As I look back on my own wedding day, I think about all of the expectations I had for the big day as I went through the planning process. Think about it. You date your beloved for (what is often) years, to then get engaged. And then you spend months on wedding planning. All planning for ONE day. You will sit and day dream about the details. You will have borderline- panic attacks over the growing to do list. And you will second guess yourself while making (what feels like) a million decisions.
All of this leads to high expectations for your day, and hopes of “perfection.” While we know that perfection is impossible, it’s ok to have high expectations. However, make sure to add some flexibility in your mind so you can more easily go with the flow when things don’t go your way. Here are a few thoughts on expectations for the big day.
- During the planning process, take some time to talk to other newlyweds. Ask them about their wedding expectations, what they might have changed, and what they wouldn’t have done differently. Their insights will likely be extremely valuable!
- The day will go by incredibly fast. It’s not going to be worth having expectations that won’t ever be met because you’re going to miss out on some of the best parts of your big day by being too wrapped up in the details.
- Your guests might not appreciate or recognize your effort put into every single detail, but they will remember the holistic wedding experience and cherish those memories. Some of the smallest details are more for you and not for them.
- Things will go wrong, but they will likely add to some of the memories that you and your spouse make together.
- No matter what, it is likely not going to end up being the “dream wedding” that you have had in your mind. It will be different, probably not as grand as what you’ve been dreaming of, but more magnificent and heart-felt in ways you couldn’t imagine ahead of time.
With love,
Girl with a Diamond Ring
GIRL WITH A DIAMOND RING 