Emily did find a dress—but sorry, Drew, it's going to be a surprise.

Despite my strong desire not to stress out over wedding plans, I must confess that I have. My mom met me for dinner one night last week, and as we rode the Orange Line to our respective Metro stops, the floodgates opened without warning. By floodgates, I mean a few glistening tears—but still, they sprang from a deep well of frustration. All of the wedding planning felt heavy on my shoulders, and I’m more of a runner than a weightlifter, so I was struggling. Not finding a wedding dress, not finding a reception site, trying to fit our plans into a budget, getting frustrated at myself getting frustrated . . .

Talking to Drew one night and again close to tears, I said, “I don’t want to do any of this. I just want to get married and go on our honeymoon!”

Don’t I sound so ridiculously ungrateful and incredibly annoying? You can totally agree with me because I’m writing it. Each passing day is one day closer to marrying my man—not one less day to plan this event.

At his dad’s suggestion, Drew called up the Bluegrass Yacht & Country Club, a beautiful venue in Hendersonville, Tennessee. We booked it this past Wednesday. On Saturday, my mom and I found my wedding dress. A simple sweetheart-cut, strapless, A-line gown at Jeanette’s Bride ’n Tux in Manassas, but that’s all the description I can give. I want Drew to be completely surprised when I walk down that aisle. We bought the dress and veil for $1,025, which is really pretty amazing. We then drove to Georgetown’s Paper Source for a wedding event and got some great ideas on do-it-yourself invitations. With several of those major plans in place, all of my stress melted away.

To celebrate Presidents’ Day, Drew and I escaped Washington and drove out to Middleburg to enjoy the fresh air and each other. I think it’s probably easy to get caught up in the stress of wedding planning, but as my grandma said, “Emily, the plans are going to work out or they’re not, but either way you’re getting married to Drew. And that’s what’s important.”

Good to get that grandma perspective.

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