The Whirlwind

So...I got married a few days ago.  And it was awesome.  As I was preparing for it over and over, I was reminded (wisely) many times that marriage preparation is much more important than wedding preparation.  And it is so true!  The wedding was just one day, and the marriage will be the rest of at least one of our lives.

On Planning A Wedding
However, I was not about to use that as an excuse to not put thought and effort into the ceremony itself.  For Zach and I, it was a sacrament that deserved reverence.  Personally, my views are that the people a couple invites to the wedding are there to be honored as people who have supported, and will continue to support the couple both as individuals and in their relationship, so it was important to me that the guests felt honored.

I realize I am speaking from an extremely biased perspective, but it was my favorite wedding that I have been to.  I kept telling people that I expected something to go wrong, and I did.  When the flower I bought for my hair was found, divorced from the clip it came on, I was ready to let that casualty go.  In the grand scheme of things, it was nothing.  However, with the help of some crafty bridesmaids, it was fixed.  After that, from my perspective, things went perfectly.  It was a full Catholic wedding so it was not short, but things moved along; the music was beautiful, the homily meaningful, and everything carried out with joy and reverence.  (One of the groomsmen even said that it was the best Catholic mass he'd been to since his own wedding, which was not something I took lightly!)  The color scheme worked, the BEAUTIFUL centerpieces my mom and aunts put together were beautiful, the food tasted great, and the DJ kept things well-paced.  (And my groom was ridiculously handsome in his tux.)  Maybe it's just because I am not overly attached to details, but as far as I'm concerned, it was the perfect wedding, and I feel so blessed.  I left feeling full, and feeling so close to our families and parties.  I am eternally grateful to everyone for their help and participation.

On Not Having Society's Definition of a Perfect Body for my Wedding
I had been working for months to shed some pounds for the wedding.  When I bought my dress in January, I loved it, but I didn't totally love the way it looked on me.  I began running, eventually increasing to over 20 miles per week.  (I realize that's not like marathon training level, but it's a pretty good amount for me.)  The bulges were going nowhere, and one day I tried to run and my legs did not want to.  A friend advised I take a few days off, so I did, and my legs still didn't want to run.  So I stuck to walking, and pretty much immediately, 10 pounds dropped off.

I went to get my dress fitted, and since I am on the short side, those 10 pounds were almost enough to warrant complicated and expensive alterations.  Luckily, my dress was lace-up, so I could just be cinched in a little tighter, but there wasn't a lot of room left over.  So I made the decision to do my best to stay that size, despite it being about 8 pounds higher than where I usually hung out pre-grad-school.  I may work on it once the honeymoon is over, but you know what?  I'm happy with where I was.  The style of dress I bought was fantastic for showing off an hourglass shape, and I am happy I had some good curves to add to the equation.  No shame here, I wouldn't change a thing.

On Why I Almost Melted Into A Puddle While Walking Down the Aisle
Looking arguably the best (or at least the most polished) I ever have, being led by my father toward something wonderful in my future, while all of the people I love look on and smile at me...that is what I imagine it will be like to enter Heaven when it's my time.  So amazing the way God finds ways to show me just how much He loves me.  What a meaningful and hope-giving way to enter the first few moments of this new journey!

On My New Husband
I love him!!!