Wedding Planning From The Heart
I'm finally sitting down and able to take a moment to write. I've been so busy lately, living life, that I forget to document what's been going on.
I just got back from a bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas. I had an amazing time with my friends and I really appreciate everyone coming out to celebrate with me. In retrospect, I would have just had everyone come to Cali and rented a house. We could have sat out on the beach and went hiking and I would have been complete. I share that with you because you need to keep in mind who you are and what you want when wedding planning. Often people get so excited that they plan or encourage you to do things they think are wonderful. Although that is very sweet, you need to stay true to who you are. Your friends will love and support you no matter how different your ideas of happiness may be. If they don't, then maybe you should evaluate those friendships. I'm very lucky to have the friends I have in my life needing nothing more than to just be amongst them and laughing with good food and drinks. Needless to say, as soon as I got home I collapsed on the bed and slept for ten hours.
The next day, we had to go to our local nursery to pick out our succulents for the wedding. Initially, I was going to order them from Amazon. However, I wanted them to come from someone I actually knew took care of them. The Potting Shed in Old Orange is a wonderful, small business owned by Jack Carlisle, a very caring and kind man. You can find some really amazing and unique pieces to furnish your garden along with plants and flowers as well. Chea, my mother, Amirah, and myself hand picked each succulent that will be on the tables. A member of each family will get to go home with them and hopefully watch them grow. I love succulents because they remind me of myself. They are these simple, understated beauties, not overly complicated and don't need much attention.
What I have learned while planning and preparing for this wedding over the year is that you need to make it yours. When people attend your wedding it should make sense and be a reflection of you as a couple. You want people to walk away feeling like they celebrated you, not tradition. Tradition is not a negative thing, but when you get caught up on having to do things others before you have done, you lose what makes you special. At the end of the day, you are paying for your wedding, and even if a parent is paying, they are paying for you. It's your day and it's about you, so people should come to celebrate you and your love. If they want specific things, they should have a party themselves. Find a way to articulate that in a loving way early on to save yourself from arguments. We compromised by having two weddings, one traditional and one that represents us.
Just remember to be happy with the choices you are making because they are for you.
@AshleySirah