What I've learned from wedding planning...
1. Your plans don't mean shit. Because they will all change. From the color scheme to the music, you have to be flexible. Inevitably, something you really want will have to be sacrificed for some reason (probably some reason that is out of your control) and you will have to accept the loss.
2. Everything will cost more than you think it will. Even if you catch a deal on one thing, you will get screwed somewhere else. (You know those 50 hours you put in at that job you're not particularly fond of? It just went towards that basic piece of metal wrapped 'round your finger. And guess what? You get to do it all again next week. Only this time it will be so 150 of your closest friends can have a piece of cake...most of whom will probably only eat about half of it.)
3. Everyone has their own opinion which they WILL share with you. Whether it's the man at Men's Wearhouse who tried to get me to buy one of the ugliest suits I've ever seen, or Cary Anne's mom who tried to convince us to get a different type of chicken meal for the reception, or one of my managers at Krispy Kreme who thinks getting married before you've lived together is a bad idea. You won't wanna hear it, but people are gonna tell you whatever they're thinking anyway. Do your best to resist the urge to snap at them (because they have good intentions...I think).
4. It's gonna cause more stress then you expect. And there will be arguments because of it. And that will suck.
5. You will have doubts. And that will suck.
6. You will have to resist the urge (on multiple occasions) to run off and elope. If you give in to this urge, I will not judge you. However, I will judge you if, in eloping, you decide to go to Vegas where you let Elvis marry you while two dudes dressed as Ronald McDonald and The Hamburgeler serve as witnesses.
7. You will grow closer as a couple. Despite the arguments and the doubts, there will be these beautiful moments when things come together and when you get to imagine your life together. (The thought of being snuggled up on the couch with your spouse watching TV in your own apartment will become like Heaven.)
8. You will understand God better. Throughout the Bible, the church is referred to as the bride and Christ as the bride-groom, a dynamic I've never been able to truly appreciate until now. I am dying for October 16th to be here, so I can be united with Cary Anne. In the same way, God cannot wait for the second coming to arrive so he may be deeply, truly, and eternally united with us (his church). Do I live with as much anticipation for closeness with Christ as I do for closeness with Cary Anne?
2. Everything will cost more than you think it will. Even if you catch a deal on one thing, you will get screwed somewhere else. (You know those 50 hours you put in at that job you're not particularly fond of? It just went towards that basic piece of metal wrapped 'round your finger. And guess what? You get to do it all again next week. Only this time it will be so 150 of your closest friends can have a piece of cake...most of whom will probably only eat about half of it.)
3. Everyone has their own opinion which they WILL share with you. Whether it's the man at Men's Wearhouse who tried to get me to buy one of the ugliest suits I've ever seen, or Cary Anne's mom who tried to convince us to get a different type of chicken meal for the reception, or one of my managers at Krispy Kreme who thinks getting married before you've lived together is a bad idea. You won't wanna hear it, but people are gonna tell you whatever they're thinking anyway. Do your best to resist the urge to snap at them (because they have good intentions...I think).
4. It's gonna cause more stress then you expect. And there will be arguments because of it. And that will suck.
5. You will have doubts. And that will suck.
6. You will have to resist the urge (on multiple occasions) to run off and elope. If you give in to this urge, I will not judge you. However, I will judge you if, in eloping, you decide to go to Vegas where you let Elvis marry you while two dudes dressed as Ronald McDonald and The Hamburgeler serve as witnesses.
7. You will grow closer as a couple. Despite the arguments and the doubts, there will be these beautiful moments when things come together and when you get to imagine your life together. (The thought of being snuggled up on the couch with your spouse watching TV in your own apartment will become like Heaven.)
8. You will understand God better. Throughout the Bible, the church is referred to as the bride and Christ as the bride-groom, a dynamic I've never been able to truly appreciate until now. I am dying for October 16th to be here, so I can be united with Cary Anne. In the same way, God cannot wait for the second coming to arrive so he may be deeply, truly, and eternally united with us (his church). Do I live with as much anticipation for closeness with Christ as I do for closeness with Cary Anne?