As I've mentioned before, Justin and I are getting married next month in Williamsburg, Virginia! Located about 3 1/2 hours from where we live in Durham, North Carolina, it has been both fun and challenging to plan a "destination" wedding. This weekend we traveled there for our final confirmation meetings with the site coordinator/ caterer and florist. My Mom was able to come in for a pre-wedding visit and joined us for the trip. Since she lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, it has been difficult for her to be as involved as we'd both like her to be in the preparations and planning, so it was such a treat to have her here!
I will go ahead and formally announce (though I have been saying it for months) that planning our wedding has definitely instilled in me a newfound appreciation for what goes into such an event. What I've realized, though, is that what has been most challenging (other than staying in budget) has not been things like the dress, venue, or menu. What has been toughest has been attempting to figure out how to keep it personal and reflective of not just our tastes or style, but of our values and the kind of marriage we want to have. I'm not someone who has been planning each detail of her dream wedding since she was six years old, but over the years I've definitely developed an idea of what I wanted. Melding this with Justin's ideas, with our current realities (budget, time, etc) and re-evaluating whether that idea I've held onto for eight years is even something I actually still want has been interesting. Who knew that planning my wedding would lead to new levels of self-discovery and growth?!
It's also been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. While Justin and I do our best to remember each day how privileged we are to be so loved and supported by our friends and family, like most people, we occasionally forget to be as grateful as we should be. The process of choosing the guest list was amazing...the list of people in our support community just grew and grew! How did we come to be surrounded by so many exceptional people? ! And as the RSVPs started coming in, we were so moved by how many people were willing to travel over a holiday weekend to be there on our behalf. "Humbling" is an understatement!
So as we enter this final month before the wedding and finals (who plans their wedding for the weekend before her finals start?!), bear with my sporadic postings! I will do my best to write as often as possible!
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