Wedding Preparations

I remember one year when I sat across from a friend at a local restaurant, enjoying lunch together.  She had been married over 10 years and I was still waiting for Mr. Right to come along.  She would confide in me about her marriage woes and we'd joke about some of it, like having to make an appointment on the calendar with her husband, just so they could discuss what was going on in their lives.  I learned during that chat and many others with her that being married really wasn't any different from being single, except that you walked through life's difficulties with someone, and not alone.

A few years later, Mr. Right did come along and together we went through a 12 week premarital counseling session, discussing marriage topics from A to Z.  It was during that time I began to realize how much more important it was to plan for my marriage than it was to plan for my wedding.

In our eyes, our wedding was beautiful and just what we wanted. It wasn't anything fancy, in fact many may have questioned why I didn't do more with the music, since I had been the music administrator in the singles ministry at our church. I chose to keep the wedding as family oriented as possible and I had my nieces and nephews sing a song about Love (I Corinthians 13).  They were young and so out of tune!  It didn't matter to me.  It was fun and I treasured my relationship with each one of them. To this day, when my husband and I listen to the recording of our wedding day, we grin from ear to ear!  Others may have questioned the luncheon we served, versus a big meal.  Our wedding was in the late morning.  A luncheon was easy, not as expensive, and perfect for the middle of the day! I'm sure there are other things that people would have chosen so differently from what we had planned.

I learned early on that the wedding day is just ONE day.  My marriage is a LIFETIME.  I kept that in mind as I planned for my wedding.  I try to help the brides that I work with now understand this concept.  Many of them are young, fresh out of college without any idea of what marriage really entails. 

Some friends of mine shared this article on Facebook.  I thought it was so good and wanted to share it with my readers as well. Young Brides -- take heed to these words and learn to prepare for your marriage!

Happy Planning!

http://www.kyria.com/topics/marriagefamily/marriage/healthhome/visitwithbride.html