#FriendsForever
Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life. So many things in the build up—the wedding magazines, the shopping, the delicious food and cake tastings, family and friends joining together in one place on one day to celebrate YOU! Exhilarating! Many girls dream of their wedding day from a young age. I did! But when my turn to be the bride arrived, I viewed it as an ending when in reality it was just the beginning of a new lifetime.
I remember the time seven years ago vividly. It was the night before everyone else in the extended family and the wedding party joined us at the beach for a weekend of wedding festivities. I had just finished the last entry in the journal I had been writing for my husband’s wedding gift, and it was just me and my mom sitting on the balcony at the beach sharing a glass of wine.
I had just put the period on the last sentence when I broke down in tears. All I could muster was, “It’s over – My engagement is OVER!” Yes, I was dramatic (Hey, I was about to get married and I was a ball of emotions). I can’t remember if she laughed or cried with me – but the most important thing I do remember is that she said, “Honey, this is not the ending of your engagement it’s the beginning of the rest of your new life as a wife to an amazing man. It gets even better I promise.”
Then came the wedding day. Oh Boy! After four hours of dancing, hanging out on the docks of Destin, Florida, noshing on our “interesting” menu choices (can you say sushi, mac & cheese, and mashed potato bar?), and watching a free fireworks display, it was time to exit through sparklers.
And despite my mom’s advice from a few nights before, tears flowed again. I didn’t want to leave my reception because in my state of emotions I viewed it as an ending. I was focused on the idea that the wedding was over. But the same advice from my sweet mama brought me back. Marriage is more than just a wedding. It is commitment, love, laughter, and friendship forever.
I am sitting on a plane as I write this, headed to Tucson, Arizona with my husband for a business/anniversary trip. And in this time of reflection, I am thinking about the beautiful wedding I worked on just last evening. My team and I coordinated Nick and Laura’s wedding last night in Birmingham, Alabama. Nick and Laura Frenz had a beautiful wedding befitting the amazing couple they are. They also had a pretty perfect hashtag: #FrenzForever.
The weather was perfect, her bridal portraits were in front of the building where her own parents were married, the wedding date was the same as the groom’s parents (June 11), the rain held off, and the food and cake were amazingly delicious. There were candles galore and soft and romantic florals everywhere.
Through our five month planning process with this couple, I saw how much Laura loves Nick. It just radiates from her face. Nick is so loving and attentive to Laura, and he is very witty, which always makes for a great husband. As I sent them off through a line of their own dazzling sparklers and friends yelling the newlyweds well wishes, I thought to myself with a smile….”This is just their beginning!”
So I laugh to myself as I sit here on this plane, reminiscing about my own dramatic view of endings when it came to my engagement and wedding day. I got the itch to write this post, because sitting next to me (albeit with headphones on listening to some brainy podcast) is a wonderful and loving husband and father to my two adorable sons. My husband….seven years later… and it truly is better than the wedding day! #FriendsForever