Sara Sharpe

A Dress, a Ring, Promises to Self Sara Sharpe

In the summer of 2001, Sara Sharpe married herself. In the beautiful town of Balsam, North Carolina, she bought a long white dress, a huge bundle of flowers, and a ring that she wears to this day. She stayed up all night writing a list of promises to herself, building a temporary altar at which to perform the blessed event, and decorating her cheerful, purple room at the Balsam Mountain Inn? Few would argue with the notion that it is hard, if not impossible, to love, honor and care for another if one does not first learn to love, honor and care for one?s self. Some things deserve to be elevated to ritual status. Making the sort of commitment described herein, Sara argues, is one of those things. A Dress, A Ring, Promises to Self: an unconventional wedding planner for one, is a journal/planner as well as a book, designed to lead readers through the process of performing a similar commitment ceremony; one which, ultimately, provides a tangible opportunity to begin (or continue) to heal the past, imagine the future, and to construct ? first on paper and then in your relationships ? boundaries that will keep you safe, rituals that will keep you connected to the Divine, and language that will enable you to communicate your deepest desires.