Despite brides’ understanding that we’re ambling down a well-walked aisle, we still appreciate our singular stroll—the ways our wedding journey will be all our own. But it’s easy to feel like every sister-in-white has read the same “75 Ways to Make Your Wedding Unique” article. It’s a great piece, but maybe you’re longing for something a bit more specific to you.
Remember the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment from your days in career prep or as a summer camp counselor participating in “team-building training?” This hyper-specific questionnaire is designed to help people understand themselves and others, then consequently “lead more fulfilling and effective lives,” by assigning them a four-letter personality preference using a combination of eight letters.
E(xtrovered) or I(ntroverted) + S(ensing) or i N(tuition) + T(hinking) or F(eeling) + P(erceiving) or J(udging)
So, we figured, why not apply its teachings for a “more fulfilling and effective” wedding?
“We all have a natural, easy way we’d want to plan a wedding, get only the best groomsmen gifts and select a venue by a lake,” says Catherine Rains, a MBTI certification-trainer who also happens to love weddings as much as we do. But don’t think MBTI is pigeon-holing anyone; they’re not saying only ESTP brides are fun or only ENFP brides are searching for meaning. Plus, weddings especially are so complicated that given the situation, any bride could act out any type. Maybe you’re envisioning a bold red dress, but pleasing your ultra-conservative mother is top priority. Or, if the most empathetic (F) of brides has in-laws who are driving her bonkers, Rains says, “She just might go T on people! Like, ‘Screw you, guys. I’m doing what I want.’ Sometimes it’s not appropriate to do your own type, and MBTI doesn’t explain everything.“
Just as we sometimes work against our body’s natural inclinations with ambitious fitness or nutrition goals, you might have learned that characteristics of another MBTI type served you better and adopted them. (Think about your shitshow of a college friend who ended up CEO of her own company.)
“We want to make sure we’re not saying this is how you should be planning your wedding,” says Rains, “but, rather, this is how it might be fun or easy to do it based on your type. Or, you know, chuck it all and go with the opposite! Just have a good time!”
So whether sticking to your own type or stealing from others, find inspiration below for your go at answering “What kind of bride am I?”
Read the rest here!