I woke up today thinking it was Friday. In case you didn't know either, it's not. It's Thursday.
Despite that unfortunate fact that it's not Friday, I have a lot to look forward to. This weekend I will see, Christina, one of my oldest friends get married. We have quite the history.
We have been close since 7th grade, through high school and I often visited her in college when she lived in New Orleans. We have shared a good Mardi Gras or five together. So in addition to beautiful, I know her wedding will be a blast.
I love weddings: the ceremony (I always cry), the free food and drink, the dancing, the toasting, did I mention the dancing? But being in a wedding party takes it up a notch. There is one thing that I love most about being in someone's wedding: The Rehearsal.
It's the eve of zero hour. And the core group has gathered to toast the occasion before it happens.
The bride is at the pinnacle of nervousness and excitement. It's too late to fret over whether or not things are finished. You just have to go with the flow now. It's show-time.
Practicing at the rehearsal is so odd. I remember my mother-in-law instructing my bridesmaids as to how to walk down the aisle as I feverishly chewed on my bottom lip. Nervous? Me? Nahhhh. I was a wreck.
I was pretty much the first of my close friends to get married. I knew exactly how I wanted my wedding to be, but I wasn't sure how to make it happen.
My mom and dad helped ease my butterflies. My mom didn't say much. She just smiled and let the preacher talk and would occasionally pat me on the back reassuringly. I remember my Dad laughed out loud right before he walked me down the aisle. I said, “Dad! This is serious.” He looked me right in the eye, grabbed by hand and said, “You are all right, Lele. At the end of this you'll be married. It's really all good.”
I hugged him and missed my cue to walk down the aisle because he was right. Just like my grandfather would say each and every day, it really is “All good.” I still get choked up thinking about that moment and how much it meant to me. It helped me realize that none of this really matters except to me.
So, Christina, enjoy the moment. Whether it's at the rehearsal, putting on the dress of your dreams or walking down the aisle. Take a minute to look around, soak it in, and realize that these memories will last forever. Enjoy every moment.
Oh and one more thing: do what you want at your wedding. It's your day, so have fun. You can dance the whole time if you want.
Life is really what you make it, so make it good. Congratulations, my friend.
