With less than two months until the big day, the to-do list for wedding details continues to grow with each passing hour, and the time frame to get it completed continues to shrink. The invitations were mailed this week, our ceremony details are finalized, and plenty of other things have already been accomplished. But in the past few days, it has really sunk in that the wedding is coming soon—and that has caused me to feel a bit overwhelmed.
I enjoy the event-planning process immensely—that’s what I do most days for my everyday job. I feel like I’m organized and efficient in my actions, and with the exception of a few things, I’ve been decisive in the various elements. But there have been many minute details that I’ve always told myself could be dealt with later, and recently it’s become apparent that there’s no real time left to delay. Being engaged for almost a year now, I’ve spread out the wedding activities from month to month, and the actual event has seemed so distant. The feeling can be described only as somewhat surreal.
Two months may seem like plenty of time to get things together, but other brides-to-be can empathize that these days will pass in an instant. Being aware of these time constraints motivates me to stay completely focused on wedding details, but I do have other responsibilities in my life. As flexible and understanding as my boss may be, I think it’d be a stretch to ask him for two months off to complete the finishing touches of the wedding (especially after the wonderful vacation time he granted me for the honeymoon). Additionally, I’ve always called my weekend work in animal rescue “my second job,” but with wedding appointments crowding my calendar, my volunteer availability has significantly diminished. I always keep my schedule packed and love having my life that way, but with the added wedding planning in the mix, I feel like I’m going in one too many directions.
I’m slowly realizing that there’s a healthy balance between wedding activities and real life—at the end of all of this, it’s only one day of the rest of my life with Andrew. While some of these things seem like a huge priority right now, at the end of that day I won’t be thinking about stamps or table settings. I’ll be sitting with my new husband, surrounded by our friends and family—and there’s nothing overwhelming about that.
Lisa Marie, a local bride-to-be, writes every Friday about planning her wedding, which will be in Washington in July. To follow her adventures from the beginning, click here.
