Advice for Brides/Grooms

I could easily draft a novel for this prompt, but I'll try to keep it brief. No matter what calamity strikes or bad weather ensues before, during or after the wedding – the outcome of the wedding is 100% in the bride and groom's hands. For starters, my car was totaled in the middle of the night four months before my wedding by a one-legged man with no insurance. Then, two months later – I found out my videographer had taken his own life after not hearing from him for a month. A few weeks after that, I discovered the bridesmaid dress I chose sold out of all sizes except 14, 16 and 18 (turns out my sister and two best friends from home hadn't ordered theirs yet). Fast forward to the week before the wedding, and my in-laws’ car broke down on the highway en route to Charleston with my husband’s 94-year-old grandmother in the backseat. Meanwhile, I picked my rehearsal dinner dress up from the seamstress, only to discover she had accidentally sewn in size DD cups (instead of the correct B size). And on top of all of this, we began reading reports of a Charleston heat wave approaching, which was predicted to culminate in 99 degrees on our wedding day, May 26. Trust me–I could keep going, but my point is to stress that none of the logistics and fluff really matter in the long-run. Most of us have been to a wedding or two where the bride is clearly uptight and preoccupied with over-calculating every aesthetic detail around her. I made a promise to myself not to fall into this category. So instead, Daniel (my husband) and I concocted a simple, foolproof game plan to truly enjoy the best night of our lives:

Remember what the day is about. Hint: it's not the dress designer, venue, draping or shoes that matter in the end – it's who's waiting for you at the other end of the aisle. When in doubt, report to the dance floor. It's that simple. We weren't afraid to let loose at our wedding (sweat and all), and I'm so glad we did. I truly believe that the bride and groom's collective attitude is one of the single most critical factors to determine the night’s success. Allow yourselves to have a blast, and I promise – your guests will too. Ladies, this should go without saying... But break in your wedding shoes at least two weeks out. I’m still suffering the consequences.

Conclusion

As evidenced by the uncontrollable tears, I'll never forget walking down the aisle escorted by my sweet daddy. It's truly an impossible task to narrow down every glorious moment of that 100-degree day… However, the surprise Ramses cameo, last-second shorts rebellion and rickshaw exit (sporting sombreros) were obvious highlights.