February 2023: Wedding Planning = Wet February
“I am ready to face any challenges that might be foolish enough to face me.”
-Dwight Schrute
There comes a time in a man’s life, where you look up and realizes that its finally time to grow up. You start looking around for a diamond ring and then maybe drive down to Atlanta to take your girlfriend’s dad out to lunch. Then, you’ve got to bring the lucky lady’s 4 best friends into the mix to make sure that they’re available to share the magical moment. People are busy these days, so you’ve got to give plenty of notice, let’s call it 2 months. But where to hide the ring? That’s easy. How about the jacket pocket of an old sports coat tucked in the back of your closet. She’ll never check there. Oh, and don’t forget to have it insured first, it may have cost more than your car. You check on it every other day just to make sure it’s still there and the expression “burning a hole in your pocket” has never rang truer.
After the exhaustion of sneaking around and living a double life for the last few months, the day finally comes and its incredible. She says yes! You get an applause from onlookers and the congratulations pour in. It’s quite the high. Everything you’d imagined and more! But then you wake up Monday morning and the proposal stage is over. Gone. The relief you felt all weekend vanishes as the next phase unfolds. That’s right my friends, we have officially stepped over to the other side and entered the abyss. We have officially entered: Wedding Planning…
Survival Tips for the Groom
“Listen, Smile, Agree”
-Anonymous
For starters, whatever you think you knew before, don’t. Just don’t. We must tread very carefully here. Stay engaged but remain calm. Don’t be too opinionated. We as men don’t really know what we’re doing anyway so whenever designated a task you must carry it out to a tee. Master the phrases: “Well, which one do you like?” or “That’s my favorite too!”
Remember, your role isn’t to be a hero. It’s to be a calming and consistently positive presence. Don’t let the pressure and the exorbitant costs of this whole thing get the better of you and remember that the core of this whole build up is the actual union and not the wedding.
Everything’s Going to Be OK
“I think a lot of people get so obsessed with the wedding and the expense of the wedding that they miss out on what the real purpose is. It’s not about a production number, it’s about a meaningful moment between two people that’s witnessed by people that they actually really know and care about.” “ Jane Seymour
Right? Or so I’m told. All my friends with children look back on the proposal and wedding planning stages like they’re nothing compared to what ensues once you take the leap into parenthood. Every stage of life has its pros and I’m embracing the wedding planning year rather than resent the stress that comes along with it. At the end of the day, we are so fortunate to be able to have a wedding and friends who want to celebrate what we’re doing here rather than to be caught up in all of the details that go along with it. Besides, anyone who can put up with my particularities and monthly updates via newsletter has got to be a saint anyway. More updates to come. Stay tuned, and pray for me!