same body, same life and yet it can feel so much more and different based on how we are and what energy we are connected to.
So powerful Leigh, it’s all about the energy first…the dress can only support what is already there.
It’s only when we start to claim our full and unrated expression that we can have the perspective to realise how fooled we are by other people impositions/ likes or dislikes – I find this especially with fashion.
What is mind boggling here (or not so) is that it is not only other people’s opinions but many things in society generally. For instance, things such as advertising, movies, cultural norms, religion, fashion etc etc. affect us greatly, unless as you say we are claimed in full and we live from that place.
I would like to add to this Rachel as in my experience it was me who was fooling me into thinking I was ‘fitting in’ by taking on wearing whatever I deemed suitable in the role I was playing at the time, rather than expressing myself in full despite what others may think of me.