And How Lucky Am I? (or "What I'm Learning Along The Way")

A conversation with one of my best friends went like this today:


 - Me: "Wedding images are so addictive, so irresistible but so bad for you. wedding porn is not mis-named."
 - J: "Very true. How is it being bad for you?"
 - Me: "Well, it's not really, because miraculously I found this blog site that is full of amazing women who are down to earth and doesn't push the industry standard"
 - J: "That's good. What have you learnt from it so far?"


The list that I came up with went like this...

• Don't bow to other's pressure. It's not their day. They had their special day the way that they wanted, and that was probably perfect for them. (or maybe they haven't yet, and they're trying to live vicariously though yours) But what was perfect for them isn't necessarily perfect for you. Sure, let some people who have a head on their shoulders help you, and give you some ideas, but let them over rule what you want.
• Don't let the power of what you are doing escape your mind as you plan. The idea of marriage goes back a long time, and dedicating you life to spend with someone else is no small thing.
• Don't forget that the day is all about you and your significant other, and the commitment that you are making to one another. It's not all about the way the decorations look, the way that the bridesmaid's dresses match, or the amount you spent on flowers.
• Don't feel bad if you feel overwhelmed. Everybody does, they just don't let it on. You're allowed to be stressed, and have a few breakdowns. Just don't let them rule the way you plan, or rule your life.
• Don't bow to the power of the wedding industry. Spending too much time looking at "wedding porn" will rot your brain, no matter how pure you intentions are.
• You need to realise that "Sometimes, planning a wedding feels like walking a tightrope with about 10 ropes tied to you, each pulling in different directions. Your job is to figure out which ropes are the safety ropes, and you should keep connected to you (even if you loosen them a little bit), and which ropes are the trick ropes, that are trying to pull you off balance. All of that, while you are trying to hold hands with your partner, and keep your balance."

Hopefully I can listen to all the good advice that I'm writing here, and keep it all in mind as we get further along this crazy road called "wedding planning".

So thank you A Practical Wedding, for keeping me sane before I had the chance to go insane.