speaking of brides

Tomorrow, I get to shower my dear friend Dani with all things white & bridey. So, NATURALLY, I'm feeling all sorts of wedding-sentimental. I was searching for something in my inbox last week & the post below popped up in an email I had written & sent to myself back in 2010. Uhhh, that probably sounds weird, now that I think about it, but since I was new at my job the entire spring/summer before our wedding, I would typically use my lunch hour to work on wedding emails. Apparently this day, I just decided to write instead.

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I am currently avoiding a list. THE list. The wedding to-do list. We are at the 8 week mark, and I am feelin’ it. 8 weeks marks the point that people ask, “When is the wedding?” to which I reply, “Why, October 23^rd!” to which they exclaim “OH! So CLOSE! Are you getting NERVOUS??!”

No, I’m not. Not about being married anyway. My countdown should really truly extend to October 24^th, as that will be the day that I can sit back and smile about the beautiful memories filled with every ounce of loved ones in our lives, partying like it’s 1999, and reminisce with my HUSBAND (HUSSSBAAANDDD!!!) about the day before. That beautiful day that we worked so hard for, whether it was finishing college, growing up from 17 & 18 yrs. old together to a point that we can be married or simply surviving the wedding planning process.

Nay, I am nervous about getting it all DONE. As I sit here in my office, I am continually contemplating ideas, remembering inspiration I had about 6 months ago when the wedding was “soooo far away,” and trying not to shove every cute idea I’ve ever seen into the same invitation envelope. I’m nervous about the fact that I’m not going to be able to decorate the reception MYSELF, and am instead expected to hand over the controls to my (very competent, capable, creative and AMAZING) day-of wedding coordinator. Control freak? You say potato, I say potahhhto. I’m nervous about getting off of work early enough to submerge myself in wedding festivities the week of. Nervous about spending time with my amazing cousins from Missouri, my best friend from Indiana, my college lovies from GMU.

What I am not nervous about is being a wife. Or being married. Or not being single. Or being too young. Or being too poor. None of the above. We are about 8 weeks away from being at the perfectly appointed place that God wants both of us to be before we say “I do.” I am my beloved’s, and he is mine. And we are so in love. These last few months have been some of the best times of our relationship, as we finalize everything that says, “I AM YOURS FOREVER!” We’re just continually giddy. It’s been surreal. We were just thinking back to when we started dating and thought 2010 seemed SO far away… & it was ;) But here we are. And that shaggy haired boy that ate too many 7-11 donuts and drank too many Slurpees has become a man that is continually providing for me, supporting me in everything I do, and preparing a home for us to share. *SWOON* Are we really not married already??? UGHHHH.

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Those feelings are still so fresh in my memory, looking back. I was so overwhelmed with my job that year, & it's a little sad that I had that cloud over our sweet time of engaged giddiness. But! The good news is that we survived & the wedding was perfect, just the way it was. (& can I just say that THANK GOD Pinterest wasn't around back then? My brain would probably have exploded.) 

Reading this makes me so grateful that I get to say "husband" on a daily basis. How two lives collide & make so much sense together is nothing short of a miracle. I am so excited to welcome Dani into this Wedded Bliss Club. It's fun. There's a lot of kissing & breakfast in bed. I promise. 

But for now, I have cupcakes to ice.