A "not-so-special day"

Now I don't expect to have a "platinum wedding" and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on my special day. No, I will be very aware of my budget, but the one thing I do expect my wedding to be is special. I want to plan and dream and celebrate that day because I only plan on getting married once. I can think of few things that deserve to be celebrated as much as finding the person you want to spend the rest of your life with--cause for a celebration in my book!

That's why I was horrified last summer when I attended the wedding of my then boyfriend's (who from here on out be referred to as "bad life choice) best friend in Maryland. I was visiting and the day before his friend joined us for lunch and declared that he was getting married the next day. . . Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. The bride and groom had planned on getting married for some time and had simply decided to finally set the date less than 24 hours before the wedding was to be held. The next morning we woke up early, drove to the town center where the wedding would be held, and joined the few family members gathered.

The ceremony was performed by the clerk of the circuit court (my father holds the same elected office in my county) and the town square was actually very nice. At the last minute the bride realized she had not made arrangements for anyone to take pictures so I was quickly voted the official wedding photographer (having only met her the day before). I'll be honest and admit that my pictures from the day aren't exactly noteworthy.

Following the ceremony the guests went to a local hang out that is a bar, restaurant, and liquor store all in one to celebrate. The only problem was that the hang out didn't open til noon and we were stuck standing outside waiting for the place to open for nearly an hour. After which, happy hour began for "bad life choice" and the others gathered to celebrate.

After eating lunch together one of the bride's friends decided that they were lacking a wedding cake so she went to the local grocery story to pick one up. When the friend returned she insisted that the cake needed congratulations written on it. This became a problem once she realized that the cake was still frozen and there was no icing to decorate it with. Her solution to the problem: write on it with a Sharpie. Now, I learned in the first grade not to eat markers so this cake was tough to stomach.

Needless to say the day didn't feel special or out of the ordinary. I am in no way declaring that one must have a fabulous wedding that costs a lot of money. My grandparents were married nearly 60 years and had a nice courthouse wedding where my grandmother wore a dress suit instead of an extravagant wedding dress. Their marriage is one that I want to mold mine after someday, but I know that their day was special.

So, whether or not I have a designer gown or reception at the best venue I know that I want to plan my day and make it a celebration of the love I share with my husband to be. . . and I want a wedding cake not decorated with a Sharpie.


--Love