One cold, winter day, my sweet slumber is disturbed and I'm being forcefully dragged out of bed by large, unknown female arms. There's a militaristic voice with a German accent telling me that that this is going to be the greatest day of my life. My sleepy fog begins to lift as I think, "Really? Wait...today? But I don't think I'm ready..."
No matter, however, this event is proceeding. The bustle is overwhelming as I quickly learn that my suspicions are correct--there is no church and no reception venue to accommodate the hundreds and hundreds of people who have shown up for our wedding ("Didn't we only invite 175 guests?"). Ultimately the guests are ushered into someone's basement. I rush to get ready when the realization sinks in that I haven't finished, or even started, making my gown. In a pinch, my resourceful bridesmaids whip out their toilet paper rolls, play the old bridal shower game, and in no time at all I'm dressed in a Charmin original. They push me out in front of everyone and I walk down the aisle, thinking, "if I'd only had a little more time..."
Thus began the first of the wedding nighmares. This occurred in early January when we were having difficulty nailing down venues. The second occurred about a month later, after we had secured a church. "Fantastic! A church!" I thought. But this time, still no dress. I loudly bemoan my lack of dress when someone points out that there's an old wedding dress in the back of the church. I go put it on, and while it's better that toilet paper, it is utterly unfabulous. I dress and turn back around to find that no one is there to help me get ready. I try to start doing my own hair when the clock chimes 6:00, the time the ceremony is supposed to begin. I'm not even close to being ready, and i'm still hurriedly applying eyeshadow at 6:45. I hear a voice shout, "Everyone's leaving! You weren't ready in time!"
Part III happened last night. I still didn't have a dress, but for some reason it didn't matter. Everything seemed right, beautiful. I walked down the aisle and I hear a voice singing...but wait...it's a random kid I went to high school with. I haven't seen him in seven years, we weren't really friends, and he's singing "I'm Already There" by Lonestar as I walk down the aisle. It becomes instantly apparent that this is a nightmare.
Wedding planning is difficult. Much more difficult than I thought. It's so easy to become lost in details and to forget that after the wedding comes the marriage. It's funny how the most important things in our marriage will be the things no one else sees--the kept promises that lead to trust, the small gestures that reassure our faithfulness to each other. I pray that when I walk down the aisle, it will be a beautiful day that shows the fruit of our labor--not just the planning of our wedding, but the preparation for our marriage.
But then again, if I don't start making my dress soon, you just might see a Charmin original.
