And so it is done.
The wedding day went off as planned. It was a happy day followed by a sublime honeymoon in Aruba. As predicted by everyone and my mother, the day flew by in the blink of an eye. It’s a good thing we have pictures, even the ones taken by my four-year-old nephew after he hijacked the reception table cameras. The kid has a future as a paparazzo.
Everyone also says brides feel a sense of loss after the wedding and honeymoon are over. I don’t know about that. Will it really ever be over?
The thank you cards have been sent and gifts put away, but now we are faced with a million digital photos to go through for the wedding album and mothers clamoring for prints. My dress is still hanging in the dining room. We are still figuring out where to put all of Glenn’s stuff. I think the simplest solution would be to move.
I anticipate a return to relative normalcy any day now. Life continues to be a bit chaotic, but it’s a happy chaos with my new husband.
I would be remiss if I didn’t share what I learned during the planning process from a big-picture perspective.
First, budget more time for anything and everything. It will all take longer than you expected, from deciding on a venue, to driving to appointments to putting together table favors. And if you need more time to get things done on your own, you can bet you are going to have to factor in more time when other people are involved. Getting family and friends mobilized is like herding cats. A huge herd of cats with attention deficit disorder. That I love very much.
Time is especially important on the wedding day. Are you planning on getting up at 6 a.m.? Make it 5 a.m. Trust me. Wear a watch at least while you’re getting ready and go over the schedule with the site coordinator. Nobody wants to be the one to move things along, but somebody who is not drinking mimosas has to take charge. That blink of an eye is even faster when you are rushed.
Second, don’t dwell on what didn’t get done that day or go exactly as Type A-planned. By now my guests have probably forgotten about most of the details except the food. What went wrong? Nothing significant, fortunately. Short of a hurricane or the wedding officiant not showing up, it doesn’t matter. I’m already hazy about a few details myself and it was my wedding! Memory or lack thereof can be a friend to brides if you let it be.
Writing this blog has been a lot of fun. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
